Full text of "Portrait and biographical album of Henry County, Illinois : containing full-page portraits and biographical sketches of prominent and representative citizens of the county, together with portraits and biographies of all the governors of Illinois, and of the presidents of the United States; also containing a history of the county, from its earliest settlement to the present time"

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CORNELL

UNIVERSITY

LIBRARY

BOUGHT WITH THE INCOME
OF THE SAGE ENDOWMENT
FUND GIVEN IN 189I BY

HENRY WILLIAMS SAGE

Cornell University Library
F 547H52 P85
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Portrat and biographical album of Henry

3 1924 028 805 352
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Cornell University
Library

The original of this book is in
the Cornell University Library.

There are no known copyright restrictions in
the United States on the use of the text.

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Henry County, Illinois. ;

CONTAINING

Fall-page portrait aqd Biographical j^etoheg of pronjineqt and I^epi'egeqfsaiiiYe

Citizeq^ of fije County.

TOGETHER WITH

PORTRAITS AND BIOGRAPHIES OF ALL THE GOVERNORS OF ILLINOIS,
AND OF THE PRESIDENTS OF THE UNITED STATES.

ALSO CONTAINING A HISTORY OF THE COUNTY, FROM ITS EARLIEST SETTLEMENT

TO THE PRESENT TIME.

CHICAGO:

Biographical Publishing Co
1885.

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HAVE completed our labors in writing and compiling the Portrait and Bio-
iGRAPHiCAL Album of this county, and wish, in presenting it to our patrons, to speak
briefly of the importance of local works of this nature. It is certainly the duty
of the present to commemorate the past, to perpetuate the names of the pioneers,
to furnish a record of their early settlement, and to relate the story of their progress.
The civilization of our day, the enlightenment of the age, and this solemn duty which
men of the present time owe to their ancestors, to themselves and to their posterity,
demand that a record of their lives and deeds should be made. In local history k found a power
to instruct man by precedent, to enliven the mental faculties, and to waft down the river of time a safe
vessel in which the names and actions of the people who contributed to raise this region from its
primitive state may be preserved. Surely and rapidly the noble men, who in their vigor and prime
came early to the county and claimed the virgin soil as their heiitage, are passing to their
graves. The number remaining who can relate the history of the first days of settlement is
becoming small indeed, so that an actual necessity exists for the collection and preservation of his-
torical matter without delay, before the settlers of the wilderness are cut down by time. Not only
is it of the greatest importance to render history of pioneer times full and accurate, but it is also essen-
tial that the history of the county, from its settlement to the present day, should be treated through its various
phases, so that a record, complete and impartial, may be handed down to the future. The present the age
of progress, is reviewed, standing- out in bold relief over the quiet, unostentatious olden times ; it is abrillinnt
record, which is destined to live in the future; the good works of men, their magnificent enterprises, theii
lives, whether commercial or military, do not sink into oblivion, but, on the contrary, grow brighter with age,
and contribute to build up a record which carries with it precedents and principles that will 1 e advanced and
observed when the acts of soulless men will be forgotten and their very names hidden in obscurity.

In the preparation of the personal sketches contained in this volume, unusual care and pains were
taken to have them accurate, even in the smallest detail. Indeed, nothing was passed lightly over or treated
indifferently ; and we flatter ourselves that it is one of the most accurate works of its nature ever published.
As one of the most interesting features of this work, we present the portraits of numerous represent-
ative citizens. It has been our aim to have the prominent men of to-day, as well as the pioneers, represented
in this department ; and we congratulate ourselves on the uniformly high character of the gentlemen whose
portraits we present. They are in the strictest sense representative men, and are selected from all the call-
ings and professions worthy to be given. There are others, it is true, who claim equal prominence with
those given; but of course it was impossible for us to give portraits of all the leading men and pioneers
of the county. We are under great obligation to many of the noble and generous people of this county
for kindly and material assistance in the preparation of this Album.

Chicago, December, 1885.

CHAPMAN BROTHERS

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HE Father of our Country was
born in Westmorland Co., Va.,
Feb. 22, 1732. His parents
were Augustine and Mary
(Ball) Washington. The family
to which he belonged has not
been satisfactorily traced in
England. His great-grand-
father, John Washington, em-
igrated to Virginia about 1657,
and became a prosperous
planter. He had two sons,
Lawrence and John. The
former married Mildred Warner
and had three children, John.
Augustine and Mildred. Augus-
tine, the father of George, first
married Jane Butler, who bore
him four children, two of whom,
Lawrence and Augustine, reached
maturity. Of six children by his
second marriage, George was the
eldest, the others being Betty,
Samuel, John Augustine, Charles
and Mildred.
Augustine Washington, the father of George, died
in 1743, leaving a large landed property. To his
eldest son, Lawrence, he .bequeathed an estate on
the Patomac, afterwards known as Mount Vernon,
and to George he left the parental residence. George
received only such education as the neighborhood
schools afforded, save for a short time after he left
school when he received private instruction in

mathematics. His spelling was rather defective

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Remarkable stories are told of his great physical
strength and development at an early age. He was
an acknowledged leader among his companions, and
was early noted for that nobleness of character, fair-
ness and veracity which characterized his whole life.

When George was 1 4 years old he had a desire to go to
sea, and a midshipman's warrant was secured for him,
but through the opposition of his mother the idea was
abandoned. Two years later he was appointed
surveyor to the immense estate of Lord Fairfax. In
this business he spent three years in a- rough frontier
life, gaining experience which afterwards proved very
essential to him. In 1751, though only 19 years of
age, he was appointed adjutant with the rank of
major in the Virginia militia, then being trained for
active service against the French and Indians. Soon
after this he sailed to the West Indies with his brother
Lawrence, who went there to restore his health. They
soon returned, and in the summer of 1752 Lawrence
died, leaving a large fortune to an infant daughter
who did not long survive him. On her demise the
estate of Mount Vernon was given to George.

Upon the arrival of Robert Dinwiddie, as Lieuten-
ant-Governor of Virginia, in 1752, the militia was
reorganized, and the province divided into four mili-
tary districts, of which the northern was assigned to
Washington as adjutant general. Shortly after this
a very perilous mission was assigned him and ac-
cepted, which others had refused. This was to pro-
ceed to the French post near Lake Erie in North-
western Pennsylvania. The distance to be traversed
was between 500 and 600 miles. Winter was at hand,
and the journey was to be made without military
escort, through a territory occupied by Indians. The

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GEORGE WASHINGTON.

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trip was a perilous one, and several limes he came near
losing his life, yet he returned in safety and furnished
a full and useful report of his expedition. A regiment
of 300 men was raised in Virginia and put in com-
mand of Col. Joshua Fry, and Major Washington was
commissioned lieutenant-colonel. Active war was
then begun against the French and Indians, in which
Washington took a most important part. In the
memorable event of July 9, 1755, known as Brad-
dock's defeat, Washington was almost the only officer
of distinction who escaped from the calamities of the
day with life and honor. The other aids of Braddock
were disabled early in the action, and Washington
alone was left in that capacity on the field. In a letter
to his brother he says : " I had four bullets through
my coat, and two horses shot under me, yet I escaped
unhurt, though death was leveling, my companions
on every side." An Indian sharpshooter said he was
not born to be killed by a bullet, for he had taken
direct aim at him seventeen times, and failed to hit
him.

After having been five years in the military service,
and vainly sought promotion in the royal army, he
took advantage of the fall of Fort Duquesne and the
expulsion of the French from the valley of the Ohio,
to resign his commission. Soon after he entered the
Legislature, where, although not a leader, he took an
active and important part. January 17, 1759, he
married Mrs. Martha (Dandridge) Custis, the wealthy
widow of John Parke Custis.

When the British Parliament had closed the port
of Boston, the cry went up throughout the provinces
that "Thccause of Boston is the cause of us all."
It was then, at the suggestion of Virginia, that a Con-
gress of all the colonies was called to meet at Phila-
delphia,Sept. 5, 1774, to secure their common liberties,
peaceably if possible. To this Congress Col. Wash-
ington was sent as a delegate. On May 10, 1775, the
Congress re-assembled, when the hostile intentions of
England were plainly apparent. The battles of Con-
cord and Lexington had been fought. Among the
first acts of this Congress was the election of a com-
mander-in-chief of the colonial forces. This high and
responsible office was conferred upon Washington,
who was still a memberof the Congress. He accepted
it on June 19, but upon the express condition that he
receive no salary. He would keep an exact account
of expenses and expect Congress to pay them and
nothing more. It is not the object of this sketch to
trace the military acts of Washington, to whom the
fortunes and liberties of the people of this country
were so long confided. The war was conducted by
him under every possible disadvantage, and while his
forces often met with reverses, yet he overcame every
obstacle, and after seven years of heroic devotion
and matchless skill he gained liberty for the greatest
nation of earth. On Dec. 23, T783, Washington, in
a parting address of surpassing beauty, resigned his

commission as' commander-in-chief of the army to
to the Continental Congress sitting at Annapolis. He
retired immediately to Mount Vernon and resumed
his occupation as a farmer and planter, shunning all
connection with public life.

In February, 1 7 89, Washington was unanimously
elected President. In his presidential career he was
subject to the peculiar trials incidental to a new
government ; trials from lack of confidence on the part
of other governments ; trials from want of harmony
between the different sections of our own country;
trials from the impoverished condition of the country,
owing to the war and want of credit; trials from the
beginnings of party strife. He was no partisan. His
clear judgment could discern the golden mean ; and
while perhaps this alone kept our government from
sinking at the veiy outset, it left him exposed to
attacks from both sides, which were often bitter and
very annoying.

At the expiration of his first term he was unani-
mously re-elected. At the end of this term many
were anxious that he be re-elected, but he absolutely
refused a third nomination. On the fourth of March,
1797, at the expiraton of his second term as Presi-
dent, he returned to his home, hoping to pass there
his few remaining yeais free from the annoyances of
public life. Later in the year, however, his repose
seemed likely to be interrupted by war with France.
At the prospect of such a war he was again urged to
take command of the armies. He chose his sub-
ordinate officers and left to them the charge of mat-
ters in the field, which he superintended from his
home. In accepting the command he made the
reservation that he was not to be in the field until
it was necessary. In the midst of these preparations
his life was suddenly cut off. December 12, he took
a severe cold from a ride in the rain, which, settling
in his throat, produced inflammation, and terminated
fatally on the night of the fourteenth. On.the eigh-
teenth his body was borne wilh military honors to its
final resting place, and interred in the family vault at
Mount Vernon.

Of the character of Washington it is impossible to
speak but in terms of the highest respect and ad-
miration. The more we see of the operations of
our government, and the more deeply we feel the
difficulty of uniting all opinions in a common interest,
the more highly we must estimate the force of his tal-
ent and character, which have been able to challenge
the reverence of all parties, and principles, and na-
tions, and to win a fame as extended as the limits
of the globe, and which we cannot but believe will
be as lasting as the existence of man.

The person of Washington was unusally tall, erect
and well proportioned. His muscular strength was
great. His features were of a beautiful symmetry.
He commanded respect without any appearance of
haughtiness, and ever serious without being dull.

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SECOND PRESIDENT.

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OHN ADAMS, the second
President and the first Vice-
President of the United States,
was born in Braintree ( now
Quincy),Mass., and about ten
miles from Boston, Oct. 19,
1735. His great-grandfather, Henry-
Adams, emigrated from England
about 1 640, with a family of eight
sons, and settled at Braiutree. The
parents of John were John and
Susannah (Boylston) Adams. His
father was a farmer of limited
means, to which he added the bus-
iness of shoemaking. He gave his
eldest son, John, a classical educa-
tion at Harvard College. John
graduated in 1755, and at once took charge of the
school in Worcester, Mass. This he found but a
"school of affliction," from which he endeavored to
gain relief by devoting himself, in addition, to the
study of law. For this purpose he placed himself
under the tuition of the only lawyer in the town. He
had thought seriously of the clerical profession
but seems' to have been turned from this by what he
termed " the frightful engines of ecclesiastical coun-
cils, of diabolical malice, and Calvanistic good nature,''
of the operations of which he had been a witness in
his native town. He was well fitted for the legal
profession, possessing a clear, sonorous voice, being
ready and fluent of speech, and having quick percep-
tive powers. He gradually gained practice, and in
1764 married Abigail Smith, a daughter of a minister,
and a lady of superior intelligence. Shortly after his
marriage, (1765), the attempt of Parliamentary taxa-
tion turned him from law to politics. He took initial
steps toward holding a town meeting, and the resolu-

tions he offered on the subject became very popular
throughout the Province, and were adopted word for
word by over forty different towns. He moved to Bos-
ton in 1768, and became one of the most courageous
and prominent advocates of the popular cause, and
was chosen a member of the General Court (the Leg-
lislature) in 1770.

Mr. Adams was chosen one of the first delegates
from Massachusetts to the first Continental Congress,
which met in 1774. Here he distinguished himself
by his capacity for business and for debate, and ad-
vocated the movement for independence against the
majority of the members. In May, 1776, he moved
and carried a resolution in Congress that the Colonies
should assume the duties of self-government. He
was a prominent member of the committee of five
appointed June n, to prepare a declaration of inde-
pendence. This article was drawn by Jefferson, but
on Adams devolved the task of battling it through
Congress in a three days debate.

On the day after the Declaration of Independence
was passed, while his soul was yet warm with the
glow of excited feeling, he wrote a letter to his wife,
which, as we read it now, seems to have been dictated
by the spirit of prophecy. "Yesterday," he says,"the
greatest question was decided that ever was debated
in America; and greater, perhaps, never was or will
be decided among men. A resolution was passed
without one dissenting colony, ' that these United
States are, and of right ought to be, free and inde-
pendent states.' The day is passed. The. fourth of
July, 1776, will be a memorable epoch in the history
of America. I am apt to believe it will be celebrated
by succeeding generations, as the great anniversary
festival. It ought to be commemorated as the day of
deliverance by solemn acts of devotion to Almighty
God. It ought to be solemnized with pomp, showsi

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games, sports, guns, bells, bonfires, and illuminations
from one end of the continent to the other, from this
time forward for ever. You will think me transported
with enthusiasm, but I am not. I am well aware of
the toil, and blood and treasure, that it will cost to
maintain this declaration, and support and defend
these States; yet, through all the gloom, I can see the
rays of light and glory. I can see that the end is
worth more than all the means ; and that posterity
will triumph, although you and I may rue, which I
hope we shall not."

In November, 1777, Mr. Adams was appointed a
delegate to France^ and to co-operate with Bemjamin
Franklin and Arthur Lee, who were then in Paris, in
the endeavor to obtain assistance in arms and money
from the French Government. This was a severe trial
to his patriotism, as it separated him from his home,
compelled him to cross the ocean in winter, and ex-
posed him to great peril of capture by the British cruis-
ers, who were seeking him. He left France June 17,
1779. In September of the same year he was again
chosen to go to Paris, and there hold himself in readi-
ness to negotiate a treaty of peace and of comrherce
with Great Britian, as soon as the British Cabinet
might be found willing to listen to such proposels. He
sailed for France in November, from there he went to
Holland, where he negotiated important loans and
formed important commercial treaties.

Finally a treaty of peace with England was signed
Jan. 21, 1783. The re-action from the excitement,
toil and anxiety through which Mr. Adams had passed
threw him into a fever. After suffering from a con-
tinued fever and becoming feeble and emaciated he
was advised to go to England to drink the waters of
Bath. While in England, still drooping and despond-
ing, he received dispatches from his own government
urging the necessity of his going to Amsterdam to
negotiate another loan. It was winter,'his health was
delicate, yet he immediately set out, and through
storm, on sea, on horseback and foot,he made the trip.

February 24, 1785, Congress appointed Mr. Adams
envoy to the Court of St. James. Here he met face
to face the King of England, who had so long re-
garded him as a traitor. As England did not
condescend to appoint a minister to the United
States, and as Mr. Adams felt that he was accom-
plishing but little, he sought permission to return to
his own country, where he arrived in June, 1788.

When Washington was first chosen President, John
Adams, rendered illustiious by his signal services at
home and abroad, was chosen Vice President. Again
at the second election of Washington as President,
Adams was chosen Vice President. In 1796, Wash-
ington retired from public life, and Mr. Adams was
elected President,though not without much opposition.
Serving in this office four years,he was succeeded by
Mr. Jefferson, his opponent in politics.

While Mr. Adams was Vice President the great

French Revolution shook the continent of Europe,
and it was upon this point which he was at issue with
the majority of his countrymen led by Mr. Jefferson.
Mr. Adams felt no sympathy with the French people
in their struggle, for he had no confidence in their
power of self-government, and he utterly abhored the
class of atheist philosophers who he claimed caused it.
On the other hand Jefferson's sympathies were strongly
enlisted in behalf of the French people. Hence or-
iginated the alienation between these distinguished
men, and two powerful parties were thus soon organ-
ized, Adams at the head of the one whose sympathies
were with England and Jefferson led the other in
sympathy with France.

The world has seldom seen a spectacle of more
moral beauty and grandeur, than was presented by the
old age of Mr. Adams. The violence of party feeling
had died away, and he had begun to receive that just
appreciation which, to most men, is not accorded till
after death. No one could look upon his venerable
form, and think of what he had done and suffered,
and how he had given up all the prime and strength
of his life to the public good, without the deepest
emotion of gratitude and respect. It was his peculiar
good fortune to witness the complete success of the
institution which he had been so active in creating and
supporting. In r824, his cup of happiness was filled
to the brim, by seeing his son elevated to the highest
station in the gift of the people.

The fourth of July, 1826, which completed the half
century since the signing of the Declaration of Inde-
pendence, arrived, and there were but three of the
signers of that immortal instrument left upon the
earth to hail its morning light. And, as it is
well known, on that day two of these finished their
earthly pilgrimage, a coincidence so remarkable as
to seem miraculous. For a few days before Mr.
Adams had been rapidly failing, and on the morning
of the fourth he found himself too weak to rise from
his bed. On being requested to name a toast for the
customary celebration of the day, he exclaimed " In-
dependence forever." When the day was ushered
in, by the ringing of bells and the firing of cannons,
he was asked by one of his attendants if he knew
what day it was? He replied, "O yes; it is the glor-
ious fourth of July — God bless it — God bless you all."
In the course of the day he said, " It is a great and
glorious day." The last words he uttered were,
"Jefferson survives." But he had, a' one o'clock, re-
signed his spirit into the hands of his God.

The personal appearance and manners of Mr.
Adams were not particularly prepossessing. His face,
as his portrait manifests.was intellectual and expres-
sive, but his figure was low and ungraceful, and his
manners were frequently abrupt and uncourteous.
He had neither the lofty dignity of Washington, nor
the engaging elegance and gracefulness which marked
the manners and address? of Jefferson,

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HOMAS JEFFERSON was
born April 2, 1743, at Shad-
well, Albermarle county, Va.

His parents were Peter and
Jane ( Randolph ) Jefferson,
the former a native of Wales,
and the latter born in Lon-
don. To them were born six
daughters and two sons, of
whom Thomas was the elder.
When 14 years of age his
father died. He received a
most liberal education, hav-
ing been kept diligently at school
from the time he was five years of
age. In 1760 he entered William
and Mary College. Williamsburg was then the seat
of the Colonial Court, and it was the obodeof fashion
and splendor. Young Jefferson, who was then 17
'years old, lived somewhat expensively, keeping fine
horses, and much caressed by gay society, yet he
was earnestly devoted to his studies, and irreproacha-
able in his morals. It is strange, however, under
such influences,that he was not ruined. In the sec-
ond year of his college course, moved by some un-
explained inward impulse, he discarded his horses,
society, and even his favorite violin, to which he had
previously given much time. He often devoted fifteen
hours a day to hard study, allowing himself for ex-
ercise only a run in the evening twilight of a mile out
of the city and back again. He thus attained very
high intellectual culture, alike excellence in philoso-
phy and the languages. The most difficult Latin and
Greek authors he read with facility. A more finished
scholar has seldom gone forth from college halls ; and

there was not to be found, perhaps, in all Virginia, a
more pureminded, upright, gentlemanly young man.

Immediately upon leaving college he began the
study of law. For the short time he continued in the
practice of his profession he rose rapidly and distin-
guished himself by his energy and accuteness as a
lawyer. But the times called for greater action.
The policy of England had awakened the spirit of
resistance of the American Colonies, and the enlarged
views which Jefferson had ever entertained, soon led
him into active political life. In ^69 he was chosen
a member of the Virginia House of Burgesses. In
1772 he married Mrs. Martha Skelton, a very beauti-
ful, wealthy and highly accomplished young widow.

Upon Mr. Jefferson's large estate at Shadwell, there
was a majestic swell of land, called Monticello, which
commanded a prospect of wonderful extent and
beauty. This spot Mr. Jefferson selected for his new
home; and here he reared a mansion of modest yet
elegant architecture, which, next to Mount Vernon,
became the most distinguished resort in our land.

In 1775 he was sent to the Colonial Congress,
where, though a silent member, his abilities as a
writer and a reasoner soon become known, and he
was placed upon a number of important committees,
and was chairman of the one appointed for the draw-
ing up of a declaration of independence. This com-
mittee consisted of Thomas Jefferson, John Adams,
Benjamin Franklin, Roger Sherman and Robert R.
Livingston. Jefferson, as chairman, was appointed
to draw up the paper. Franklin and Adams suggested
a few verbal changes before it was submitted to Con-
gress. On June 28, a few slight changes were made
in it by Congress, and it was passed and signed July
4, 1776. What must have been the feelings of that

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THOMAS JEFFERSON.

man — what the emotions that swelled his breast —
who was charged with the preparation of that Dec-
laration, which, while it made known the wrongs of
America, was also to publish her to the world, free,
soverign and independent. It is one of the most re-
markable papers ever written ; and did no other effort
of the mind of its author exist, that alone would be
sufficient to stamp his name with immortality.

In 1779 Mr. Jefferson was elected successor to
Patrick Henry, as Governor of Virginia. At one time
the British officer, Tarleton, sent a secret expedition to
Monticello, to capture the Governor. Scarcely five
minutes elapsed after the hurried escape of Mr. Jef-
ferson and his family, ere his mansion was in posses-
sion of the British troops. His wife's health, never
very good, was much injured by this excitement, and
in the summer of 1782 she died.

Mr. Jefferson was elected to Congress in 1783.
Two years later he was appointed Minister Plenipo-
tentiary to France. Returning to the United States
in September, 1789, he became Secretary of State
in Washington's cabinet. This position he resigned
Jan. r, 1794. In 1797, he was chosen Vice Presi-
dent, and four years later was elected President over
Mr. Adams, with Aaron Burr as Vice President. In
1804 he was re-elected with wonderful unanimity,
and George Clinton, Vice President.

The early part of Mr. Jefferson's second adminstra-
tion was disturbed by an event which threatened the
tranquility and peace of the Union; this was the con-
spiracy of Aaron Burr. Defeated in the late election
to the Vice Presidency, and led on by an unprincipled
ambition, this extraordinary man formed the plan of a
military expedition into the Spanish territories on our
southwestern frontier, for the purpose of forming there
a new republic. This has been generally supposed
was a mere pretext ; and although it has not been
generally known what his real plans were, there is no
doubt that they were of a far more dangerous
character.

In r8o9, at the expiration of the second term for
which Mr. Jefferson had been elected, he determined
to retire from political life. For a period of nearly
forty years, he had been continually before the pub-
lic, and all that time had been employed in offices of
the greatest trust and responsibility. Having thus de-
voted the best part of his life to the service of his
country, he now felt desirous of that rest which his
declining years required, and upon the organization of
the new administration, in March, 1809, he bid fare-
well forever to public life, and retired to Monticello.

Mr. Jefferson was profuse in his hospitality. Whole
families came in their coaches with their horses, —
fathers and mothers, boys and girls, babies and
nurses, — and remained three and even six months.
Life at Monticello, for years, resembled that at a
fashionable watering-place.

The fourth of July, 1826, being the fiftieth anniver-

sary of the Declaration of American Independence,
great preparations were made in every part of the
Union for its celebration, as the nation's jubilee, and
the citizens of Washington, to add to the solemnity
of the occasion, invited Mr. Jefferson, as the framer,
and one of the few surviving signers of the Declara-
tion, to participate in their festivities. But an ill-
ness, which had been of several weeks duration, and
had been continually increasing, compelled him to
decline the invitation.

On the second of July, the disease under which
he was laboring left him, but in such a reduced
state that his medical attendants, entertained no
hope of his recovery. From this time he was perfectly
sensible that his last hour was at hand. On the next
djiy, which was Monday, he asked of those around
him, the day of the month, and on being told it was
the third of July, he expressed the earnest wish that
he might be permitted to breathe the air of the fiftieth
anniversary. His prayer was heard — that day, whose
dawn was hailed with such rapture through our land,
burst upon his eyes, and then they were closed for-
ever. And what a noble consummation of a noble
life ! To die on that day, — the birthday of a nation,- -
the day which his own name and his own act had
rendered glorious; to die amidst the rejoicings and
festivities of a whole nation, who looked up to him,
as the author, under God, of their greatest blessings,
was all that was wanting to fill up the record his life.

Almost at the same hour of his death, the kin-
dred spirit of the venerable Adams, as if to bear
him company, left the scene of his earthly honors.
Hand in hand they had stood forth, the champions of
freedom ; hand in hand, during the dark and desper-
ate struggle of the Revolution, they had cheered and
animated their desponding countrymen; for half a
century they had labored together for the good of
the country; and now hand in hand they depart.
In their lives they had been united in the same great
cause of liberty, and in their deaths they were not
divided.

In person Mr. Jefferson was tall and thin, rather
above six feet in height, but well formed; his eyes
were light, his hair originally red, in after life became
white and silvery; his complexion was fair, his fore-
head broad, and his whole countenance intelligent and
thoughtful. He possessed great fortitude of mind as
well as personal courage ; and his command of tem-
per was such that his oldest and most intimate friends
never recollected to have seen him in a passion.
His manners, though dignified, were simple and un-
affected, and his hospitality was so unbounded that
all found at his house a ready welcome. In conver-
sation he was fluent, eloquent and enthusiastic ; and
his language was remarkably pure and correct. He
was a finished classical scholar, and in his writings is
discernable the care with which he formed his style
upon the best models of antiquity.

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AMES MADISON, "Father
of the Constitution," and fourth
President of the United States,
was born March 16, 1757, and
died at his home in Virginia,
June 28, 1836. The name of
James Madison is inseparably con-
nected with most of the important
events in that heroic period of our
country during which the founda-
tions of this great republic were
laid. He was the last of the founders
of the Constitution of the United
States to be called to his eternal
reward.

The Madison family were among
the early emigrants to the New World,
landing upon the shores of the Chesa-
peake but 15 years after the settle-
ment of Jamestown. The father of
James Madison was an opulent
planter, residing upon a very fine es-
tate called " Montpelier," Orange Co.,
Va. The mansion was situated in
the midst of scenery highly pictur-
esque and romantic, on the west side
of South-west Mountain, at the foot of
Blue Ridge. It was but 25 miles from the home of
Jefferson at Monticello. The closest personal and
political attachment existed between these illustrious
men, from their early youth until death.

The early education of Mr. Madison was conducted
mostly at home under a private tutor. At the age of
18 he was sent to Princeton College, in New Jersey.
Here he applied himself to study with the most im-

prudent zeal; allowing himself, for months, but three
hours' sleep out of the 24. His health thus became so
seriously impaired that he never recovered any vigor
of constitution. He graduated in 177 1, with a feeble
body, with a character of utmost purity, and with a
mind highly disciplined and richly stored with learning
which embellished and gave proficiency to his subse-
quent career.

Returning to Virginia, he commenced the study of
law and a course of extensive and systematic reading.
This educational course, the spirit of the times in
which he lived, and the society with which he asso-
ciated, all combined to inspire him with a strong
love of liberty, and to train him for his life-work of
a statesman. Being naturally of a religious turn of
mind, and his frail health leading him to think that
his life was not to be long, he directed especial atten-
tion to theological studies. Endowed with a mind
singularly free from passion and prejudice, and with
almost unequalled powers of reasoning, he weighed
all the arguments for and against revealed religion,
until his faith became so established as never to
be shaken.

In the spring of 1776, when 26 years of age, he
was elected a member of the Virginia Convention, to
frame the constitution of the State. The next year
(1777), he was a candidate for the General Assembly.
He refused to treat the whisky-loving voters, and
consequently lost his election ; but those who had
witnessed the talent, energy and public spirit of the
modest young man, enlisted themselves in his behalf,
and he was appointed to the Executive Council.

Both Patrick Henry and Thomas Jefferson were
Governors of Virginia while Mr. Madison remained
member of the Council ; and their appreciation of his

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JAMES MADISON.

intellectual, social and moral worth, contributed not
a little to his subsequent eminence. In the year
1780, he was elected a member of the Continental
Congress. Here he met the most illustrious men in
our land, and he was immediately assigned to one of
the most conspicuous positions among them.

For three years Mr. Madison continued in Con-
gress, one of its most active and influential members.
In the year 1784, his term having expired, he was
elected a member of the Virginia Legislature.

No man felt more deeply than Mr. Madison the
utter inefficiency of the old confederacy, with no na-
tional government, with no power to form treaties
which would be binding, or to enforce law. There
was not any State more prominent than Virginia in
the declaration, that an efficient national government
must be formed. In January, 1786, Mr. Madison
carried a resolution through the General Assembly of
Virginia, inviting the other States to appoint commis-
sioners to meet in convention at Annapolis to discuss
this subject. Five States only were represented. The
convention, however, issued another call, drawn up
by Mr. Madison, urging all the States to send their
delegates to Philadelphia, in May, 1787, to draft
a Constitution for the United States, to take the place
of that Confederate League. The delegates met at
the time appointed. Every State but Rhode Island
was represented. George Washington was chosen
president of the convention ; and the present Consti-
tution of the United States was then and there formed.
There was, perhaps, no mind and no pen more ac-
tive in framing this immortal document than the mind
and the pen of James Madison.

The Constitution, adopted by a vote 81 to 79, was
to be presented to the several States for acceptance.
But grave solicitude was felt. Should it be rejected
we should be left but a conglomeration of independent
States, with but little power at home and little respect
abroad. Mr. Madison was selected by the conven-
tion to draw up an address to the people of the United
States, expounding the principles of the Constitution,
and urging its adoption. There was great opposition
to it at first, but it at length triumphed over all, and
went into effect in 1789.

Mr. Madison was elected to the House of Repre-
sentatives in the first Congress, and soon became the
avowed leader of the Republican party. While in
New York attending Congress, he met Mrs. Todd, a
young widow of remarkable power of fascination,
whom he married. She was in person and character
queenly, and probably no lady has thus far occupied
so prominent a position in the very peculiar society
which has constituted our republican court as Mrs.
Madison.

Mr. Madison served as Secretary of State under
Jefferson, and at the close of his administration
was chosen President. At this time the encroach-
ments of England had brought us to the verge of war.

British orders in council destroyed our commerce, and
our flag was exposed to constant insult. Mr. Madison
was a man of peace. Scholarly in his taste, retiring
in his disposition, war had no charms for him. But the
meekest spirit can be roused. It makes one's blood
boil, even now, to think of an American ship brought
to, upon the ocean, by the guns of an English cruiser.
A young lieutenant steps on board and orders the
crew to be paraded before him. With great nonchal-
ance he selects any number whom he may please to
designate as British subjects ; orders them down the
ship's side into his boat ; and places them on the gun-
deck of his man-of-war, to fight, by compulsion, the
battles of England. This right of search and im-
pressment, no efforts of pur Government could induce
the British cabinet to relinquish.

On the 18th of June, 1812, President Madison gave
his approval to an act of Congress declaring war
against Great Britain. Notwithstanding the bitter
hostility of the Federal party to the war, the country
in general approved ; and Mr. Madison, on the 4th
of March, 18 13, was re-elected by a large majority,
and entered upon his second term of office. This is
not the place to describe the various adventures of
this war on the land and on the water. Our infant
navy then laid the foundations of its renown in grap-
pling wilh the most formidable power which ever
swept the seas. The contest commenced in earnest
by the appearance of a British fleet, early in February,
1813, in Chesapeake Bay, declaring nearly the whole
coast of the United States under blockade.

The Emperor of Russia offered his services as me
ditator. America accepted ; England refused. A Brit-
ish force of five thousand men landed on the banks
of the Patuxet River, near its entrance into Chesa-
peake Bay, and marched rapidly, by way of Bladens-
burg, upon Washington.

The straggling little city of Washington was thrown
into consternation. The cannon of the brief conflict
at Bladensburg echoed through the streets of the
metropolis. The whole population fled from the city.
The President, leaving Mrs. Madison in the White
House, with her carriage drawn up at the door to
await his speedy return, hurried to meet the officers
in a council of war. He met our troops utterly routed,
and he could not go back without danger of being
captured. But few hours elapsed ere the Presidential
Mansion, the Capitol, and all the public buildings in
Washington were in flames.

The war closed after two years of fighting, and on
Feb. 13, i8i5,the treaty of peace was signed at Ghent.

Onthe4thof March, 1817, his second term of
office expired, and he resigned the Presidential chair
to his friend, James Monroe. He retired to his beau-
tiful home at Montpelier, and there passed the re-
mainder of his days. On June 28, 1836, then at the
age of 85 years, he fell asleep in death. Mrs. Madi-
son died July 12, 1849.

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AMES MONROE, the fifth
President of The United States,
was born in Westmoreland Co.,
Va., April 28, 1758. His early
life was passed at the place of
nativity. His ancestors had for
many years resided in the prov-
ince in which he was born. When,
at 17 years of age, in the process
of completing his education at
William and Mary College, the Co-
lonial Congress assembled at Phila-
delphia to deliberate upon the un-
just and manifold oppressions of
Great Britian, declared the separa-
tion of the Colonies, and promul-
gated the Declaration of Indepen-
dence. Had he been born ten years before it is highly
probable that he would have been one of the signers
of that celebrated instrument. At this time he left
school and enlisted among the patriots.

He joined the army when everything looked hope-
less and gloomy. The number of deserters increased
from day to day. The invading armies came pouring
in ; and the tories not only favored the cause of the
mother country, but disheartened the new recruits,
who were sufficiently terrified at the prospect of con-
tending with an enemy whom they had been taught
to deem invincible. To such brave spirits as James
Monroe, who went right onward, undismayed through
difficulty and danger, the United States owe their
political emancipation. The young cadet joined the
ranks, and espoused the cause of his injured country,
with a firm determination to live or die with her strife

for liberty. Firmly yet sadly he shared in the mel-
ancholy retreat from Harleam Heights and White
Plains, and accompanied the dispirited army as it fled
before its foes through New Jersey. In four months
after the Declaration of Independence, the patriots
had been beaten in seven battles. At the battle of
Trenton he led the vanguard, and, in the act of charg-
ing upon the enemy he received a wound in the left
shoulder.

As a reward for his bravery, Mr. Monroe was pro-
moted a captain of infantry; and, having recovered
from his wound, he rejoined the army. He, however,
receded from the line of promotion, by becoming an
officer in the staff of Lord Sterling. During the cam-
paigns of 1777 and 1778, in the actions of Brandy-
wine, Germantown and Monmouth, he continued
aid-de-camp; but becoming desirous to regain his
position in the army, he exerted himself to collect a
regiment for the Virginia line. This scheme failed
owing to the exhausted condition of the State. Upon
this failure he entered the office of Mr. Jefferson, at
that period Governor, and pursued, with considerable
ardor, the study of common law. He did not, however,
entirely lay aside the knapsack for the green bag;
but on the invasions of the enemy, served as a volun-
teer, during the two years of his legal pursuits.

In 1782, he was elected from King George county,
a member of the Leglislature of Virginia, and by that
body he was elevated to a seat in the Executive
Council. He was thus honored with the confidence
of his fellow citizens at 23 years of age ; and having
at this early period displayed some of that ability
and aptitude for legislation, which were afterwards
employed with unremitting energy for the public good,

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he was.in the succeeding year chosen a member of
the Congress of the United States.

Deeply as Mr. Monroe felt the imperfections of the old
Confederacy, he was opposed to the new Constitution,
thinking, with many others of the Republican party,
that it gave too much power to the Central Government,
and not enough to the individual States. Still he re-
tained the esteem of his friends who were its warm
supporters, and who, notwithstanding his opposition
secured its adoption. In 1789, he became a member
of the United States Senate ; which office he held for
four years. Every month the line of distinction be-
tween the two great parties which divided the nation,
the Federal and the Republican, was growing more
distinct. The two prominent ideas which now sep-
arated them were, that the Republican party was in
sympathy with France, and also in favor of such a
strict construction of the Constitution as to give the
Central Government as little power, and the State
Governments as much power, as the Constitution would
warrant. The Federalists sympathized with England,
and were in favor of a liberal construction of the Con-
stitution, which would give as much power to the
Central Government as that document could possibly
authorize.

The leading Federalists and Republicans were
alike noble men, consecrating all their energies to the
good of the nation. Two more honest men or more
pure patriots than John Adams the Federalist, and
James Monroe the Republican, never breathed. In
building up this majestic nation, which is destined
to eclipse all Grecian and Assyrian greatness, the com-
bination of their antagonism was needed to create the
tight equilibrium. And yet each in his day was de-
nounced as almost a demon.

Washington was then President. England had es-
poused the cause of the Bourbons against the princi-
ples of the French Revolution. All Europe was drawn
into the conflict. We were feeble and far away.
Washington issued a proclamation of neutrality be-
tween these contending powers. France had helped
us in the struggle for our liberties. All the despotisms
of Europe were now combined to prevent the French
from escaping from a tyranny a thousand-fold worse
than that which we had endured Col. Monroe, more
magnanimous than prudent, was anxious that, at
whatever hazard, we should help our old allies in
their extremity. It was the impulse of a generous
and noble nature. He violently opposed the Pres-
ident's proclamation as ungrateful and wanting in
magnanimity.

Washington, who could appreciate such a character,
developed his calm, serene, almost divine greatness,
by appointing that very James Monroe, who was de-
nouncing the policy of the Government, as the minister
of that Government to the Republic of France. Mr.
Monroe was welcomed by the National Convention
in France with the most enthusiastic demonstrations.

Shortly after his return to this country, Mr. Mon-
roe was elected Governor of Virginia, and held the
office for three yeais. He was again sent to France to
co-operate with Chancellor Livingston in obtaining
the vast territory then known as the Province of
Louisiana, which France had but shortly before ob-
tained from Spain. Their united efforts were suc-
cessful. For the comparatively small sum of fifteen
millions of dollars, the entire territory of Orleans and
district of Louisiana were added to the United States.
This was probably the largest transfer of real estate
which was ever made in all the history of the world.

From France Mr. Monroe went to England to ob-
tain from that country some recognition of our
rights as neutrals, and to remonstrate against those
odious impressments of our seamen. But Eng-
land was unrelenting. He again returned to Eng-
land on the same mission, but could receive no
redress. He returned to his home and was again
chosen Governor of Virginia. This he soon resigned
to accept the position of Secretary of State under
Madison. While in this office war with England was
declared, the Secretary of War resigned, and during
these trying times, the duties of the War Department
were also put upon him. He was truly the armor-
bearer of President Madison, and the most efficient
business man in his cabinet. Upon the return of
peace he resigned the Department of War, but con-
tinued in the office of Secretary of State until the ex-
piration of Mr. Madison's adminstration. At the elec-
tion held the previous autumn Mr. Monroe himself had
been chosen President with but little opposition, and
upon March 4, 1817, was inaugurated. Four years
later he was elected for a second term.

Among the important measures of his Presidency
were the cession of Florida to the United States; the
Missouri Compromise, and the " Monroe doctrine.''

This famous doctrine, since known as the " Monroe
doctrine," was enunciated by him in T823. At that
time the United States had recognized the independ-
ence of the South American states, and did not wish
to have European powers longer attempting to sub-
due portions of the American Continent. The doctrine
is as follows : " That we should consider any attempt
on the part of European powers to extend their sys-
tem to any portion of this hemisphere as dangerous
to our, peace and safety," and "that we could not
view any interposition for the purpose of oppressing
or controlling American governments or provinces in
any other light than as a manifestation by European
powers of an unfriendly disposition toward the United
States." This doctrine immediately affected the course
of foreign governments, and has become the approved
sentiment of the United States.

At the end of his ?econd term Mr. Monroe retired
to his home in Virginia, where he lived until 1830,
when he went to New York to live with his son-in-
law. In that city he died, on the 4th of July 1831.

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SIXTH PRESIDENT.

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OHN QUINCY ADAMS, the
sixth President of the United
'States, was born in the rural
home of his honored father,
John Adams, in Quincy, Mass.,
on the i ith cf July, 1767. His
mother, a woman of exalted
worth, watched over his childhood
during the almost constant ab-
sence of his father. When but
eight years of age, he stood with
his mother on an eminence, listen-
ing to the booming of the great bat-
tle on Bunker's Hill, and gazing on
upon the smoke and flames billow-
ing up from the conflagration of
Charlestown.

When but eleven years old he
took a tearful adieu of his mother,
to sail with his father for Europe,
through a fleet of hostile British cruisers. The bright,
animated boy spent a year and a half in Paris, where
his father was associated with Franklin and Lee as
minister plenipotentiary. His intelligence attracted
the notice of these distinguished men, and he received
from them flattering marks of attention.

Mr. John Adams had scarcely returned to this
country, in 1779, ere he was again sent abroad. Again
John Quincy accompanied his father. At Paris he
applied himself with great diligence, for six months,
to study; then accompained his father to Holland,
where he entered, first a school in Amsterdam, the*
the University at Leyden. About a year from this
time, in 178 1, when the manly boy was but fourteen
years of age, he was selected by Mr. Dana, our min-
ister to the Russian court, as his private secretary.

In this school of incessant labor and of enobling
culture he spent fourteen months, and then returned
to Holland through Sweden, Denmark, Hamburg and
Bremen. This long journey he took alone, in the
winter, when in his sixteenth year. Again he resumed
his studies, underva private tutor, at Hague. Thence,

in the spring of 1782, he accompanied his father to
Paris, traveling leisurely, and forming acquaintance
with the most distinguished men on the Continent;
examining architectural remains, galleries of paintings,
and all renowned works of art. At Paris he again
became associated with the most illustrious men of
all lands in the contemplations of the loftiest temporal
themes which can engross the human mind. After
a short visit to England he returned to Paris, and
consecrated all his energies to study until May, 1785,
when he returned to America. To a brilliant young
man of eighteen, who had seen much of the world,
and who was familiar with the etiquette of courts, a
residence with his father in London, under such cir-
cumstances, must have been extremely attractive ;
but with judgment very rare in one of his age, he pre-
ferred to return to America to complete his education
in an American college. He wished then to study
law, that with an honorable profession, he might be
able to obtain an independent support.

Upon leaving Harvard College, at the age of twenty,
he studied law for three years. In June, 1794, be-
ing then but twenty-seven years of age, he was ap-
pointed by Washington, resident minister at the
Netherlands. Sailing from Boston in July, he reached
London in October, where he was immediately admit-
ted to the deliberations of Messrs. Jay and Pinckney,
assisting them in negotiating a commercial treaty with
Great Britian. After thus spending a fortnight in
London, he proceeded to the Hague.

In July, 1797, he left the Hague to go to Portugal as
minister plenipotentiary. On his way to Portugal,
upon arriving in London, he met with despatches
directing him to the court of Berlin, but requesting
him to remain in London until he should receive his
instructions. While waiting he was married to an
American lady to whom he had been previously en-
gaged,— Miss Louisa Catherine Johnson, daughter
of Mr. Joshua Johnson, American consul in London ;
a lady endownd with that beauty and those accom-
plishment which eminently fitted her to move in the
elevated sphere for which she was destined.

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JOHN QUINCY ADAMS.

He reached Berlin with his wife in November, 1797 ;
where he remained until July, 1799, when, having ful-
filled all the purposes of his mission, he solicited his
recall.

Soon after his return, in 1802, he was chosen to
Ihe Senate of Massachusetts, from Boston, and then
was elected Senator of the United States for six years,
from the 4th of March, 1804. His reputation, his
ability and his experience, placed him immediately
among the most prominent and influential members
of that body. Especially did he sustain the Govern-
ment in its measures of resistance to the encroach-
ments of England, destroying our commerce and in-
sulting our flag. There was no man in America more
familiar with the arrogance of the British court upon
these points, and no one more resolved to present
a firm resistance.

In 1809, Madison succeeded Jefferson in the Pres-
idential chair, and he immediately nominated John
Quincy Adams minister to St. Petersburg. Resign-
ing his professorship in Harvard College, he embarked
at Boston, in August, 1809.

While in Russia, Mr. Adams was an intense stu-
dent. He devoted his attention to the language and
history of Russia; to the Chinese trade; to the
European system of weights, measures, and coins ; to
the climate and astronomical observations ; while he
kept up a familiar acquaintance with the Greek and
Latin classics. In all the universities of Europe, a
more accomplished scholar could scarcely be found.
All through life the Bible constituted an importart
part of his studies. It was his rule to read five
chapters every day.

On the 4th of March, 1817, Mr. Monroe took the
Presidential chair, and immediately appointed Mr.
Adams Secretary of State. Taking leave of his num-
erous friends in public and private life in Europe, he
sailed in June, 1819, for the United States. On the
18th of August, he again crossed the threshold of his
home in Quincy. During the eight years of Mr. Mon-
roe's administration, Mr, Adams continued Secretary
of State.

Some time before the close of Mr. Monroe's second
term of office, new candidates began to be presented
for the Presidency. The friends of Mr. Adams brought
forward his name. It was an exciting campaign.
Party spirit was never more bitter. Two hundred and
sixty electoral votes were cast. Andrew Jackson re-
ceived ninety- nine; John Quincy Adams, eighty-four;
William H. Crawford, forty-one ; Henry Clay, thirty-
seven. As there was no choice by the people, the
question went to the House of Representatives. Mr.
Clay gave the vote of Kentucky to Mr. Adams, and
he was elected.

The friends of all the disappointed candidates now
combined in a venomous and persistent assault upon
Mr. Adams. There is nothing more disgraceful in
the past history of our country than the abuse which

was poured in one uninterrupted stream, upon this
high-minded, upright, patriotic man. There never was
art administration more pure in principles, more con-
scientiously devoted to the best interests of the coun-
try, than that of John Quincy Adams ; and never, per-
haps, was there an administration more unscrupu-
lously and outrageously assailed.

Mr. Adams was, to a very remarkable degree, ab-
stemious and temperate in his habits; always rising
early, and taking much exercise. When at his home in
Quincy, he has been known to walk, before breakfast.
seven miles to Boston. In Washington, it was said
that he was the first man up in the city, lighting his
own fire and applying himself to work in his library
often long before dawn.

On the 4th of March, 1829, Mr. Adams retired
from the Presidency, and was succeeded by Andrew-
Jackson. John C. Calhoun was elected Vice Presi-
dent. The slavery question now began to assume
portentous magnitude. Mr. Adams returned to
Quincy and to his studies, which he pursued with un-
abated zeal. But he was not long permitted to re-
main in retirement. In November, 1830, he was
elected representative to Congress. For seventeen
years, until his death, he occupied the post as repre-
sentative, towering above all his peers, ever ready to
do brave battle' for freedom, and winning the title of
" the old man eloquent." Upon taking his seat in
the House, he announced that he should hold him-
self bound to no party. Probably there never was a
member more devoted to his duties. He was usually
the first in his place in the morning, and the last to
leave his seat in the evening. Not a measure could
be brought forward and escape his scrutiny. The
battle which Mr. Adams fought, almost singly, against
the prosluvery party in the Government, was sublime
in its moral dating and heroism. For persisting in
presenting petitions for the abolition of slavery, he
was threatened with indictment by the grand jury,
with expulsion from the House, with assassination :
but no threats could intimidate him, and his final
triumph was complete.

It has been said of President Adams, that when his
body was bent and his hair silvered by the lapse of
fourscore years, yielding to the simple faith of a little
child, he was accustomed to repeat every night, before
he slept, the prayer which his mother taught him in
his infant years.

On the 2 1 st of February, 1848, he rose on the floor
of Congress, with a paper in his hand, to address the
speaker. Suddenly he fell, again stricken by paraly-
sis, and was caught in the arms of those around him.
For a time he was senseless, as he was conveyed to
the sofa in the rotunda. With reviving conscious-
ness, he opened his eyes, looked calmly around and
said " This is the end of earth /'then after a moment's
pause he added, "I am content!' These were the
last words of the grand " Old Man Eloquent."

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SEVENTH PRESIDENT.

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NDREW JACKSON, the
seventh President of the
' United States, was born in
Waxhaw settlement, N. C,
March 15, 1767, a few days
after his father's death. His
parents were poor emigrants
from Ireland, and took up
their abode in Waxhaw set-
tlement, where they lived in
deepest poverty.
Andrew, or Andy, as he was
universally called, grew up a very
rough, rude, turbulent boy. His
features were coarse, his form un-
gainly; and there was but very
little in his character, made visible, which was at-
tractive.

When only thirteen years old he joined the volun-
teers of Carolina against the British invasion. In
i78r, he and his brother Robert were captured and
imprisoned for a time at Camden. A British officer
ordered him to brush his mud-spattered boots. " I am
a prisoner of war, not your servant," was the reply of
the dauntless boy.

The brute drew his sword, and aimed a desperate
blow at the head of the helpless young prisoner.
Andrew raised his hand, and thus received two fear-
ful gashes, — one on the hand and the other upon the
head. The officer then turned to his brother Robert
with the same demand. He also refused, and re-
ceived a blow from the keen-edged sabre, which quite
diiabled him, and which probably soon after caused
his death. They suffered much other ill-treatment, and
were finally stricken with the small-pox. Their
mother was successful in obtaining their exchange,

and took her sick boys home. After a long illness
Andrew recovered, and the death of his mother soon
left him entirely friendless.

Andrew supported himself in various ways, such as
working at the saddler's trade, teaching school and
clerking in a general store, until 1784, when he
entered a law office at Salisbury, N. C. He, however,
gave more attention to the wild amusements of the
times than to his studies. In 1788, he was appointed
solicitor for the western district of North Carolina, of
which Tennessee was then a part. This involved
many long and tedious journeys amid dangers of
every kind, but Andrew Jackson never knew fear,
and the Indians had no desire to repeat a skirmish
with the Sharp Knife.

In 1791, Mr. Jackson was married to a woman who
supposed herself divorced from her former husband.
Great was the surprise of both parties, two years later,
to find that the conditions of the divorce had just been
definitely settled by the first husband. The marriage
ceremony was performed a second time, but the occur-
rence was often used by his enemies to bring Mr.
Jackson into disfavor.

During these years he worked hard at his profes-
sion, and frequently had one or more duels on hand,
one of which, when he killed Dickenson, was espec-
ially disgraceful.

In January, 1796, the Territory of Tennessee then
containing nearly eighty thousand inhabitants, the
people met in convention at Knoxville to frame a con-
stitution. Five were sent from each of the eleven
counties. Andrew Jackson was one of the delegates.
The new State was entitled to but one member in
the National House of Representatives. Andrew Jack-
son was chosen that member. Mounting his horse he
rode to Philedelphia, where Congress then held its

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ANDREW JACKSON.

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sessions, — a distance of about eight hundred miles.

Jackson was an earnest advocate of the Demo-
cratic party. Jefferson was his idol. He admired
Bonaparte, loved France and hated England. As Mr.
Jackson took his seat, Gen. Washington, whose
second term of office was then expiring, delivered his
last speech to Congress. A committee drew up a
complimentary address in reply. Andrew Jackson
did not approve of the address, and was one of the
twelve who voted against it. He was not willing to
say that Gen. Washington's adminstration had been
" wise, firm and patriotic."

Mr. Jackson was elected to the United States
Senate in 1797, but soon resigned and returned home.
Soon after he was chosen Judge of the Supreme Court
of his State, which position he held fjr six years.

When the war of 1812 with Great Britian com-
menced, Madison occupied the Presidential chair.
Aaron Burr sent word to the President that there was
an unknown man in the West, Andrew Jackson, who
would do credit to a commission if one were con-
ferred upon him. Just at that time Gen. Jackson
offered his services and those of twenty-five hundred
volunteers. His offer was accepted, and the troops
were assembled at Nashville.

As the British were hourly expected to make an at-
tack upon New Orleans, where Gen Wilkinson was
in command, he was ordered to descend the river
with fifteen hundred troops to aid Wilkinson. The
expedition reached Natchez ; and after a delay of sev
eral weeks there, without accomplishing anything,
the men were ordered back to their homes. But the
energy Gen. Jackson had displayed, and his entire
devotion to the comrfort of his soldiers, won him
golden opinions ; and he became the most popular
man in the State. It was in this expedition that his
toughness gave him the nickname of "Old Hickory."

Soon after this, while attempting to horsewhip Col.
Thomas H. Benton, for a remark that gentleman
made about his taking a part as second in a duel, in
which a younger brother of Benton's was engaged,
he received two severe pistol wounds. While he was
lingering upon a bed of suffering news came that the
Indians, who had combined under Tecumseh from
Florida to the Lakes, to exterminate the white set-
tlers, were committing the most awful ravages. De-
cisive action became necessary. Gen. Jackson, with
his fractured bone just beginning to heal, his arm in
a sling, and unable to mount his horse without assis-
tance, gave his amazing energies to the raising of an
army to rendezvous at Fayettesville, Alabama.

The Creek Indians had established a strong fort on
one of the bends of the Tallapoosa River, near the cen-
ter of Alabama, about fifty miles below Fort Strother.
With an army of two thousand men, Gen. Jackson
traversed the pathless wilderness in a march of eleven
days. He reached their fort, called Tohopeka or
Horse-shoe, on the 27th of March. 1814. The bend

of the river enclosed nearly one hundred acres of
tangled forest and wild ravine. . Across the narrow
neck the Indians had constructed a formidable breast-
work of logs and brush. 'Here nine hundred warriors,
with an ample suply of arms were assembled.

The fort was stormed. The fight was utterly des-
perate. Not an Indian would accept of quarter. When
bleeding and dying, they would fight those who en-
deavored to spare their lives. From ten in the morn-
ing until dark, the battle raged. The carnage was
awful and revolting. Some threw themselves into the
river; but the unerring bullet struck their heads as
they swam. Nearly everyone of the nine hundred war-
rios were killed A few probably, in the night, swam
the river and escaped. This ended the war. The
power of theCreeks was broken forever. This bold
plunge into the wilderness, with its terriffic slaughter,
so appalled the savages, that the haggard remnants
of the bands came to the camp, begging for peace.

This closing of the Creek war enabled us to con-
centrate all our militia upon the British, who were the
allies of the Indians No man of less resolute will
than Gen. Jackson could have conducted this Indian
campaign to so successful an issue Immediately he
was appointed major-general.

Late in August, with an army of two thousand
men, on a rushing march, Gen. Jackson came to
Mobile. A British fleet came from Pensacola, landed
a force upon the beach, anchored near the little fort,
and from both ship and shore commenced a furious
assault The battle was long and doubtful. At length
one of the ships was blown up and the rest retired.

Garrisoning Mobile, where he had taken his little
army, he moved his troops to New Orleans,
And the battle of New Orleans which soon ensued,
was in reality a very arduous campaign. This won
for Gen. Jackson an imperishable name. Here his
troops, which numbered about four thousand men,
won a signal victory over the British army of about
nine thousand. His loss was but thirteen, while the
loss of the British was two thousand six hundred.

The name of Gen. Jackson soon began to be men-
tioned in connection with the Presidency, but, in 1824,
he was defeated by Mr. Adams. He was, however,
successful in the election of 1828, and was re-elected
for a second term in 1832. In 1829, just before he
assumed the reins of the government, he met with
the most terrible affliction of his life in the death of
his wife, whom he had loved with a devotion which has
perhaps never been surpassed. From the shock of
her death he never recovered.

His administration was one of the most memorable
in the annals of our country, applauded by one party,
condemned by the other. No man had more bitter
enemies or warmer friends. At the expiration of his
two terms of office he retired to the Hermitage, where
he died June 8, 1845. The last years of Mr. Jack-
son's life were that of a devoted Christian man.

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ARTIN VAN BUREN, the
eighth President of the
United States, was born at
Kinderhook, N. Y., Dec. 5,
1782. He died at the same
place, July 24, 1862. His
body rests in the cemetery
at Kinderhook. Above it is
a plain granite shaft fifteen feet
high, bearing a simple inscription
about half way up on one face.
The lot is unfenced, unbordered
or unbounded by shrub or flower.

There is but little in the life of Martin Van Buren
of romantic interest. He fought no battles, engaged
in no wild adventures. Though his life was stormy in
political and intellectual conflicts, and he gained many
signal victories, his days passed uneventful in those
incidents which give zest to biography. His an-
cestors, as his name indicates, were of Dutch origin,
and were among the earliest emigrants from Holland
to the banks of the Hudson. His father was a fanner,
residing in the old town of Kinderhook. His mother,
also of Dutch lineage, was a woman of superior intel-
ligence and exemplary piety.

He was decidedly a precocious boy, developing un-
usual activity, vigor and strength of mind. At the
age of fourteen, he had finished his academic studies
in his native village, and commenced the study of
law. As he had not a collegiate education, seven
years of study in a law-office were required of him
before he could be admitted to the bar. Inspired with
a lofty ambition, and Conscious of his powers, he pur-
sued his studies with indefatigable industry. After
spending six years in an office in his native village,

he went to the city of New York, and prosecuted his
studies for the seventh year.

In 1803, Mr. Van Buren, then twenty-one years of
age, commenced the practice of law in his native vil-
lage. The great conflict between the Federal and
Republican party was then at its height. Mr. Van
Buren was from the beginning a politician. He had,
perhaps, imbibed that spirit while listening to the
many discussions which had been carried on in his
father's hotel. He was in cordial sympathy with
Jefferson, and earnestly and eloquently espoused the
cause of State Rights ; though at that time the Fed-
eral party held the supremacy both in his town
and State.

His success and increasing ruputation led him,
after six years of practice, to remove to Hudson, the
county seat of his county. Here he spent seven years,
constantly gaining strength by contending in the
courts with some of the ablest men who have adorned
the bar of his State.

Just before leaving Kinderhook for Hudson, Mr.
Van Buren married a lady alike distinguished for
beauty and accomplishments. After twelve short
years she sank into the grave, the victim of consump-
tion, leaving her husband and four sons to weep over
her loss. For twenty-five years, Mr. Van Buren was
an earnest, successful, assiduous lawyer. The record
of those years is barren in items of public interest.
In 181 2, when thirty years of age, he was chosen to
the State Senate, and gave his strenuous support to
Mr. Madison's adminstration. In 1815, he was ap-
pointed Attorney-General, and the next year moved
to Albany, the capital of the State.

While he was acknowledged as one of the most
prominent leaders of the Democratic party, he had

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MARTIN VAN BUREN.

the moral courage to avow that true democracy did
not require that " universal suffrage " which admits
the vile, the degraded, the ignorant, to the right of
governing the State. In true consistency with his
democratic principles, he contended that, while the
path leading to the privilege of voting should be open
to every man without distinction, no one should be
invested with that sacred prerogative, unless he were
in some degree qualified for it by intelligence, virtue
and some property interests in the welfare of the
State.

In 182 1 he was elected a member of the United
States Senate; and in the same year, he took a seat
in the convention to revise the constitution of his
native State. His course in this convention secured
the approval of men of all parties. No one could
doubt the singleness of his endeavors to promote the
interests of all classes in the community. In the
Senate of the United States, he rose at once to a
conspicuous position as an active and useful legislator.

In 1827, John Quincy Adams being then in the
Presidential chair, Mr. Van Buren was re-elected to
the /Senate. He had been from the beginning a de-
termined opposer of the Administration, adopting the
"State Rights" view in opposition to what was
deemed the Federal proclivities of Mr. Adams.

Soon after this, in 1828, he was chosen Governor of
the State of New York, and accordingly resigned his
seat in the Senate. Probably no one in the United
States contributed so much towards ejecting John Q.
Adams from the Presidential chair, and placing in it
Andrew Jackson, as did Martin Van Buren. Whether
entitled to the reputation or not, he certainly was re-
garded throughout the United States as one of the
most skillful, sagacious and cunning of politicians.
It was supposed that no one knew so well as he how
to touch the secret springs of action; how to pull all
the wires to put his machinery in motion ; and how to
organize a political army which would, secretly and
stealthily accomplish the most gigantic results. By
these powers it is said that he outwitted Mr. Adams,
Mr. Clay, Mr. Webster, and secured results which
few thought then could be accomplished.

When Andrew Jackson was elected President he
appointed Mr. Van Buren Secretary of State. This
position he resigned in i83r, and was immediately
appointed Minister to England, where he went the
same autumn. The Senate, however, when it met,
refused to ratify the nomination, and he returned

home, apparently untroubled; was nominated Vice
President in the place of Calhoun, at the re-election
of President Jackson ; and with smiles for all and
frowns for none, he took his place at the head of that
Senate which had refused to confirm his nomination
as ambassador.

His rejection by the Senate roused all the zeal of
President Jackson in behalf of his repudiated favor-
ite ; and this, probably more than any other cause,
secured his elevation to the chair of the Chief Execu-
tive. On the 20th of May, 1836, Mr. Van Buren re-
ceived the Democratic nomination to succeed Gen.
Jackson as President of the United States. He was
elected by a handsome majority, to the delight of the
retiring President. " Leaving New York out of the
canvass," says Mr. Parton, "the election of Mr. Van
Buren to the Presidency was as much the act of Gen.
Jackson as though the Constitution had conferred
upon him the power to appoint a successor."

His administration was filled with exciting events.
The insurrection in Canada, which threatened to in -
volve this country in war with England, the agitation
of the slavery question, and finally the great commer-
cial panic which spread over the country, all were
trials to his wisdom. The financial distress was at-
tributed to the management of the Democratic party,
and brought the President into such disfavor that he
failed of re-election.

With the exception of being nominated for the
Presidency by the "Free Soil" Democrats, in r848,
Mr. Van Buren lived quietly upon his estate until
his death.

He had ever been a prudent man, of frugal habits,
and living within his income, had now fortunately a
competence for his declining years. His unblemished
character, his commanding abilities, his unquestioned
patriotism, and the distinguished positions which he
had occupied in the government of our country, se-
cured to him not only the homage of his party, but
the respect ot the whole community. It was on the
4th of March, 184T, that Mr. Van Buren retired from
the presidency. From his fine estate at Lindenwald,
he still exerted a powerful influence upon the politics
of the country. From this time until his death, on
the 24th of July, 1862, at the age of eighty years, he
resided at Lindenwald, a gentleman of leisure, of
culture and of wealth; enjoying in a healthy old
age, probably far more happiness than he had before
experienced amid the stormy scenes of his active life.

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ILLIAM HENRY HARRI-
SON, the ninth President of
the United States, was born
at Berkeley, Va., Feb. 9, 1773.
His father, Benjamin Harri-
son, was in comparatively op-
ulent circumstances, and was
one of the most distinguished
men of his day. He was an
intimate friend of George
Washington, was early elected
a member of the Continental
Congress, and was conspicuous
among the patriots of Virginia in
resisting the encroachments of the
British crown. In the celebrated
Congress of 1775, Benjamin Har-
rison and John Hancock were
both candidates for the office of
speaker.

Mr Harrison was subsequently
chosen Governor of Virginia, and
was twice re-elected. His son,
William Henry, of course enjoyed
in childhood all the advantages which wealth and
intellectual and cultivated society could give. Hav-
ing received a thorough common-school education, he
entered Hampden Sidney College, where he graduated
with honor soon after the death of his father. He
then repaired to Philadelphia to study medicine under
the instructions of Dr. Rush and the guardianship of
Robert Morris, both of whom were, with his father,
signers of the Declaration of Independence.

Upon the outbreak of the Indian troubles, and not-
withstanding the remonstrances of his friends, he
abandoned his medical studies and entered the army,
having obtained a commission of Ensign from Presi-

dent Washington. He was then but 19 years old.
From that time he passed gradually upward in rank
until he became aid to General Wayne, after whose
death he resigned his commission. He was then ap-
pointed Secretary of the North-western Territory. This
Territory «vas then entitled to but one member in
Congress and Capt. Harrison was chosen to fill that
position.

In the spring of r 800 the North-western Territory
was divided by Congress into two portions. The
eastern portion, comprising the region now embraced
in the State of Ohio, was called " The Territory
north-west of the Ohio." The western portion, which
included what is now called Indiana, Illinois and
Wisconsin, was called the "Indiana Territory." Wil-
liam Henry Harrison, then 27 years of age, was ap-
pointed by John Adams, Governor of the Indiana
Territory, and immediately after, also Governor of
Upper Louisiana. He was thus ruler over almost as
extensive a realm as any sovereign upon the globe. He
was Superintendent of Indian Affairs, and was in-
vested with powers nearly dictatorial over the now
rapidly increasing white population. The ability and
fidelity with which he discharged these responsible
duties may be inferred from the fact that he was four
times appointed to this office — first by John Adams,
twice by Thomas Jefferson and afterwards by Presi-
dent Madison.

When he began his adminstration there were but
three white settlements in that almost boundless region,
now crowded with cities and resounding with all the
tumult of wealth and traffic. One of these settlements
was on the Ohio, nearly opposite Louisville ; one at
Vincennes, on the Wabash, and the third a French
settlement.

The vast wilderness over which Gov. Harrison
reigned was filled with many tribes of Indians. About

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WILLIAM HENRY HARRISON.

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the year 1806, two extraordinary men, twin brothers,
of the Shawnese tribe, rose among them. One of
these was called Tecumseh, or " The Crouching
Panther;" the other, Olliwacheca, or "The Prophet."
Tecumseh was not only an Indian warrior, but a man
of great sagacity, far-reaching foresight and indomit-
able perseverance in any enterprise m which he might
engage. He was inspired with the highest enthusiasm,
and had long regarded with dread and with hatred
the encroachment of the whites upon the hunting-
grounds of his fathers. His brother, the Prophet, was
anorator, who could sway the feelings of the untutored
Indian as the gale tossed the tree-tops beneath which
they dwelt.

But the Prophet was not merely an orator : he was,
in the superstitious minds of the Indians, invested
with the superhuman dignity of a medicine-man or a
magician. With an enthusiasm unsurpassed by Peter
the Hermit rousing Europe to the crusades, he went
from tribe to tribe, assuming that he was specially sent
by the Great Spirit.

Gov. Harrison made many attempts to conciliate
the Indians, but at last the war came, and at Tippe-
canoe the Indians were routed with great slaughter.
October 28, r8r2, his army began its march. When
near the Prophet's town three Indians of rank made
their appearance and inquired why Gov. Harrison was
approaching them in so hostile an attitude. After a
short conference, arrangements were made for a meet-
ing the next day, to agree upon terms of peace.

But Gov. Harrison was too well acquainted with
the Indian character to be deceived by such protes-
tations. Selecting a favorable spot for his night's en-
campment, he took every precaution against surprise.
His troops were posted in a hollow square, and slept
upon their arms.

The troops threw themselves upon the ground for
rest; but every man had his accoutrements on, his
loaded musket by his side, and his bayonet fixed. The
wakeful Governor, between three and four o'clock in
the morning, had risen, and was sitting in conversa-
tion with his aids by the embers of a waning fire. It
was a chill, cloudy morning with a drizzling rain. In
the darkness, the Indians had crept as near as possi-
ble, and just then, with a savage yell, rushed, with all
the desperation which superstition and passion most
highly inflamed could give, upon the left flank of the
little army. The savages had been amply provided
with guns and ammunition by the English. Their
war-whoop was accompanied by a shower of bullets.

The camp-fires were instantly extinguished, as the
light aided the Indians in their aim. With hide-
ous yells, the Indian bands rushed on, not doubting a
speedy and an entire victory. But Gen. Harrison's
troops stood as immovable as the rocks around them
until day dawned : they then made a simultaneous
charge with the bayonet, and swept every thing be-
fore them, and completely routing the foe.

Gov. Harrison now had all his energies tasked
to the utmost. The British descending from the Can -
adas, were of themselves a very formidable force ; but
with their savage allies, rushing like wolves from the
forest, searching out every remote farm-house, burn-
ing, plundering, scalping, torturing, the wide frontier
was plunged into a state of consternation which even
the most vivid imagination can but faintly conceive.
The war-whoop was resounding everywhere in the
forest. The horizon was illuminated with the conflagra-
tion of the cabins of the settlers. Gen Hull had made
the ignominious surrender of his forces at Detroit.
Under these despairing circumstances, Gov. Harrison
was appointed by President Madison commander-in-
chief of the North-western army, with orders to retake
Detroit, and to protect the frontiers.

It would be difficult to place a man in a situation
demanding more energy, sagacity and courage; but
General Harrison was found equal to the position,
and nobly and triumphantly did he meet all the re-
sponsibilities.'

He won the love of his soldiers by always sharing
with them their fatigue. His whole baggage, while
pursuing the foe up the Thames, was carried in a
valise; and his bedding consisted of a single blanket
lashed over his saddle. Thirty-five British officers,
his prisoners of war, supped with him after the battle.
The only fare he could give them was beef roasted
before the fire, without bread or salt.

In 1816, Gen. Harrison was chosen a member of
the National House of Representatives, to represent
the District of Ohio. In Congress he proved an
active member; and whenever he spoke, it was with
force of reason and power of eloquence, which arrested
the attention of all the members.

In r8io, Harrison was elected to the Senate of
Ohio; and in 1824, as one of the presidential electors
of that State, he gave his vote for Henry Clay. The
same year he was chosen to the United States Senate.

In 1836, the friends of Gen. Harrison brought him
forward as a candidate for the Presidency against
Van Buren, but he was defeated. At the close of
Mr. Van Buren's term, he was re-nominated by his
party, and Mr. Harrison was unanimously nominated
by the Whigs, with John Tyler for the Vice Presidency.
The contest was very animated. Gen. Jackson gave
all his influence to prevent Harrison's election ; but
his triumph was signal.

The cabinet which he formed, with Daniel Webster
at its head as Secretary of State, was one of the most
brilliant with which any President had ever been
surrounded. Never were the prospects of an admin-
istration more flattering, or the hopes of the country
more sanguine. In the midst of these bright and
joyous prospects, Gen. Harrison was seized by a
pleurisy-fever and after a few days of violent sick-
ness, died on the 4th of April ; just one month after
his inauguration as President of the United States.

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TENTH PRESIDENT.

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OHN TYLER, the tenth
President of the United States.
He was born in Charles-city
Co., Va., March 29, 1790. He
was the favored child of af-
fluence and high social po-
sition. At the early age of
twelve, John entered William
and Mary College and grad-
uated with much honor when
but seventeen years old. After
graduating, he devoted him-
self with great assiduity to the
study of law, partly with his
father and partly with Edmund
Randolph, one of the most distin-
guished lawyers of Virginia.

At nineteen years of age, ne
commenced the practice of law.
His success was rapid and aston-
ishing. It is said that three
months had not elapsed ere there
was scarcely a case on the dock-
et of the court in which he was
not retained. When but twenty-one years of age, he
was almost unanimously elected to a seat in the State
Legislature. He connected himself with the Demo-
cratic party, and warmly advocated the measures of
Jefferson and Madison. For five successive years he
was elected to the Legislature, receiving nearly the
unanimous vote or his county.

When but twenty-six years of age, he was elected
a member of Congress. Here he acted earnestly and
ably with the Democratic party, opposing a national
bank, internal improvements by the General Govern-

^Wl»^

ment, a protective tariff, and advocating a strict con-
struction of the Constitution, and the most careful
vigilance over State rights. His labors in Congress
were so arduous that before the close of his second
term he found it necessary to resign and retire to his
estate in Charles-city Co., to recruit his health. He,
however, soon after consented to take his seat in the
State Legislature, where his influence was powerful
in promoting public works of great utility. With a
reputation thus canstantly increasing, he was chosen
by a very large majority of votes, Governor of his
native State. His administration was signally a suc-
cessful one. His popularity secured his re-election.

John Randolph, a brilliant, erratic, half-crazed
man, then represented Virginia in the Senate of the
United States. A portion of the Democratic party
was displeased with Mr. Randolph's wayward course,
and brought forward John Tyler as his opponent,
considering him the only man in Virginia of sufficient
popularity to succeed against the renowned orator of
Roanoke. Mr. Tyler was the victor.

In accordance with his professions, upon taking his
seat in the Senate, he joined the ranks of the opposi-
tion. He opposed the tariff; he spoke against and
voted against the bank as unconstitutional ; he stren-
uously opposed all restrictions upon slavery, resist-
ing all projects of internal improvements by the Gen-
eral Government, and avowed his sympathy with Mr.
Calhoun's view of nullification ; he declared that Gen.
Jackson, by his opposition to the nullifiers, had
abandoned the principles of the Democratic party.
Such was Mr. Tyler's record in Congress, — a record
in perfect accordance with the principles which he
had always avowed.

Returning to Virginia, he resumed the practice of
his profession. There was a split in the Democratic

JOHN TYLER.

-«#

party. His friends still regarded him as a true Jef-
fersonian, gave him a dinner, and showered compli-
ments upon him. He had now attained the age of
forty-six. His career had been very brilliant. In con-
sequence of his devotion to public business, his pri-
vate affairs had fallen into some disorder ; and it was
not without satisfaction that he resumed the practice
of law, and devoted himself to the culture of his plan-
tation. Soon after this he removed to Williamsburg,
for the better education of his children ; and he again
took his seat in the Legislature of Virginia.

By the Southern Whfgs, he was sent to the national
convention at Harrisburg to nominate a President in
1839. The majority of votes were given to Gen. Har-
rison, a genuine Whig, much to the disappointment of
the South, who wished for Henry Clay. To concili-
ate the Southern Whigs and to secure their vote, the
convention then nominated John Tyler for Vice Pres-
ident. It was well known that he was not in sympa-
thy with the Whig party in the North : but the Vice
President has but very little power in the Govern-
ment, his main and almost only duty being to pre-
side over the meetings of the Senate. Thus it hap-
pened that a Whig President, and, in reality, a
Democratic Vice President were chosen.

In i84r, Mr. Tyler was inaugurated Vice Presi-
dent of the United States. In one short month from-
that time, President Harrison died, and Mr. Tyler
thus found himself, to his own surprise and that of
the whole Nation, an occupant of the Presidential
chair. This was a new test of the stability of our
institutions, as it was the first time in the history of our
country that such an event had occured. Mr. Tyler
was at home in Williamsburg when he received the
unexpected tidings of the death of President Harri-
son. He hastened to Washington, and on the 6th of
April was inaugurated to the high and responsible
office. He was placed in a position of exceeding
delicacy and difficulty. All his long life he had been
opposed to the main principles of the party which had
brought him into power. He had ever been a con-
sistent, honest man, with an unblemished record.
Gen. Harrison had selected a Whig cabinet. Should
he retain them, and thus surround himself with coun-
sellors whose views were antagonistic to his own ? or,
on the other hand, should he turn against the party
which had elected him and select a cabinet in har-
mony with himself, and which would oppose all those
views which the Whigs deemed essential to the pub-
lic welfare? This was his fearful dilemma. He in-
vited the cabinet which President Harrison had
selected to retain their seats. He reccomm ended a
day of fasting and prayer, that God would guide and
bless us.

The Whigs carried through Congress a bill for the
incorporation of a fiscal bank of the United States.
The President, after ten days' delay, returned it with
his veto. He suggested, however, that he would

approve of a bill drawn up upon such a plan as he
proposed. Such a bill was accordingly prepared, and
privately submitted to him. He gave it his approval.
It was passed without alteration, and he sent it back
with his veto. Here commenced the open rupture.
It is said that Mr. Tyler was provoked to this meas-
ure by a published letter from the Hon. John M.
Botts, a distinguished Virginia Whig, who severely
touched the pride of the President.

The opposition now exultingly received the Presi-
dent into their arms. The party which elected him
denounced him bitterly. All the members of his
cabinet, excepting Mr. Webster, resigned. The Whigs
of Congress, both the Senate and the House, held a
meeting and issued an address to the people of the
United States, proclaiming that all political alliance
between the Whigs and President Tyler were at
an end.

Still the President attempted to conciliate. He
appointed a new cabinet of distinguished Whigs and
Conservatives, carefully leaving out all strong party
men. . Mr. Webster soon found it necessary to resign,
forced out by the pressure of his Whig friends. Thus
the four years of Mr. Tyler's unfortunate administra-
tion passed sadly away. No one was satisfied. The
land was filled with murmurs and vituperation. Whigs
and Democrats alike assailed him. More and more,
however, he brought himself into sympathy with his
old friends, the Democrats, until at the close of his term,
he gave his whole influence to the support of Mr.
Polk, the Democratic candidate for his successor.

On the 4th of March, 1845, he retired from the
harassments of office, to the regret of neither party, and
probably to his own unspeakable relief. His first wife,
Miss Letitia Christian, died in Washington, in 1842;
and in June, 1844, President Tyler was again married,
at New York, to Miss Julia Gardiner, a young lady of
many personal and intellectual accomplishments.

The remainder of his days Mr. Tyler passed mainly
in retirement at his beautiful home, — Sherwood For-
est, Charles-city Co., Va. A polished gentleman in
his manners, richly furnished with information from
books and experience in the world, and possessing
brilliant powers of conversation, his family circle was
the scene of unusual attractions. With sufficient
moans for the exercise of a generous hospitality, he
might have enjoyed a serene old age with the few
friends who gathered around him, were it not for the
storms of civil war which his own principles and
policy had helped to introduce.
_ When the great Rebellion rose, which the State-
rights and nullifying doctrines of Mr. John C. Cal-
houn had inaugurated, President Tyler renounced his
allegiance to the United States, and joined the Confed-
erates. He was chosen a member of their Congress;
and while engaged in active measures to destroy, by
force of arms, the Government over which he had
once presided, he was taken sick and soon died.

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ELE VENTH PRESIDENT.

59 "N

AMES K. POLK, the eleventh
^President of the United States,
was born in Mecklenburg Co.,
N. C.,Nov. 2, 1795. His par-
ents were Samuel and Jane
(Knox) Polk, the former a son
of Col. Thomas Polk, who located
at the above place, as one of the
first pioneers, in 1735.

In the year 1006, with his wife
and children, and soon after fol-
lowed by most of the members of
the Polk farnly, Samuel Polk emi-
grated some two or three hundred
miles farther west, to the rich valley
of the Duck River. Here in the
midst of the wilderness, in a region
which was subsequently called Mau-
ry Co., they reared their log huts,
and established their homes. In the
hard toil of a new farm in the wil-
derness, James K. Polk spent the
early years of his childhood and
youth. His father, adding the pur-
suit of a surveyor to that of a farmer,
gradually increased in wealth until
he became one of the leading men of the region. His
mother was a superior woman, of strong common
sense and earnest piety.

Very early in life, James developed a taste for
reading and expressed the strongest desire to obtain
a liberal education. His mother's training had made
him methodical in his habits, had taught him punct-
uality and industry, and had inspired him with lofty
principles of morality. His health was frail ; and his
father, fearing that he might not be able to endure a

sedentary life, got a situation for him behind the
counter, hoping to fit him for commercial pursuits.

This was to James a bitter disappointment. He
had no taste for these duties, and his daily tasks
were irksome in the extreme. He remained in this
uncongenial occupation but a few weeks, when at his
earnest solicitation his father removed him, and made
arrangements for him to prosecute his studies. Soon
after he sent him to Murfreesboro Academy. With
ardor which could scarcely be surpassed, he pressed
forward in his studies, and in less than two and a half
years, in the autumn of 181 5, entered the sophomore
class in the University of North Carolina, at Chapel
Hill. Here he was one of the most exemplary of
scholars, punctual in every exercise, never allowing
himself to be absent from a recitation or a religious
service.

He graduated in 1818, with the highest honors, be-
ing deemed the best scholar of his class, both in
mathematics and the classics. He was then twenty-
three years of age. Mr. Polk's health was at this
time much impaired by the assiduity with which he
had prosecuted his studies. After a short season of
relaxation he went to Nashville, and entered the
office of Felix Grundy, to study law. Here Mr. Polk
renewed his acquaintance with Andrew Jackson, who
resided on his plantation, the Hermitage, but a few
miles from Nashville. They had probably been
slightly acquainted before.

Mr. Polk's father was a Jeffersonian Republican,
and James K. Polk ever adhered to the same politi-
cal faith. He was a popular public speaker, and was
constantly called upon to address the meetings of his
party friends. His skill as a speaker was such that
he was popularly called the Napoleon of the stump.
He was a man of unblemished morals, genial and

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JAMES K. POLK.

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courteous in his bearing, and with that sympathetic
nature in the joys and griefs of others which ever gave
him troops of friends. In 1823, Mr. Polk was elected
to the Legislature of Tennessee. Here he gave his
strong influence towards the election of his friend,
Mr. Jackson, to the Presidency of the United States.

In January, 1824, Mr. Polk married Miss Sarah
Childress, of Rutherford Co., Tenn. His bride was
altogether worthy of him, — a lady of beauty and cul-
ture. In the fall of 1825, Mr. Polk was chosen a
member of Congress. The satisfaction which he gave
to his constituents may be inferred from the fact, that
for fourteen successive years, until 1839, he was con-
tinued in that office. He then voluntarily withdrew,
only that he might accept the Gubernatorial chair
of Tennessee. In Congress he was a laborious
member, a frequent and a popular speaker. He was
always in his seat, always courteous ; and whenever
he spoke it was always to the point, and without any
ambitious rhetorical display.

During five sessions of Congress, Mr. Polk was
Speaker of the House Strong passions were roused,
and stormy scenes were witnessed ; but Mr Polk per-
formed his arduous duties to a very general satisfac-
tion, and a unanimous vote of thanks to him was
passed by the House as he withdrew on the 4th of
March, 1839.

In accordance with Southern usage, Mr. Polk, as a
candidate for Governor, canvassed the State. He was
elected by a large majority, and on the 14th of Octo-
ber, 1839, took the oath of office at Nashville. In 1841,
his term of office expired, and he was again the can-
didate of the Democratic party, but was defeated.

On the 4th of March, 1845, Mr. Polk was inaugur-
ated President of the United States. The verdict of
the countryin favor of the annexation of Texas, exerted .
its influence upon Congress ; and the last act of the
administration of President Tyler was to affix his sig-
nature to a joint resolution of Congress, passed on the
3d of March, approving of the annexation of Texas to
the American Union. As Mexico still claimed Texas
as one of her provinces, the Mexican minister,
Almonte, immediately demanded his passports and
left the country, declaring the act of the annexation
to be an act hostile to Mexico.

In his first message, President Polk urged that
Texas should immediately, by act of Congress, be re-
ceived into the Union on the same footing with the
other States. In the meantime, Gen. Taylor was sent

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with an army into Texas to hold the country. He was
sent first to Nueces, which the Mexicans said was the
western boundary of Texas. Then he was sent nearly
two hundred miles further west, to the Rio Grande,
where lie erected batteries which commanded the
Mexican city of Matamoras, which was situated on
the western banks.

The anticipated collision soon took place, and war
was declared against Mexico by President Polk. The
war was pushed forward by Mr. Polk's administration
with great vigor. Gen. Taylor, whose army was first
called one of " observation," then of " occupation,"
then of " invasion, "was sent forward to Monterey. The
feeble Mexicans, in every encounter, were hopelessly
and awfully slaughtered. The day of judgement
alone can reveal the misery which this war caused.
It was by the ingenuity of Mr. Polk's administration
that the war was brought on.

'To the victors belong the spoils." Mexico was
prostrate before us. Her capital was in our hands.
We now consented to peace upon the condition that
Mexico should surrender to us, in addition to Texas,
all of New Mexico, and all of Upper and Lower Cal-
ifornia. This new demand embraced, exclusive of
Texas, eight hundred thousand square miles. This
was an extent of territory equal to nine States of the
size of New York. Thus slavery was securing eighteen
majestic States to be added to the Union. There were
some Americans who thought it all right: there were
others who thought it all wrong. In the prosecution
of this war, we expended twenty thousand lives and
more than a hundred million of dollars. Of this
money fifteen millions were paid to Mexico.

On the 3d of March, 1849, Mr- Polk retired from
office, having served one term. The next day was
Sunday. On the 5th, Gen. Taylor was inaugurated
as his successor. Mr. Polk rode to the Capitol in the
same carriage with Gen. Taylor; and the same even-
ing, with Mrs. Polk, he commenced his return to
Tennessee. He was then but fifty-four years of age.
He had ever been strictly temperate in all his habits,
and his health was good. With an ample fortune,
a choice library, a cultivated mind, and domestic ties
of the dearest nature, it seemed as though long years
of tranquility and happiness were before him. But the
cholera — that fearful scourge — was then sweeping up
the Valley of the Mississippi. This he contracted,
and died on the 15th of June, 1849, in the fifty-fourth
year of his age, greatly mourned by his countrymen.

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ACHARY TAYLOR, twelfth
President of the United States,
was born on the 24th of Nov.,
1784, in Orange Co., Va. His
father, Colonel Taylor, was
a Virginian of note, and a dis-
tinguished patriot and soldier of
the Revolution. When Zachary
was an infant, his father with his
wife and two children, emigrated
to Kentucky, where he settled in
the pathless wilderness, a few
miles from Louisville. In this front-
ier home, away from civilization and
all its refinements, young Zachary
could enjoy but few social and educational advan-
tages. When six years of age he attended a common
school, and was then regarded as a bright, active boy,
rather remarkable for bluntness and decision of char-
acter He was strong, feailess and self-reliant, and
manifested a strong desire to enter the army to fight
the Indians who were ravaging the frontiers. There
is little to be recorded of the uneventful years of his
childhood on his father's large but lonely plantation.
In 1808, his father succeeded in obtaining for him
the commission of lieutenant in the United States
army ; and he joined the troops which were stationed
at New Orleans under Gen. Wilkinson. Soon after
this he married Miss Margaret Smith, a young lady
from one of the first families of Maryland.

Immediately after the declaration of war with Eng-
land, in i8r2, Capt. Taylor (for he had then been
promoted to that rank) was put in command of Fort
Harrison, on the Wabash, about fifty miles above
Vincennes. This fort had been built in the wilder-
ness by Gen. Harrison,on his march to Tippecanoe.
It was one of the first points of attack by the Indians,
led by Tecumseh. Its garrison consisted of a broken

company of infantry numbering fifty men, many of
whom were sick.

Early in the autumn of 181:, the Indians, stealthily,
and in large numbers, moved upon the fort. Their
approach was first indicated by the murder of two
soldiers just outside of the stockade. Capt. Taylor
made every possible preparation to meet the antici-
pated assault. On the 4th of September, a band of
forty painted and plumed savages came to the fort,
waving a white flag, and informed Capt. Taylor that
in the morning their chief would come to have a talk
with him. It was evident that their object was merely
to ascertain the state of things at the fort, and Capt.
Taylor, well versed in the wiles of the savages, kept
them at a distance.

The sun went down ; the savages disappeared, the
garrison slept upon their arms. One hour before
midnight the war whoop burst from a thousand lips
in the forest around, followed by the discharge of
musketry, and the rush of the foe. Every man, sick
and well, sprang to his post. Every man knew that
defeat was not merely death, but in the case of cap-
ture, death by the most agonizing and prolonged tor-
ture. No pen can describe, no immagination can
conceive the scenes which ensued. The savages suc-
ceeded in setting fire to one of the block-houses-
Until six o'clock in the morning, this awful conflict
continued. The savages then, baffled at every point,
and gnashing their teeth with rage, retired. Capt.
Taylor, for this gallant defence, was promoted to the
rank of major by brevet.

Until the close of the war, MajorTaylor was placed
in such situations that he saw but little more of active
service. He was sent far away into the depths of the
wilderness, to Fort Crawford, on Fox River, which
empties into Green Bay. Here there was but little
to be done but to wear away the tedious hours as one @)
best could. There were no books, no society, no in- ^

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ZACHARY TAYLOR.

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tellectual stimulus. Thus with him the uneventful
years rolled on Gradually he rose to the rank of
colonel. In the Black-Hawk war, which resulted in
the capture of that renowned chieftain, Col Taylor
took a subordinate but a brave and efficient part.

For twenty-four years Col. Taylor was engaged in
the defence of the frontiers, in scenes so remote, and in
employments so obscure, that his name was unknown
beyond the limits of his own immediate acquaintance.
In the year 1836, he was sent to Florida to compel
the Seminole Indians to vacate that region and re-
tire beyond the Mississippi, as their chiefs by treaty,
had promised they should do. The services rendered
here secured for Col. Taylor the high appreciation of
the Government; and as a reward, he was elevated
to the rank of brigadier-general by brevet ; and soon
after, in May, 1838, was appointed to the chief com-
mand of the United States troops in Florida.

After two years of such wearisome employment
amidst the everglades of the peninsula, Gen. Taylor
obtained, at his own request, a change of command,
and was stationed over the Department of the South-
west. This field embraced Louisiana, Mississippi,
Alabama and Georgia. Establishing his headquarters
at Fort Jessup, in Louisiana, he removed his family
to a plantation which he purchased, near Baton Rogue.
Here he remained for five years, buried, as it were,
from the world, but faithfully discharging every duty
imposed upon him.

In 1846, Gen. Taylor was sent to guard the land
between the Nueces and Rio Grande, the latter river
being the boundary of Texas, which was then claimed
by the United States. Soon the war with Mexico
was brought on, and at Palo Alto and Resaca de la
Palma, Gen. Taylor won brilliant victories over the
Mexicans. The rank of major-general by brevet
was then conferred upon Gen. Taylor, and his name
was received with enthusiasm almost everywhere in
the Nation. Then came the battles of Monterey and
Buena Vista in which he won signal victories over
forces much larger than he commanded.

His careless habits of dress and his unaffected
simplicity, secured for Gen. Taylor among his troops,
the sobriquet of "Old Rough and Ready.'

The tidings of the brilliant victory of Buena Vista
spread the wildest enthusiasm over the country. The
name of Gen. Taylor was on every one's lips. The
Whig party decided to take advantage of this wonder-
ful popularity in bringing forward the unpolished, un-
lettered, honest soldier as their candidate for the
Presidency. Gen. Taylor was astonished at the an-
nouncement, and for a time would not listen to it; de-
claring that he was not at all qualified for such an
office. So little interest had he taken in politics that,
for forty years, he had not cast a vote. It was not
without chagrin that several distinguished statesmen
who had been long years in the public service found
their claims set aside in behalf of one whose name

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had never been heard of, save in connection with Palo
Alto, Resaca de la Palma, Monterey and Buena
Vista. It Is said that Daniel Webster, in his haste re-
marked, " It is a nomination not fit to be made."

Gen. Taylor was not an eloquent speaker nor a fine
writer His friends took possession of him, and pre-
pared such few communications as it was needful
should be presented to the public. The popularity of.
the successful warrior swept the land. He was tri-
umphantly elected over two opposing candidates, —
Gen. Cass and Ex-President Martin Van Buren.
Though he selected an excellent cabinet, the good
old man found himself in a very uncongenial position,
and was, at times, sorely perplexed and harassed.
His mental sufferings were very severe, and probably
tended to hasten his death. The pro-slavery party
was pushing its claims with tireless energy, expedi-
tions were fitting out to capture Cuba ; California was
pleading for admission to the Union, while slavery
stood at the door to bar her out. Gen. Taylor found
the political conflicts in Washington to be far more
trying to the nerves than battles with Mexicans or
Indians.

In the midst of all these troubles, Gen. Taylor,
after he had occupied the Presidential chair but little
over a year, took cold, and after a brief sickness of
but little over five days, died on the 9th of July, 1850.
His last words were, "I am not afraid to die. I am
ready. I have endeavored to do my duty." He died
universally respected and beloved. An honest, un-
pretending man, he had been steadily growing in the
affections of the people ; and the Nation bitterly la-
mented his death.

Gen. Scott, who was thoroughly acquainted with
Gen. Taylor, gave the following graphic and truthful
description of his character: — " With a good store of
common sense, Gen. Taylor's mind had not been en-
larged and refreshed by reading, or much converse
with the world. Rigidity of ideas was the conse-
quence. The frontiers and small military posts had
been his home. Hence he was quite ignorant for his
rank, and quite bigoted in his ignorance. His sim-
plicity was child-like, and with innumerable preju-
dices, amusing and incorrigible, well suited to the
tender age. Thus, if a man, however respectable,
chanced to wear a coat of an unusual color, or his hat
a little on one side of his head; or an officer to leave
a corner of his handkerchief dangling from an out-
side pocket, — in any such case, this critic held the
offender to be a coxcomb (perhaps something worse),
whom he would not, to use his oft repeated phrase,
' touch with a pair of tongs.'

"Any allusion to literature beyond good old Dil-
worth's spelling-book, on the part of one wearing a
sword, was evidence, with the same judge, of utter
unfitness for heavy marchings and combats. In short,
few men have ever had a more comfortable, labor-
saving contempt for learning of every kind."

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THIRTEENTH PRESIDENT.

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t ^MILLAHn FILLfflnHE,^ i

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ILLARD FILLMORE, thir-
teenth President of the United
States, was born at Summer
Hill, Cayuga Co., N. Y ., on
the 7th of January, 1800. His
father was a farmer, and ow-
ing to misfortune, in humble cir-
cumstances. Of his mother, the
daughter of Dr. Abiathar Millard,
of Pittsfield, Mass., it has been
said that she possessed an intellect
of very high order, united with much
personal loveliness, sweetness of dis-
position, graceful manners and ex-
quisite sensibilities. She died in
1 83 1 ; having lived to see her son a
young man of distinguished prom-
ise, though she was not permitted to witness the high
dignity which he finally attained.

In consequence of the secluded home and limited
means of his father, Millard enjoyed but slender ad-
vantages for education in his early years. The com-
mon schools, which he occasionally attended were
very imperfect institutions; and books were scarce
and expensive. There was nothing then in his char-
acter to indicate the brilliant career upon which he
was about to enter. He was a plain farmer's boy ;
intelligent, good-looking, kind-hearted. The sacred
influences of home had taught him to revere the Bible,
and had laid the foundations of an upright character.
When fourteen years of age, his father sent him
some hundred miles from home, to the then wilds of
Livingston County, to learn the trade of a clothier.
Near the mill there was a small villiage, where some

enterprising man had commenced the collection of a
village library. This proved an inestimable blessing
to young Fillmore. His evenings were spent in read-
ing. Soon every leisure moment was occupied with
books. His thirst for knowledge became insatiate;
and the selections which he made were continually
more elevating and instructive. He read history,
biography, oratory, and thus gradually there was en-
kindled in his heart a desire to be something more
than a mere worker with his hands; and lie was be-
coming, almost unknown to himself, a well-informed,
educated man.

The young clothier had now attained the age of
nineteen years, and was of fine personal appearance
and of gentlemanly demeanor. It so happened that
there was a gentleman in the neighborhood of ample
pecuniary means and of benevolence, — Judge Walter
Wood, — who was struck with the prepossessing ap-
pearance of young Fillmore. He made his acquaint-
ance, and was so much impressed with his ability and
attainments that he advised him to abandon his
trade and devote himself to the study of the law. The
young man replied, that he had no means of his own,
no friends to help him and that his previous educa-
tion had been very imperfect. But Judge Wood had
so much confidence in him that he kindly offered to
take him into his own office, and to loan him such
money as he needed. Most gratefully the generous
offer was accepted.

There is in many minds a strange delusion about
a collegiate education. A young man is supposed to
be liberally educated if he has graduated at some col-
lege. But many a boy loiters through university halls
and then enters a law office, who is by no means as

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MILLARD FILLMORE.

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well prepared to prosecute his legal studies as was
Millard Fillmore when he graduated at the clothing-
mill at the end of four years of manual labor, during
which every leisure moment had been devoted to in-
tense mental culture.

In 1823, when twenty-three years of age, he was
admitted to the Court of Common Pleas. He then
went to the village of "Aurora, and commenced the
practice of law. In this secluded, peaceful region,
his practice of course was limited, and there was no
opportunity for a sudden rise in fortune or in fame.
Here, in the year 1826, he married a lady of great
moral worth, and one capable of adorning any station
she might be called to fill, — Miss Abigail Powers.

His elevation of character, his untiring industry,
his legal acquirements, and his skill as an advocate,
gradually attracted attention ; and he was invited to
enter into partnership under highly advantageous
circumstances, with an elder member of the bar in
Buffalo. Just before removing to Buffalo, in 1829,
he took his seat in the House of Assembly, of the
State of New York, as a representative from Erie
County. Though he had never taken a very active
part in politics, his vote and his sympathies were with
the Whig party. The State was then Democratic,
and he found himself in a helpless minority in the
Legislature , still the testimony comes from all parties,
that his courtesy, ability and integrity, won, to a very
unusual degree the respect of his associates.

In the autumn of 1832, he was elected to a seat in
the United States Congress He entered that troubled
arena in some of the most tumultuous hours of our
national history. The great conflict respecting the
national bank and the removal of the deposits, was
then raging.

His term of two years closed ; and he returned to
his profession, which he pursued with increasing rep-
utation and success. After a lapse of two years
he again became a candidate for Congress ; was re-
elected, and took his seat in 1837. His past expe-
rience as a representative gave him strength and
confidence. The first term of service in Congress to
any man can be but little more than an introduction.
He was now prepared for active duty. All his ener-
gies were brought to bear upon the public good. Every
measure received his impress.

Mr. Fillmore was now a man of wide repute, and
his popularity filled the State, and in the year 1847,
he was elected Comptroller of the State.

Mr. Fillmore had attained the age of forty-seven
years. His labors at the bar, in the Legislature, in
Congress and as Comptroller, had given him very con-
siderable fame. The Whigs were casting about to
find suitable candidates for President and Vice-Presi-
dent at the approaching election. Far away, on the
waters of the Rio Gjrande, there was a rough old
soldier, who had fought one or two successful battles
with the Mexicans, which had caused his name to be
proclaimed in trumpet-tones all over the land. But
it was necessary to associate with him on the same
ticket some man of reputation as a statesman.

Under the influence of these considerations, the
namesof Zachary Taylor and Millard Fillmore became
the rallying-cry of the Whigs, as their candidates for
President and Vice-Peesident. The Whig ticket was
signally triumphant. On the 4th of March, 1849,
Gen. Taylor was inaugurated President, and Millard
Fillmore Vice-President, of the United States.

On the 9th of July, T850, President Taylor, but
about one year and four months after his inaugura-
tion, was suddenly taken sick and died. By the Con-
stitution, Vice-President Fillmore thus became Presi-
dent. He appointed a very able cabinet, of which
the illustrious Daniel Webster was Secretary of State.

Mr. Fillmore had very serious difficulties to contend
with, since the opposition had a majority in both
Houses. He did everything in his power to conciliate
the South ; but the pro-slavery party in the South felt
the inadequacy of all measuresof transient conciliation.
The population of the free States was so rapidly in-
creasing over that of the slave States that it was in-
evitable that the power of the Government should
soon pass into the hands of the free States. The
famous compromise measures were adopted under Mr.
Fillmore's adminstration, and the Japan Expedition
was sent out. On the 4th of March, 1853, Mr. Fill-
more, having served one term, retired.

In 1856, Mr. Fillmore was nominated for the Pres-
idency by the " Know Nothing " party, but was beaten
by Mr. Buchanan. After that Mr. Fillmore lived in
retirement. During the terrible conflict of civil war,
he was mostly silent. It was generally supposed that
his sympathies were rather with those who were en-
deavoring to overthrow our institutions. President
Fillmore kept aloof from the conflict, without any
cordial words of cheer to the one party or the other.
He was thus forgotten by both. He lived to a ripe
old age, and died in Buffalo. N. Y., March 8, 1874.

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FOURTEENTH PRESIDENT.

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^FHMKLIN FIERCER

RANKLIN PIERCE, the
fourteenth President of the
S" United States, was born in
Hillsborough, N. H., Nov.
23, 1804. His father was a
Revolutionary soldier, who,
with his own strong arm,
hewed out a home in the
wilderness. He was a man
of inflexible integrity; of
strong, though uncultivated
. mind, and an uncompromis-
ing Democrat. The mother of
Franklin Pierce was all that a son
could desire, — an intelligent, pru-
dent, affectionate, Christian wom-
an. Franklin was the sixth of eight children.

Franklin was a very bright and handsome boy, gen-
erous, warm-hearted and brave. He won alike the
love of old and young. The boys on the play ground
loved him. His teachers loved him. The neighbors
looked upon him with pride and affection. He was
by instinct a gentleman ; always speaking kind words,
doing kind deeds, with a peculiar unstudied tact
which taught him what was agreeable. Without de-
veloping any precocity of genius, or any unnatural
devotion to books, he was a good scholar ; in body,
in mind, in affections, a finely-developed boy.

When sixteen years of age, in the year 1820, he
entered Bowdoin College, at Brunswick, Me He was
one of the most popular young men in the college.
The purity of his moral character, the unvarying
courtesy of his demeanor, his rank as a scholar, and

genial nature, rendered him a universal favorite.
There was something very peculiarly winning in his
address, and it was evidently not in the slightest de-
gree studied : it was the simple outgushing of his
own magnanimous and loving nature.

Upon graduating, in the year 1824, Franklin Pierce
commenced the study of law in the office of Judge
Woodbury, one of the most distinguished lawyers of
the State, and a man of great private worth. The
eminent social qualities of the young lawyer, his
father's prominence as a public man, and the brilliant
political career into which Judge Woodbury was en-
tering, all tended to entice Mr. Pierce into the faci-
nating yet perilous path of political life. With all
the ardor of his nature he espoused the cause of Gen.
Jackson for the Presidency. He commenced the
practice of law in Hillsborough, and was soon elected
to represent the town in the State Legislature. Here
he served for four years. The last two years he was
chosen speaker of the house by a very large vote.

In 1833, at the age of twenty-nine, he was elected
a member of Congress. Without taking an active
part in debates, he was faithful and laborious in duty,
and ever rising in the estimation of those with whom
he was associatad.

In 1837, being then but thirty-three years of age,
he was elected to the Senate of the United States;
taking his seat just as Mr. Van Buren commenced
his administration. He was the youngest member in
the Senate. In the year 1834, he married Miss Jane
Means Appleton, a lady of rare beauty and accom-
plishments, and one admirably fitted to adorn every
station with which her husband was honoied. Of the

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FRANKLIN PIERCE.

three sons who were born to them, all now sleep with
their parents in the grave.

In the year 1838, Mr. Pierce, with growing fame
and increasing business as a lawyer, took up his
residence in Concord, the capital of New Hampshire.
President Polk, upon his accession to office, appointed
Mr. Pierce attorney-general of the United States; but
the offer was declined, in consequence of numerous
professional engagements at home, and the precariuos
state of Mrs. Pierce's health. He also, about the
same time declined the nomination for governor by the
Democratic party. The war with Mexico called Mr.
Pierce in the army. Receiving the appointment of
brigadier-general, he embarked, with a portion of his
troops, at Newport, R. I., on the 27th of May, 1847.
He took an important part in this war, proving him-
self a brave and true soldier.

When Gen. Pierce reached his home in his native
State, he was received enthusiastically by the advo-
cates of the Mexican war, and coldly by his oppo-
nents. He resumed the practice of his profession,
very frequently taking an active part in political ques-
tions, giving his cordial support to the pro-slavery
wing of the Democratic party. The compromise
measures met cordially with his approval ; and he
strenuously advocated the enforcement of the infa-
mous fugitive-slave law, which so shocked the religious
sensibilities of the North. He thus became distin-
guished as a " Northern man with Southern principles.'*
The strong partisans of slavery in the South conse-
quently regarded him as a man whom they could
safely trust in office to carry out their plans.

On the 1 2th of June, T852, the Democratic conven-
tion met in Baltimore to nominate a candidate for the
Presidency. For four days they continued in session,
and in thirty-five ballotings no one had obtained a
two-thirds vote. Not a vote thus far had been thrown
for Gen. Pierce. Then the Virginia delegation
brought forward his name. There were fourteen
more ballotings, during which Gen. Pierce constantly
gained strength, until, at the forty-ninth ballot, he
received two hundred and eighty-two votes, and all
other candidates eleven. Gen. Winfield Scott was
the Whig candidate. Gen. Pierce was chosen with
great unanimity. Only four States — Vermont, Mas-
sachusetts, Kentucky and Tennessee — cast their
electoral votes against him Gen. Franklin Pierce
was therefore inaugurated President of the United
States on the 4th of March, 1853.

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His administration proved one of the most stormy our
country had ever experienced. The controversy be-
tween slavery and freedom was then approaching its
culminating point. It became evident that there was
an " irrepressible conflict " between them, and that
this Nation could not long exist " half slave and half
free." President Pierce, during the whole of his ad-
ministration, did every thing he could to conciliate
the South ; but it was all in vain. The conflict every
year grew more violent, and threats of the dissolution
of the Union were borne to the North on every South-
ern breeze.

Such was the condition of affairs when President
Pierce approached the close of his four-years' term
of office. The North had become thoroughly alien-
ated from him. The anti-slavery sentiment, goaded
by great outrages, had been rapidly increasing; all
the intellectual ability and social worth of President
Pierce were forgotten in deep reprehension of his ad-
ministrative acts. The slaveholders of the South, also,
unmindful of the fidelity with which he had advo-
cated those measures of Government which they ap-
proved, and perhaps, also, feeling that he had
rendered himself so unpopular as no longer to be
able acceptably to serve them, ungratefully dropped
him, and nominated James Buchanan to succeed him.

On the 4th of March, 1857, President Pierce re-
tired to his home in Concord. Of three children, two
had died, and Ijis only surviving child had been
killed before his eyes by a railroad accident ; and his
wife, one of the most estimable and accomplished of
ladies, was rapidly sinking in consumption. The
hour of dreadful gloom soon came, and he was left
alone in the world, without wife or child.

When the terrible Rebellion burst forth, which di-
vided our country into two parties, and two only, Mr.
Pierce remained steadfast in the principles which he
had always cherished, and gave his sympathies to
that pro-slavery party with which he had ever been
allied. He declined to do anything, either by voice
or pen, to strengthen the hand of the National Gov-
ernment. He continued to reside in Concord until
the time of his death, which occurred in October,
1869. He was one of the most genial and social of
men, an honored communicant of the Episcopal
Church, and one of the kindest of neighbors. Gen-
erous to a fault, he contributed liberally for the al-
leviation of suffering and want, and many of his towns-
people were often gladeped by his material bounty.

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I'lFTEENTH PRESIDENT.

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AMES BUCHANAN, the fif-
teenth President of the United
States, was born in a small
frontier town, at the foot of the
eastern ridge of the Allegha-
nies, in Franklin Co., Penn., on
the 23d of April, 1791. The place
where the humble cabin of his
father stood was called Stony
Batter. It was a wild and ro-
mantic spot in a gorge of the moun-
tains, with towering summits rising
grandly all around. His father
was a native of the north of Ireland ;
a poor man, who had emigrated in
1783, with little property save his
own strong arms. Five years afterwards he married
Elizabeth Spear, the daughter of a respectable farmer,
and, with his young bride, plunged into the wilder-
ness, staked his claim, reared his log-hut, opened a
clearing with his axe, and settled down there to per-
form his obscure part in the drama of life. In this se-
cluded home, where James was born, he remained
for eight years, enjoying but few social or intellectual
advantages. When James was eight years of age, his
father removed to the village of Mercersburg, where
his son was placed at school, and commenced a
course of study in English, Latin and Greek. His
progress was rapid, and at the age of fourteen, he
entered Dickinson College, at Carlisle. Here he de-
veloped remarkable talent, and took his stand among
the first scholars in the institution. His application
to study was intense, and yet his native powers en-

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abled him to master the most abstruse subjects with
facility.

In the year 1809, he graduated with the highest
honors of his class. He was then eighteen years of
age; tall and graceful, vigorous in health, fond of
athletic sport, an unerring shot, and enlivened with
an exuberant flow of animal spirits. He immediately
commenced the study of law in the city of Lancaster,
and was admitted to the bar in 181 2, when he was
but twenty-one years of age. Very rapidly he rose
in his profession, and at once took undisputed stand
with the ablest lawyers of the State. When but
twenty-six years of age, unaided by counsel, he suc-
cessfully defended before the State Senate one of the
judges of the State, who was tried upon articles of
impeachment. At the age of thirty it was generally
admitted that he stood at the head of the bar; and
there was no lawyer in the State who had a more lu-
crative practice.

In 1820, he reluctantly consented to run as a
candidate for Congress. He was elected, and for
ten years he remained a member of the Lower House.
During the vacations of Congress, he occasionally
tried some important case. In 1 831, he retired
altogether from the toils of his profession, having ao.
quired an ample fortune.

Gen. Jackson, upon his elevation to the Presidency,
appointed Mr. Buchanan minister to Russia. The
duties of his mission he performed with ability, which
gave satisfaction to all parties. Upon his return, in
1833, he was elected to a seat in the United States
Senate. He there met, as his associates, Webster,
Clay, Wright and Calhoun. He advocated the meas-
ures proposed by President Jackson, of making repri-

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JAMES BUCHANAN.

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sals against France, to enforce the payment of our
claims against that country ; and defended the course
of the President in his unprecedented and wholesale
removal from office of those who were not the sup-
porters of his administration. Upon this question he
was brought into direct collision with Henry Clay.
He also, with voice and vote, advocated expunging
from the journal of the Senate the vote of censure
.against Gen. Jackson for removing the deposits.
Earnestly he opposed the abolition of slavery in the
District of Columbia, and urged the prohibition of the
circulation of anti-slavery documents by the United
States mails.

As to petitions on the subject of slavery, he advo-
cated that they should be respectfully received ; and
that the reply should be returned, that Congress had
no power to legislate upon the subject. " Congress,"
said he, " might as well undertake to interfere with
slavery under a foreign government as in any of the
States where it now exists."

Upon Mr. Polk's accession to the Presidency, Mr.
Buchanan became Secretary of State, and as such,
took his share of the responsibility in the conduct of
the Mexican War. Mr. Polk assumed that crossing
the Nueces by the American troops into the disputed
territory was not wrong, but for the Mexicans to cross
the Rio Grande into that territory was a declaration
of war. No candid man can read with pleasure the
account of the course our Government pursued in that
movement.

Mr. Buchanan identified himself thoroughly with
the party devoted to the perpetuation and extension
of slavery, and brought all the energies of his mind
to bear against the Wilmot Proviso. He gave his
cordial approval to the compromise measures of 1850,
which included the fugitive-slave law. Mr. Pierce,
upon his election to the Presidency, honored Mr.
Buchanan with the mission to England.

In the year 1856, a national Democratic conven-
tion nominated Mr. Buchanan for the Presidency. The
political conflict was one of the most severe in which
our country has ever engaged. All the friends, of
slavery were on one side ; all the advocates of its re-
striction and final abolition, on the other. Mr. Fre-
mont, the candidate of the enemies of slavery, re-
ceived 114 electoral votes. Mr. Buchanan received
174, and was elected. The popular vote stood
1,340,618, for Fremont, 1,224,750 for Buchanan. On
March 4th, 1857, Mr. Buchanan was inaugurated.

Mr. Buchanan was far advanced in life. Only four
years were wanting to fill up his threescore years and
ten. His own friends, those with whom he had been
allied in political principles and action for years, were
seeking the destruction of the Government, that they
might rear upon the ruins of our free institutions a
nation whose corner-stone should be human slavery.
In this emergency, Mr. Buchanan was hopelessly be-
wildered. He could not, with his long-avowed prin-

ciples, consistently oppose the State-rights party in
their assumptions. As President of the United States,
bound by his oath faithfully to administer the laws,
he could not, without perjury of the grossest kind,
unite with those endeavoring to overthrow the repub-
lic. He therefore did nothing.

The opponents of Mr. Buchanan's administration
nominated Abraham Lincoln as their standard bearer
in the next Presidential canvass. The pro-slavery
party declared, that if he were elected, and the con-
trol of the Government were thus taken from their
hands, they would secede from the Union, taking
with them, as they retired, the National Capitol at
Washington, and the lion's share of the territory of
the United States.

Mr. Buchanan's sympathy with the pro-slavery
party was such, that he had been willing to offer them
far more than they had ventured to claim. All the
South had professed to ask of the North was non-
intervention upon the subject of slavery. Mr. Bu-
chanan had been ready to offer them the active co-
operation of the Government to defend and extend
the institution.

As the storm increased in violence, the slaveholders
claiming the right to secede, and Mr. Buchanan avow-
ing that Congress had no power to prevent it, one of
the most pitiable exhibitions of governmental im-
becility was exhibited the world has ever seen. He
declared that Congress had no power to enforce its
laws in any State which had withdrawn, or which
was attempting to withdraw from the Union. This
was not the doctrine of Andrew Jackson, when, with
his hand upon his sword-hilt, he exclaimed, " The
Union must and shall be preserved!"

South Carolina seceded in December, i860; nearly
three months before the inauguration of President
Lincoln. Mr. Buchanan looked on in listless despair.
Therebel flag was raised in Charleston; Fort Sumpter
was besieged; our forts, navy-yards and arsenals
were seized ; our depots of military stores were plun-
dered ; and our custom-houses and post-offices were
appropriated by the rebels.

The energy of the rebels, and the imbecility of our
Executive, were alike marvelous. The Nation looked
on in agony, waiting for the slow weeks to glide away,
and close the administration, so terrible in its weak-
ness At length the long-looked-for hour of deliver-
ance came, when Abraham Lincoln was to receive the
scepter.

The administration of President Buchanan was
certainly the most calamitous our country has ex-
perienced. His best friends cannot recall it with
pleasure. And still more deplorable it is for his fame,
that in that dreadful conflict which rolled its billows'
of flame and blood over our whole land, no word came
from his lips to indicate his wish that our country's
banner should triumph over the flag of the rebellion.
He died at his Wheatland retreat, June 1, 1868.

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{ ABRAHAM > H&MP < LINCOLN, >

SIXTEENTH PRESIDENT.

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BRAHAM LINCOLN, the
sixteenth President of the
^United States, was horn in
Hardin Co., Ky., Feb. 12,
i8o"q. About the year 1780, a
man by the name of Abraham
Lincoln left Virginia with his
family and moved into the then
wilds of Kentucky. Onlytwo years
after this emigration, still a young
man, while working one day in a
field, was stealthily approached by
an Indian and shot dead. His widow
was left in extreme poverty with five
little children, three boys and two
girls. Thomas, the youngest of the
boys, was four years of age at his
father's death. This Thomas was
the father of Abraham Lincoln, the
President of the United States
whose name must henceforth forever be enrolled
with the most prominent in the annals of our world.
Of course no record has been kept of the life
of one so lowly as Thomas Lincoln. He was among
the poorest of the poor. His home was a wretched
log-cabin ; his food the coarsest and the meanest.
Education he had none; he could never either read
or write. As soon as he was able to do anything for
himself, he was compelled to leave the cabin of his
starving mother, and push out into the world, a friend-
less, wandering boy, seeking work. He hired him-
self out, and thus spent the whole of his youth as a
laborer in the fields of others.

When twenty-eight years of age he built a log-
cabin of his own, and married Nancy Hanks, the
daughter of another family of poor Kentucky emi-
grants, who had also come from Virginia. Their
second child was Abraham Lincoln, the subject of
this sketch. The mother of Abraham was a noble
woman, gentle, loving, pensive, created to adorn
a palace, doomed to toil and pine, and die in a hovel.
" All that I am, or hope to be," exclaims the grate-
ful son " I owe to my angel-mother. "

When he was eight years of age, his father sold his

cabin and small farm, and moved to Indiana. Where
two years later his mother died.

Abraham soon became the scribe of the uneducated
community around him. He could not have had a
better school than this to teach him to put thoughts
into words. He also became an eager reader. The
books he could obtain were few ; but these he read
and re-read until they were almost committed to
memory.

As the years rolled on, the lot of this lowly family
was the usual lot of humanity. There were joys and
griefs, weddings and funerals. Abraham's sister
Sarah, to whom he was tenderly attached, was mar-
ried when a child of but fourteen years of age, and
soon died. The family was gradually scattered. Mr.
Thomas Lincoln sold out his squatter's claim in 1830,
and emigrated to Macon Co., 111.

Abraham Lincoln was then twenty-one years of age.
With vigorous hands he aided his father in rearing
another log-cabin. Abraham worked diligently at this
until he saw the family comfortably settled, and their
small lot of enclosed prairie planted with corn, when
he announced to his father his intention to leave
home, and to go out into the world and seek his for-
tune. Little did he or his friends imagine how bril-
liant that fortune was to be. He saw the value of
education and was intensely earnest to improve his
mind to the utmost of his power. He saw the ruin
which ardent spirits were causing, and became
strictly temperate; refusing to allow a drop of intoxi-
cating liquor to pass his lips. And he had read in
God's word, "Thou shalt not take the name of the
Lord thy God in vain ;" and a profane expression he
was never heard to utter. Religion he revered. His
morals were pure, and he was uncontaminated by a
single vice.

Young Abraham worked for a time as a hired laborer
among the farmers. Then he went to Springfield,
where he was employed in building a large flat-boat.
In this he took a herd of swine, floated them down
the Sangamon to the Illinois, and thence by the Mis-
sissippi to New Orleans. Whatever Abraham Lin-
coln undertook, he performed so faithfully as to give
great satisfaction to his employers. In this adven-

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ABRAHAM LINCOLN.

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ture his employers were so well pleased, that upon
his return they placed a store and mill under his care.

In 1832, at the outbreak of the Black Hawk war, he
enlisted and was chosen captain of a company. He
returned to Sangamon County, and although only 23
years of age, was a candidate for the Legislature, but
was defeated. He soon after received from Andrew
Jackson the appointment of Postmaster of New Salem,
His only post-office was his hat. All the letters he
received he carried there ready to deliver to those
he chanced to meet. He studied surveying, and soon
made this his business. In 1834 he again became a
candidate for the Legislature, and was elected Mr.
Stuart, of Springfield, advised him to study law. He
walked from New Salem to Springfield, borrowed of
Mr. Stuart a load of books, carried thein back and
began his legal studies. When the Legislature as?
sembled he trudged on foot with his pack on his back
one hundred miles to Vandalia, then the capital. In
1836 he was re-elected to the Legislature. Here it
was he first met Stephen A. Douglas. In 1839 he re-
moved to Springfield and began the practice of law.
His success with the jury was so great that he was
soon engaged in almost every noted case in the circuit.

In 1854 the great discussion began between Mr.
Lincoln and Mr. Douglas, on the slavery question.
In the organization of the Republican party in Illinois,
in 1856, he took an active part, and at once became
one of the leaders in that party. Mr. Lincoln's
speeches in opposition to Senator Douglas in the con-
test in 1858 for a seat in the Senate, form a most
notable part of his history. The issue was on the
slavery question, and he took the broad ground of
the Declaration of Independence, that all men are
created equal. Mr. Lincoln was defeated in this con-
test, but won a far higher prize.

The great Republican Convention met at Chicago
on the 16th of June, i860. The delegates and
strangers who crowded the city amounted to twenty-
five thousand. An immense building called " The
Wigwam," was reared to accommodate the Conven-
tion. There were eleven candidates for whom votes
were thrown. William H. Seward, a man whose fame
as a statesman had long filled the land, was the most
prominent. It was generally supposed he would be
the nominee. Abraham Lincoln, however, received
the nomination on the third ballot. Little did he then
dream of the weary years of toil and care, and the
bloody death, to which that nomination doomed him :
and as little did he dream that he was to render services
to his country, which would fix upon him the eyes of
the whole civilized world, and which would give him
aplaceinthe affections of his countrymen, second
only, if second, to that of Washington.

Election day came and Mr. Lincoln received 180
electoral votes out of 203 cast, and was, therefore,
constitutionally elected President of the United States.
The tirade of abuse that was poured upon this good

and merciful man, especially by the slaveholders, was
greater than upon any other man ever elected to this
high position. In February, 1861, Mr. Lincoln started
for Washington, stopping in all the large cities on his
way making speeches. The whole journey was fraught
with much danger. Many of the Southern States had
already seceded, and several attempts at assassination
were afterwards brought to light. A gang in Balti-
more had arranged, upon his arrival to "get up a row,"
and in the confusion to make sure of his death with
revolvers and hand-grenades. A detective unravelled
the plot. A secret and special train was provided to
take him from Harrisburg, through Baltimore, at an
unexpected hour of the night. The train started at
half-past ten ; and to prevent any possible communi-
cation on the part ot the Secessionists with their Con-
federate gang in Baltimore, as soon as the train had
started the telegraph-wires were cut. Mr. Lincoln
reached Washington in safety and was inaugurated,
although great anxiety was felt by all loyal people.
In the selection of his cabinet Mr. Lincoln gave
to Mr. Seward the Department of State, and to other
prominent opponents before the convention he gave
important positions.

During no other administration have the duties
devolving upon the President been so manifold, and
the responsibilities so great, as those which fell to
the lot of President Lincoln. Knowing this, and
feeling his own weakness and inability to meet, and in
his own strength to cope with, the difficulties, he
learned early to seek Divine wisdom and guidance in
determining his plans, and Divine comfort in all his
trials, both personal and national. Contrary to his
own estimate of himself, Mr. Lincoln was one of the
most courageous of men. He went directly into the
rebel capital just as the retreating foe was leaving,
with no guard but a few sailors. From the time he
had left Springfield, in 1861, however, plans had been
made for his assassination.and he at last fell a victim
to one of them. April 14, 1865, he, with Gen. Grant,
was urgently invited to attend Fords' Theater. It
was announced that they would be present. Gen.
Grant, however, left the city. President Lincoln, feel-
ing, with his characteristic kindliness of heart, that
it would be a disappointment if he should fail them,
very reluctantly consented to go. While listening to
the play an actor by the name of John Wilkes Booth
entered the box where the President and family were
seated, and fired a bullet into his brains. He died the
next morning at seven o'clock.

Never before, in the history of the world was a nation
plunged into such deep grief by the death of its ruler.
Strong men met in the streets and wept in speechless
anguish. It is not too much to say that a nation was
in tears. His was a life which will fitly become a
model. His name as the savior of his country will
live with that of Washington's, its father; his country-
men being unable to decide which is the greater.

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SEVENTEENTH PRESIDENT.

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NDREW JOHNSON, seven-
teenth President of the United
States. The early life of
Andrew Johnson contains but
the record of poverty, destitu-
tion and friendlessness. He
was born December 29, 1808,
in Raleigh, N. C. His parents,
belonging to the class of the
"poor whites " of the South, were
in such circumstances, that they
could not confer even the slight-
est advantages of education upon
their child. When Andrew was five
years of age, his father accidentally
lost his life while herorically endeavoring to save a
friend from drowning. Until ten years of age, Andrew
was a ragged boy about the streets, supported by the
labor of his mother, who obtained her living with
her own hands.

He then, having never attended a school one day,
and being unable either to read or write, was ap-
prenticed to a tailor in his native town. A gentleman
was in the habit of going to the tailor's shop occasion-
ally, and reading to the boys at work there. He often
read from the speeches of distinguished British states-
men. Andrew, who was endowed with a mind of more
than ordinary native ability, became much interested
in these speeches ; his ambition was roused, and he
was inspired with a strong desire to learn to read.

He accordingly applied himself to the alphabet, and
with the assistance of some of his fellow-workmen,
learned his letters. He then called upon the gentle-
man to borrow the book of speeches. The owner,

pleased with his zeal, not only gave him the book,
but assisted him in learning to cotpbine the letters
into words. Under such difficulties he pressed on-
ward laboriously, spending usually ten or twelve hours
at work in the shop, and then robbing himself of rest
and recreation to devote such time as he could to
reading.

He went to Tennessee in 1826, and located at
Greenville, where he married a young lady who pos-
sessed some education. Under her instructions he
learned to write and cipher. He became prominent
in the village debating society, and a favorite with
the students of Greenville College. In 1828, he or-
ganized a working man's party, which elected him
alderman, and in 1830 elected him mayor, which
position he held three years.

He now began to take a lively interest in political
affairs ; identifying himself with the working-classes,
to which he belonged. In 1835, he was elected a
member of the House of Representatives of Tennes-
see. He was then just twenty-seven years of age.
He became a very active member of the legislature,
gave his adhesion to the Democratic party, and in
1840 "stumped the State," advocating Martin Van
Buren's claims to the Presidency, in opposition to those
of Gen. Harrison. In this campaign he acquired much
readiness as a speaker, and extended and increased
his reputation.

In 1841, he was elected State Senator; in 1843, he
was elected a member of Congress, and by successive
elections, held that important post for ten years. In
1853, he was elected Governor of Tennessee, and
was re-elected in 1855. In all these responsible posi-
tions, he discharged his duties with distinguished abil-

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ANDREW JOHNSON.

ity, and proved himself the warm friend of the work-
ing classes. In 1857, Mr. Johnson was elected
United States Senator.

Years before, in 1845, he had warmly advocated
the annexation of Texas, stating however, as his
reason, that he thought this annexation would prob-
ably prove " to be the gateway out of which the sable
sons of Africa are to pass from bondage to freedom,
and become merged in a population congenial to
themselves." In 1850, he also supported the com-
promise measures, the two essential features of which
were, that the white people of the Territories should
be permitted to decide for themselves whether they
would enslave the colored people or not, and that
the free States of the North should return to the
South persons who attempted to escape from slavery.

Mr. Johnson was never ashamed of his lowly origin:
on the contrary, he often took pride in avowing that
he owed his distinction to his own exertions. "Sir,"
said he on the floor of the Senate, " I do not forget
that I am a mechanic ; neither do I forget that Adam
was a tailor and sewed fig-leaves, and that our Sav-
ior was the son of a carpenter."

In the Charleston-Baltimore convention of i860, he
was the choice of the Tennessee Democrats for the
Presidency. In 1861, when the purpose of the South-
ern Democracy became apparent, he took a decided
stand in favor of the Union, and held that " slavery
must be held subordinate to the Union at whatever
cost." He returned to Tennessee, and repeatedly
imperiled his own life to protect the Unionists of
Tennesee. Tennessee having seceded from the
Union, President Lincoln, on March 4th, 1862, ap-
pointed him Military Governor of the State, and he
established the most stringent military rule. His
numerous proclamations attracted wide attention. In

1864, he was elected Vice-President of the United
States, and upon the death of Mr. Lincoln, April 15,

1865, became President. In a speech two days later
he said, " The American people must be taught, if
they do not already feel, that treason is a crime and
must be punished ; that the Government will not
always bear with its enemies ; that it is strong not
only to protect, but to punish. * * The people
must understand that it (treason) is the blackest of
crimes, and will surely be punished." Yet his whole
administration, the history of which is so well known,
was in utter inconsistency with, and the most violent

opposition to, the principles laid down in that speech.

In his loose policy of reconstruction and general
amnesty, he was opposed by Congress ; and he char-
acterized Congress as a new rebellion, and lawlessly
defied it, in everything possible, to the utmost. In
the beginning of 1868, on account of "high crimes
and misdemeanors," the principal of which was the
removal of Secretary Stanton, in violation of the Ten-
ure of Office Act, articles of impeachment were pre-
ferred against him, and the trial began March 23.

It was very tedious, continuing for nearly three
months. A test article of the impeachment was at
length submitted to the court for its action. It was
certain that as the court voted upon that article so
would it vote upon all. Thirty-four voices pronounced
the President guilty. As a two-thirds vote was neces-
sary to his condemnation, he was pronounced ac-
quitted, notwithstanding the great majority against
him. The change of one vote from the not guilty
side would have sustained the impeachment.

The President, for the remainder of his term, was
but little regarded. He continued, though im potently,
his conflict with Congress. His own party did not
think it expedient to renominate him for the Presi-
dency. The Nation rallied, with enthusiasm unpar-
alleled since the days of Washington, around the name
of Gen. Grant. Andrew Johnson was forgotten.
The bullet of the assassin introduced him to the
President's chair. Notwithstanding this, never was
there presented to a man a better opportunity to im-
mortalize his name, and to win the gratitude of a
nation. He failed utterly. He retired to his home
in Greenville, Tenn., taking no very active part in
politics until 1875. °n Jan' 26, after an exciting
struggle, he was chosen by the Legislature of Ten-
nessee, United States Senator in the forty-fourth Con-
gress, and took his seat in that body, at the special
session convened by President Grant, on the 5th of
March. On the 27 th of July, 1875, the ex-President
made a visit to his daughter's home, near Carter
Station, Tenn. When he started on his journey, he was
apparently in his usual vigorous health, but on reach-
ing the residence of his child the following day, was
stricken with paralysis, rendering him unconscious.
He rallied occasionally, but finally passed away at
2 a.m., July 31, aged sixty-seven years. His fun-
eral was attended at Geenville, on the 3d of August,
with every demonstration of respect.

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EIGHTEENTH PRESIDENT.

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LYSSES S. GRANT, the
eighteenth President of the
IpUnited States, was born on
the 29th of April, 1822, of
Christian parents, in a humble
home, at Point Pleasant, on the
banks of the Ohio. Shortly after
his father moved to George-
town, Brown Co., O. In this re-
:mote frontier hamlet, Ulysses
received a common-school edu-
cation. At the age of seven-
teen, in the year 1839, he entered
the Military Academy at West
Point. Here he was regarded as a
solid, sensible young man of fair abilities, and of
sturdy, honest character. He took respectable rank
as a scholar. In June, 1843, he graduated, about the
middle in his class, and was sent as lieutenant of in-
fantry to one of the distant military posts in the Mis-
souri Territory. Two years he past in these dreary
solitudes, watching the vagabond and exasperating
Indians.

The war with Mexico came. Lieut. Grant was
sent with his regiment to Corpus Christi. His first
battle was at Palo Alto. There was no chance here
for the exhibition of either skill or heroism, nor at
Resaca de la Palma, his second battle. At the battle
of Monterey, his third engagement, it is said that
he performed a signal service of daring and skillful
horsemanship. His brigade had exhausted its am-
munition. A messenger must be sent for more, along
a route exposed to the bullets of the foe. Lieut.
Grant, adopting an expedient learned of the Indians,
grasped the mane of his horse, and hanging upon one

From Monterey he was sent, with the fourth infantry,
to aid Gen. Scott, at the siege of Vera Cruz. In
preparation for the march to the city of Mexico, he
was appointed quartermaster of his regiment. At the
battle of Molino del Rey, he was promoted to a
first lieutenancy, and was brevetted captain at Cha-
pultepec.

At the close of the Mexican War, Capt. Grant re-
turned with his regiment to New York, and was again
sent to one of the military posts on the frontier. The
discovery of gold in California causing an immense
tide of emigration to flow to the Pacific shores, Capt.
Grant was sent with a battalion to Fort Dallas, in
Oregon, for the protection of the interests of the im-
migrants. Life was wearisome in those wilds. Capt.
Grant resigned his commission and returned to the
States ; and having married, entered upon the cultiva-
tion of a small farm near St. Louis, Mo. He had but
little skill as a farmer. Finding his toil not re-
munerative, he turned to mercantile life, entering into
the leather business, with a younger brother, at Ga-
lena, III. This was in the year i860. As the tidings
of the rebels firing on Fort Sumpter reached the ears
of Capt. Grant in his counting-room, he said, —
"Uncle Sam has educated me for the army; though
I have served him through one war, I do not feel that
I have yet repaid the debt. I am still ready to discharge
my obligations. I shall therefore buckle on my sword
and see Uncle Sam through this war too."

He went into the streets, raised a company of vol-
unteers, and led them as their captain to Springfield,
the capital of the State, where their services were
offered to Gov. Yates. The Governor, impressed by
the zeal and straightforward executive ability of Capt.
Grant, gave him a desk in his office, to assist in the
volunteer organization that was being formed in the
State in behalf of the Government. On the 15th of

side of the animal, ran the gauntlet in entire safety

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June, 1 86 1, Capt. Grant received a commission as
Colonel of the Twenty-first Regiment of Illinois Vol-
unteers. His merits as a West Point graduate, who
had served for 15 years in the regular army, were such
that he was soon promoted to the rank of Brigadier-
General and was placed in command at Cairo. The
rebels raised their banner at Paducah, near the mouth
of the Tennessee River. Scarcely had its folds ap-
peared in the breeze ere Gen. Grant was there. The
rebels fled. Their banner fell, and the star and
stripes were unfurled in its stead.

He entered the service with great determination
and immediately began active duty. This was the be-
ginning, and until the surrender of Lee at Richmond
he was ever pushing the enemy with great vigor and
effectiveness. At Belmont, a few days later, he sur-
prised and routed the rebels, then at Fort Henry
won another victory. Then came the brilliant fight
at Fort Donelson. The nation was electrified by the
victory, and the brave leader of the boys in blue was
ffi immediately made a Major-General, and the military
district of'Tennessee was assigned to him.

Like all great captains, Gen. Grant knew well how
to secure the results of victory. He immediately
pushed on to the enemies' lines. Then came the
terrible battles of Pittsburg Landing, Corinth, and the
(fa siege of Vicksburg, where Gen. Pemberton made an
unconditional surrender of the city with over thirty
thousand men and one-hundred and seventy-two can-
non. The fall of Vicksburg was by far the most
severe blow which the rebels had thus far encountered,
and opened up the Mississippi from Cairo to the Gulf.
Gen. Grant was next ordered to co-operate with
Gen. Banks in a movement upon Texas, and pro-
ceeded to New Orleans, where he was thrown from
his horse, and received severe injuries, from which he
was laid up for months. He then rushed to the aid
of Gens. Rosecrans and Thomas at Chattanooga, and
by a wonderful series of strategic and tactical meas-
ures put the Union army in fighting condition. Then
followed the bloody battles at Chattanooga, Lookout
Mountain and Missionary Ridge, in which the rebels
were routed with great loss. This won for him un-
bounded praise in the North. On the 4th of Febru-
ary, 1864, Congress revived the grade of lieutenant-
general, and the rank was conferred on Gen. Grant.
(^ He repaired to Washington to receive his credentials
,JLand enter upon the duties of his new office.

P|'V®>3«-

Gen. Grant decided as soon as he took charge of
the army to concentrate the widely-dispersed National
troops for an attack upon Richmond, the nominal
capital of the Rebellion, and endeavor there to de-
stroy the rebel armies which would be promptly as-
sembled from all quarters for its defence. The whole
continent seemed to tremble under the tramp of these
majestic armies, rushing to the decisive battle field.
Steamers were crowded with troops. Railway trains
were burdened with closely packed thousands. His
plans were comprehensive and involved a series of
campaigns, which were executed with remarkable en-
ergy and ability, and were consummated at the sur-
render of Lee, April 9, T865.

The war was ended. The Union was saved. The
almost unanimous voice of the Nation declared Gen.
Grant to be the most prominent instrument in its sal-
vation. The eminent services he had thus rendered
the country brought him conspicuously forward as the
Republican candidate for the Presidential chair.

At the Republican Convention held at Chicago,
May zi, 1868, he was unanimously nominated for the
Presidency, and at the autumn election received a
majority.of the popular vote, and 214 out of 294
electoral votes.

The National Convention of the Republican party
which met at Philadelphia on the 5th of June, 1872,
placed Gen. Grant in nomination for a second term
by a unanimous vote. The selection was emphati-
cally indorsed by the people five months later, 292
electoral votes being cast for him.

Soon after the close of his second term, Gen. Grant
started upon his famous trip around the world. He
visited almost every country of the civilized world,
and was everywhere received with such ovations
and demonstrations of respect and honor, private
as well as public and official, as were never before
bestowed upon any citizen of the United States. It
is not too much to say that his modest, courteous, and
dignified demeanor in the presence of the most dis-
tinguished men in the different nations in the world,
reflected honor upon the Republic which he so long
and so faithfully served. The country felt a great
pride in his reception. Upon his arrival in San Fran-
cisco, Sept. 20, 1879, the city authorities gave him a
fine reception. After lingering in the Golden State
for a while, he began his tour through the States,
which extended North and South, everywhere mark-
ed by great acclamation and splendid ovations

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NINETEENTH PRESIDENT.

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UTHERFORD B. HAYES,
the nineteenth President of
the United States, was bom in
Delaware, O., Oct. 4, 1822, al-
most three months after the
death of his father, Rutherford
Hayes. His ancestry on both
the paternal and maternal sides,
was of the most honorable char-
acter. It can be traced, it is said,
as far back as 1280, when Hayes and
Rutherford were two Scottish chief-
tains, fighting side by side with
Baliol, William Wallace and Robert
Bruce. Both families belonged to the
nobility, owned extensive estates,
and had a large following. Misfor-
tune overtaking the family, George Hayes left Scot-
land in 1680, and settled in Windsor, Conn. His son
George was born in Windsor, and remained there
during his life. Daniel Hayes, son of the latter, mar-
lied Sarah Lee, and lived from the time of his mar-
riage until his death in Simsbury, Conn. Ezekiel,
son of Daniel, was born in 1724, and was a manufac-
turer of scythes at Bradford, Conn. Rutherford Hayes,
son of Ezekiel and grandfather of President Hayes, was
born in New Haven, in August, 1756. He was a farmer,
blacksmith and tavern-keeper. He emigrated to
Vermont at an unknown date, settling in Brattleboro,
where he established a hotel. Here his son Ruth-
erford Hayes, the father of President Hayes, was

born. He was married, in September, 1813, to Sophia
Birchard, of Wilmington, Vt., whose ancestors emi-
grated thither from Connecticut, they having been
among the wealthiest and best famlies of Norwich.
Her ancestry on the male side are traced back to
1635, to John Birchard, one of the principal founders
of Norwich. Both of her grandfathers were soldiers
in the Revolutionary War.

The father of President Hayes was an industrious,
frugal and opened-hearted man. He was of a me-
chanical turn, and could mend a plow, knit a stock-
ing, or do almost anything else that he choose to
undertake. He was a member of the Church, active
in all the benevolent enterprises of the town, and con-
ducted his business on Christian principles. After
the close of the war of 181 2, for reasons inexplicable
to his neighbors, he resolved to emigrate to Ohio.

The journey from Vermont to Ohio in that day,
when there were no canals, steamers, nor railways,
was a very serious affair. A tour of inspection was
first made, occupying four months. Mr. Hayes deter-
mined to move to Delaware, where the family arrived
in 1817. He died July 22, 1822, a victim of malarial
fever, less than three months before the birth of the
son,of whom we now write. Mrs. Hayes, in her sore be-
reavement, found the support she so much needed in
her brother Sardis, who had been a member of the
household from the day of its departure from Ver-
mont, and in an orphan girl whom she had adopted
some time before as an act of charity.

Mrs. Hayes at this period was very weak, and the

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RUTHERFORD B. HAYES.

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subject of this sketch was so feeble at birth that he
was not expected to live beyond a month or two at
most. As the months went by he grew weaker and
weaker, so that the neighbors were in the habit of in-
quiring from time to time " if Mrs. Hayes' baby died
last night." On one occasion a neighbor, who was on
familiar terms with the family, after alluding to the
boy's big head, and the mother's assiduous care of
him, said in a bantering way, " That's right ! Stick to
him. You have got him along so far, and I shouldn't
wonder if he would really come to something yet."

" You need not laugh," said Mrs. Hayes. " You
wait and see. You can't tell but I shall make him
President of the United States yet." The boy lived,
in spite of the universal predictions of his speedy
death; and when, in 1825, his older brother was
drowned, he became, if possible, still dearer to his
mother. <

The boy was seven years old before he went to
school. His education, however, was not neglected.
He probably learned as much from his mother and
sister as he would have done at school. His sports
were almost wholly within doors, his playmates being
his sister and her associates. These circumstances
tended, no doubt, to foster that gentleness of dispo-
sition, and that delicate consideration for the feelings
of others, which are marked traits of his character.
His uncle Sardis Birchard took the deepest interest
in his education ; and as the boy's health had im-
proved, and he was making good progress in his
studies, he proposed to send him to college. His pre-
paration commenced with a tutor at home ; but he
was afterwards sent for one year to a professor in the
Wesleyan University, in Middletown, Conn. He en-
tered Kenyon College in 1838, at the age of sixteen,
and was graduated at the head of his class in 1842.
Immediately after his graduation he began the
study of law in the office of Thomas Sparrow, Esq.,
in Columbus. Finding his opportunities for study in
Columbus somewhat limited, he determined to enter
the Law School at Cambridge, Mass., where he re-
mained two years.

In 1845, after graduating at the Law School, he was
admitted to the bar at Marietta, Ohio, and shortly
afterward went into practice as an attorney-at-law
with Ralph P. Buckland, of Fremont. Here he re-
mained three years, acquiring but a limited practice,
and apparently unambitious of distinction in his pro-
fession.

In T849 he moved to Cincinnati, where his ambi-
tion found a new stimulus. For several years, how-
ever, his progress was slow. Two events, occurring at
this period, had a powerful influence upon his subse-
quent life. One of these was his marrage with Miss
Lucy Ware Webb, daughter of Dr. James Webb, of
Chilicothe ; the other was his introduction to the Cin-
cinnati Literary Club, a body embracing among its
members such men as Chief Justice Salmon P. Chase

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Gen. John Pope, Gov. Edward F. Noyes, and many
others hardly less distinguished in after life. The
marriage was a fortunate one in every respect, as
everybody knows. Not one of all the wives of our
Presidents was more universally admired, reverenced
and beloved than was Mrs. Hayes, and no one did
more than she to reflect honor upon American woman-
hood. The Literary Club brought Mr. Hayes into
constant association with young men of high char-
acter and noble aims, and lured him to display the
qualities so long hidden by his bashfulness and
modesty.

In 1856 he was nominated to the office of Judge of
the Court of Common Pleas ; but he declined to ac-
cept the nomination. Two years later, the office of
city solicitor becoming vacant, the City Council
elected him for the unexpired term.

In 1 861, when the Rebellion broke out, he was at
the zenith of his professional life. His rank at the
bar was among the the first. But the news of the
attack on Fort Sumpter found him eager to take up
arms for the defense of his country.

His military record was bright and illustrious. In
October, 1861, he was made Lieutenant-Colonel, and
in August, 1862, promoted Colonel of the 79th Ohio
regiment, but he refused to leave his old comrades
and go among strangers. Subsequently, however, he
was made Colonel of his old regiment. At the battle
of South Mountain lie received a wound, and while
faint and bleeding displayed courage and fortitude
that won admiration from all.

Col. Hayes was detached from his regiment, after
his recovery, to act as Brigadier-General, and placed
111 command of the celebrated Kanawha division,
and for gallant and meritorious services in the battles
of Winchester, Fisher's Hill and Cedar Creek, he was
promoted Brigadier-General. He was also brevetted
Major-General, "forgallant and distirguished services
during the campaigns of 1864, in West Virginia." In
the course of his arduous services, four horses were
shot from under him, and he was wounded four times.
In 1864, Gen. Hayes was elected to Congress, from
the Second Ohio District, which had long been Dem-
ocratic. He was not present during the campaign,
and after his election was importuned to resign his
commission in the army ; but he finally declared, " I
shall never come to Washington until I can come by
the way of Richmond." He was re-elected in r866.

In 1867, Gen Hayes was elected Governor of Ohio,
over Hon. Allen G. Thurman, a popular Democrat.
In r869 was re-elected over George H. Pendleton.
He was elected Governor for the third term in 1875.
In 1876 he was the standard bearer of the Repub-
lican Party in the Presidential contest, and after a
hard long contest was chosen President, and was in
augurated Monday, March 5, 1875. He served his
full term, not, hcwever, with satisfaction to his party,
but his administration was an average one.

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TWENTIETH PRESIDENT.

JA1SI6 A, WEf IBUk

AMES A. GARFIELD, twen-
tieth President of the United
States, was born Nov. ig,
1831, in the woods of Orange,
Cuyahoga Co., 0 His par-
ents were Abram and Eliza
(Ballou) Garfield, both of New
England ancestry and from fami-
lies well known in the early his-
tory of that section of our coun-
try, but had moved to the Western
Reserve, in Ohio, early in its settle-
ment.

The house in which James A. was
bom was not unlike the houses of
poor Ohio farmers of that day. It
was about 20x30 feet, built of logs, with the spaces be-
tween the logs filled with clay. His father was a
hard working farmer, and he soon had his fields
cleared, an orchard planted, and a log bam built.
The household comprised the father and mother and
their four children — Mehetabel, Thomas, Mary and
James. In May, 1823, the father, from a cold con-
tracted in helping to put out a forest fire, died. At
this time James was about eighteen months old, and
Thomas about ten years old. No one, perhaps, can
tell how much James was indebted to his biother's
toil and self-sacrifice during the twenty years suc-
ceeding his father's death, but undoubtedly very
much. He now lives in Michigan, and the two sis-
ters live in Solon, O., near their birthplace.

The early educational advantages young Garfield
enjoyed were very limited, yet he made the most of
them. He labored at farm work for others, did car-
penter work, chopped wood, or did anything that
would bring in a few dollars to aid his widowed
mother in her struggles to keep the little family to-

gether. Nor was Gen. Garfield ever ashamed of his
origin, and he never forgot the friends of his strug-
gling childhood, youth and manhood, neither did they
ever forget him. When in the highest seats of honor,
the humblest friend of his boyhood was as kindly
greeted as ever. The poorest laborer was sure of the
sympathy of one who had known all the bitterness
of want and the sweetness of bread earned by the
sweat of the brow. He was ever the simple, plain,
modest gentleman.

The highest ambition of young Garfield until he
was about sixteen years old was to be a captain of
a vessel on Lake Erie. He was anxious to go aboard
a vessel, which his mother strongly opposed. She
finally consented to his going to Cleveland, with the
understanding, however, that he should try to obtain
some other kind of employment. He walked all the
way to Cleveland. This was his first visit to the city.
After making many applications for work, and trying
to get aboard a lake vessel, and not meeting with
success, he engaged as a driver for his cousin, Amos
Letcher, on the Ohio & Pennsylvania Canal. He re-
mained at this work but a short time when he went
home, and attended the seminary at Chester for
about three years, when he entered Hiram and the
Eclectic Institute, teaching a few terms of school in
the meantime, and doing other work. This school
was started by the Disciples of Christ in 1850, of
which church lie was then a member. He became
janitor and bell-ringer in order to help pay his way.
He then became both teacher and pupil. He soon
" exhausted Hiram " and needed more ; hence, in the
fall of 1854, he entered Williams College, from which
he graduated in 1856, taking one of the highest hon-
ors of his class. He afterwards returned to Hiram
College as its President. As above stated, he early
united with the Christian or Diciples Church at
Hiram, and was ever after a devoted, zealous mem-
ber, often preaching in its pulpit and places where
he happened to be. Dr. Noah Porter, President of
Yale College, says of him in reference to his religion :

(J)

" President Garfield was more than a man of
strong moral and religious convictions. His whole
history, from boyhood to the last, shows that duty to
man and to God, and devotion to Christ and life and
faith and spiritual commission were controlling springs
of his being, and to a more than usual degree. In
my judgment there is no more interesting feature of
his character than his loyal allegiance to the body of
Christians in which he was trained, and the fervent
sympathy which he ever showed in their Christian
communion. Not many of the few 'wise and mighty
and noble who are called ' show a similar loyalty to
the less stately and cultured Christian communions
in which they have been reared. Too often it is true
that as they step upward in social and political sig-
nificance they step upward from one degree to
another in some of the many types of fashionable
Christianity. President Garfield adhered to the
church of his mother, the church in which he was
trained, and in which he served as a pillar and an
evangelist, and yet with the largest and most unsec-
tarian charity for all 'who loveourLord in sincerity.'"
Mr. Garfield was united in marriage with Miss
Lueretia Rudolph, Nov. n, 1858, who proved herself
worthy as the wife of one whom all the world loved and
mourned. To them were born seven children, five of
whom are still living, four boys and one girl.

Mr. Garfield made his first political speeches in 1856,
in Hiram and the neighboring villages, and three
years later he began to speak at county mass-meet-
ings, and became the favorite speaker wherever he
was. During this year he was elected to the Ohio
Senate. He also began to study law at Cleveland,
and in i86r was admitted to the bar. The great
Rebellion broke out in the early part of this year,
and Mr. Garfield at once resolved to fight as he had
talked, and enlisted to defend the old flag. He re-
ceived his commission as Lieut.-Colonel of the Forty-
second Regiment of Ohio Volunteer Infantry, Aug.
14, i86r. He was immediately put into active ser-
vice, and before he had ever seen a gun fired in action,
was placed in command of four regiments of infantry
and eight companies of cavalry, charged with the
work of driving out of his native State the officer
(Humphrey Marshall) reputed to be the ablest of
those, not educated to war whom Kentucky had given
to the Rebellion. This work was bravely and speed-
ily accomplished, although against great odds. Pres-
ident Lincoln, on his success commissioned him
Brigadier-General, Jan. to, 1862; and as "he had
been the youngest man in the Ohio Senate two years
before, so now he was the youngest General in the
army." He was with Gen. Buell's army at Shiloh,
in its operations around Corinth and its march through
Alabama. He was then detailed as a member of the
General Court-Martial for the trial of Gen. Fitz-John
Porter. He was then ordered to report to Gen. Rose-
crans, and was assigned to the " Chief of Staff."

The military history of Gen. Garfield closed with

his brilliant services at Chickamauga, where he won
the stars 01 the Major-General.

Without an effort on his part Gen. Garfield was
elected to Congress in the fall of 1862 from the
Nineteenth District of Ohio. This section of Ohio
had been represented in Congress for sixty years
mainly by two men — Elisha Whittlesey and Joshua
R. Giddings. It was not without a struggle that he
resigned his place in the army. At the time he en-
tered Congress he was the youngest member in that
body. There he remained by successive re-
elections until he was elected President in r88o.
Of his labors in Congress Senator Hoar says : " Since
the year T864 you cannot think of a question which
has been debated in Congress, or discussed before a
tribunel of the American people, in regard to which
you will not find, if you wish instruction, the argu-
ment on one side stated, in almost every instance
better than by anybody else, in some speech made in
the House of Representatives or on the hustings by
Mr. Garfield."

Upon Jan. 14, r88o, Gen. Garfield was elected to
the U. S. Senate, and on the eighth of June, of the
same year, was nominated as the candidate of his
party for President at the great Chicago Convention.
He was elected in the following November, and on
March 4, r88i, was inaugurated. Probably no ad-
ministration ever opened its existence under brighter
auspices than that of President Garfield, and every
day it grew in favor with the people, and by the first
of July he had completed all the initiatory and pre-
liminary work of his administration and was prepar-
ing to leave the city to meet his friends at Williams
College. While on his way and at the depot, in com-
pany with Secretary Blaine, a man stepped behind
him, drew a revolver, and fired directly at his back.
The President tottered and fell, and as he did so the
assassin fired a second shot, the bullet cutting the
left coat sleeve of his victim, but inflicting no further
injury. It has been very truthfully said that this was
" the shot that was heard round the world " Never
before in the history of the Nation had anything oc-
curred which so nearly froze the blood of the people
for the moment, as this awful deed. He was smit-
ten on the brightest, gladdest day of all his life, and
was at the summit of his power and hope. For eighty
days, all during the hot months of July and August,
he lingered and suffered. He, however, remained
master of himself till the last, and by his magnificent
bearing was teaching the country and the world the
noblest of human lessons — how to live grandly in the
very clutch of death. Great in life, he was surpass-
ingly great in death. He passed serenely away Sept.
19, 1883, at Elheron, N. J , on the very bank of the
ocean, where he had been taken shortly previous. The
world wept at his death, as it never had done on the
death of any other man who had ever lived upon it.
The murderer was duly tried, found guilty and exe-
cuted, in one year after he committed the foul deed.

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T WEN T Y- F/RS T PRESIDENT.

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HESTER A. ARTHUR,

twenty-first President of the

United States, was born in

F ranklin County, Vermont, on

the fifthof October, 1830, arid is

the oldest* of a family of two

sons and five daughters. His

father was the Rev. Dr. William

Arthur, a Baptist clergyman, who

emigrated to this country from

the county Antrim, Ireland, in

his 18th year, and died in 1875, in

Newtonville, near Albany, after a

long and successful ministry.

"Young Arthur was educated at
Union College, Schenectady, where
he excelled in all his studies. Af-
ter his graduation he taught school
in Vermont for two years, and at
the expiration of that time came to
New York, with $500 in his pocket,
and entered the office of ex- Judge
E. D. Culver as student. After
being admitted to the bar he formed
a partnership with his intimate friend and room-mate,
Henry D. Gardiner, with the intention of practicing
in the West, and for three months they roamed about
in the Western States in search of an eligible site,
but in the end returned to New York, where they
hung out their shingle, and entered upon a success-
ful career almost from the start. General Arthur
soon afterward married the daughter of Lieutenant

Herndon, of the United States Navy, who was lost at
sea. Congress voted a gold medal to his widow in
recognition of the bravery he displayed on that occa-
sion. Mrs. Arthur died shortly before Mr. Arthur's
nomination to the Vice Presidency, leaving two
children.

Gen. Arthur obtained considerable legal celebrity
in his first great case, the famous Lemmon suit,
brought to recover possession of eight slaves who had
been declared free by Judge Paine, of the Superior
Court of New York City. It was in 1852 that Jon.
athan Lemmon, of Virginia, went to New York with
his slaves, intending to ship them to Texas, when
they were discovered and freed. The Judge decided
that they could not be held by the owner under the
Fugitive Slave Law. A howl of rage went up from
the South, and the Virginia Legislature authorized the
Attorney General of that State to assist in an appeal.
Wm. M. Evarts and Chester A. Arthur were employed
to represent the People, and they won their case,
which then went to the Supreme Court of the United
States. Charles O'Conor here espoused the cause
of the slave-holders, but he too was beaten by Messrs
Evarts and Arthur, and a long step was taken toward
the emancipation of the black race.

Another great service was rendered by General
Arthur in the same cause in 1856. Lizzie Jennings,
a respectable colored woman, was put off a Fourth
Avenue car with violence after she had paid her fare.
General Arthur sued on her behalf, and secured a
verdict of $500 damages. The next day the compa-
ny issued an order to admit colored persons to ride
on their cars, and the other car companies quickly

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followed their example. Before that the Sixth Ave-
nue Company ran a few special cars for colored per-
sons and the other lines refused to let them ride at all.

General Arthur was a delegate to the Convention
at Saratoga that founded the Republican party.
Previous to the war he was Judge-Advocate of the
Second Brigade of the State of New York, and Gov-
ernor Morgan, of that State, appointed him Engineer-
in-Chief of his staff. In 1861, he was made Inspec-
tor General, and soon afterward became Quartermas-
ter-General. In each of these offices he rendered
great service to the Government during the war. At
the end of Governor Morgan's term he resumed the
practice of the law, forming a partnership with Mr.
Ransom, and then Mr. Phelps, the District Attorney
of New York, was added to the firm. The legal prac-
tice of this well-known firm was very large and lucra-
tive, each of the gentlemen composing it were able
lawyers, and possessed a splendid local reputation, if
not indeed one of national extent.

He always took a leading part in State and city
politics. He was appointed Collector of the Port of
New York by President Grant, Nov. 21 r872, to suc-
ceed Thomas Murphy, and held the office until July,
20, T878, when he was succeeded by Collector Merritt.

Mr. Arthur was nominated on the Presidential
ticket, with Gen. James A. Garfield, at the famous
National Republican Convention held at Chicago in
June, 1880. This was perhaps the greatest political
convention that ever assembled on the continent. It
was composed of the leading politicians of the Re-
publican party, all able men, and each stood firm and
fought vigorously and with signal tenacity for their
respective candidates that were before the conven-
tion for the nomination. Finally Gen. Garfield re-
ceived the nomination for President and Gen. Arthur
for Vice-President. The campaign which followed
was one of the most animated known in the history of
our country. Gen. Hancock, the standard-bearer of
the Democratic party, was a popular man, and his
party made a valiant fight for his election.

Finally the election came and the country's choice
was Garfield and Arthur. They were inaugurated
March 4, r88i, as President and Vice-President.
A few months only had passed ere the newly chosen
President was the victim of the assassin's bullet. Then
came terrible weeks of suffering, — those moments of
anxious suspense, when the hearts of all civilized na-

tions were throbbing in unison, longing for the re-
covery of the noble, the good President. The remark-
able patience that he manifested during those hours
and weeks, and even months, of the most terrible suf-
fering man has often been called upon to endure, was
seemingly more than human. It was certainly God-
like. During all this period of deepest anxiety Mr.
Arthur's every move was watched, and be it said to his
credit that his every action displayed only an earnest
desire that the suffering Garfield might recover, to
serve the remainder of the term he had so auspi-
ciously begun. Not a selfish feeling was manifested
in deed or look of this man, even though the most
honored position in the world was at any moment
likely to fall to him.

At last God in his mercy relieved President Gar-
field from further suffering, and the world, as never
before in its history over the death of any other
man, wept at his bier. Then it became the duty of
the Vice President to assume the responsibilities of
the high office, and he took the oath in New York,
Sept. 20, 1881. The position was an embarrassing
one to him, made doubly so from the facts that all
eyes were on him, anxious to know what he would do,
what policy he would pursue, and who he would se-
lect as advisers. The duties of the office had been
greatly neglected during the President's long illness,
and many important measures were to be immediately
decided by him ; and still farther to embarrass him he
did not fail to realize under what circumstances he
became President, and knew the feelings of many on
this point. Under these frying circumstances President
Arthur took the reins of the Government in his own
hands ; and, as embarrassing as were the condition of
affairs, he happily surprised the nation, acting so
wisely that but few criticised his administration.
He served the nation well and faithfully, until the
close of his administration, March 4, 1885, and was
a popular candidate before his party for a second
term. His name was ably presented before the con-
vention at Chicago, and was received with great
favor, and doubtless but for the personal popularity
of one of the opposing candidates, he would have
been selected as the standard-bearer of his party
for another campaign. He retired to private life car-
rying with him the best wishes of the American peo-
ple, whom he had served in a manner satisfactory
to them and with credit to himself.

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TWENTY-SECOND PRESIDENT.

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TEPHEN GROVER CLEVE-
LAND, the twenty- second Pres-
ident of the United States, was
born in 1837, in the obscure
town of Caldwell, Essex Co.,
N. J., and in a little two-and-a-
half-story white house which is still
standing, characteristically to mark
the humble birth-place of one of
America's great men in striking con -
trast with the Old World, where all
men high in office must be high in
origin and born in the cradle of
wealth. When the subject of this
sketch was three years of age, his
father, who was a Presbyterian min-
ister, with a large family and a small salary, moved,
by way of the Hudson River and Erie Canal, to
Fayetteville, in search of an increased income and a
larger field of work. Fayetteville was then the most
straggling of country villages, about five miles from
Pompey Sill, where Governor Seymour was born.

At the last mentioned place young Grover com-
menced going to school in the " good, old-fashioned
way," and presumably distinguished himself after the
manner of all village boys, in doing the things he
ought not to do. Such is the distinguishing trait of
all geniuses and independent thinkers. When he
arrived at the age of 14 years, he had outgrown the
capacity of the village school and expressed a most

emphatic desire to be sent to an academy. To this
his father decidedly objected. Academies in those
days cost money; besides, his father wanted him to
become self-supporting by the quickest possible
means, and this at that time in Fayetteville seemed
to be a position in a country store, where his father
and the large family on his hands had considerable
influence. Grover was to be paid $50 for his services
the first year, and if he proved trustworthy he was to
receive $100 the second year. Here the lad com-
menced his career as salesman, and in two years he
had earned so good a reputation for trustworthiness
that his employers desired to retain him for an in-
definite length of time. Otherwise he did not ex-
hibit as yet any particular " flashes of genius " or
eccentricities of talent. He was simply a good boy.
But instead of remaining with this firm in Fayette-
ville, he went with the family in their removal to
Clinton, where he had an opportunity of attending a
high school. Here he industriously pursued his
studies until the family removed with him to a point
on Black River known as the " Holland Patent," a
village of 500 or 600 people, 15 miles north of Utica,
N. Y. At this place his father died, after preaching
but three Sundays. This event broke up the family,
and Grover set out for New York City to accept, at a
small salary, the position of '' under-teacher " in an
asylum for the blind. He taught faithfully for two
years, and although he obtained a good reputation in
this capacity, he concluded that teaching was not his

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S. GROVER CLEVELAND.

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calling for life, and, reversing the traditional order,
he left the city to seek his fortune, instead of going
to a city. He first thought of Cleveland, Ohio, as
there was some charm in that name for him; but
before proceeding to that place he went to Buffalo to
ask the advice of his uncle, Lewis F. Allan, a noted
stock-breeder of that place. The latter did not
speak enthusiastically. " What is it you want to do,
my boy ? " he asked. " Well, sir, I want to study
law," was the reply. " Good gracious ! " remarked
the old gentleman ; " do you, indeed ? What ever put
that into your head? How much money have you
got?" "Well, sir, to tell the truth, I haven't got
any.

After a long consultation, his uncle offered him a
place temporarily as assistant herd-keeper, at $50 a
year, while he could "look around." One day soon
afterward he boldly walked into the office of Rogers,
Bowen & Rogers, of Buffalo, and told them what he
wanted. A number of young men were already en-
gaged in the office, but Grover's persistency won, and
he was finally permitted to come as an office boy and
have the use of the law library, for the nominal -sum
of $3 or $4 a week. Out of this he had to pay for
his board and washing. The walk to and from his
uncle's was a long and rugged one ; and, although
the first winter was a memorably severe one, his
shoes were out of repair and his overcoat — he had
none — yet he was nevertheless prompt and regular.
On the first day of his service here, his senior em-
ployer threw down a copy of Blackstone before him
with a bang that made the dust fly, saying "That's
where they all begin." A titter ran around the little
circle of clerks and students, as they thought that
was enough to scare young Grover out of his plans ;
but in due time he mastered that cumbersome volume.
Then, as ever afterward, however, Mr. Cleveland
exhibited a talent for executiveness rather than few-
chasing principles through all their metaphysical
possibilities. " Let us quit talking and go and do
it," was practically his motto.

The first public office to which Mr. Cleveland was
elected was that of Sheriff of Erie Co., N. Y., in
which Buffalo is situated; and in such capacity it fell
to his duty to inflict capital punishment upon two
criminals. In 1881 he was elected Mayor of the
City of Buffalo, on the Democratic ticket, with es-
pecial reference to the bringing about certain reforms

in the administration of the municipal affairs of that
city. In this office, as well as that of Sheriff, his
performance of duty has generally been considered
fair, with possibly a few exceptions which were fer-
reted out and magnified during the last Presidential
campaign. As a specimen of his plain language in
a veto message, we quote from one vetoing an iniqui-
tous street-cleaning contract: "This is a. time for
plain speech, and my objection to your action shall
be plainly stated. I regard it as the culmination of
a most bare-faced, impudent and shameless scheme
to betray the interests of the people and to worse
than squander the people's money." The New York
Sun afterward very highly commended Mr. Cleve-
land's administration as Mayor of Buffalo, and there-
upon recommended him for Governor of the Empire
State. To the latter office he was elected in 1882,
and his administration of the affairs of State was
generally satisfactory. The mistakes he made, if
any, were made very public throughout the nation
after he was nominated for President of the United
States. For this high office he was nominated July
n, 1884, by the National Democratic Convention at
Chicago, when other competitors were Thomas F.
Bayard, Roswell P. Flower, Thomas A. Hendricks,
Benjamin F. Butler, Allen G. Thurman, etc.; and he
was elected by the people, by a majority of about a
thousand, over the brilliant and long-tried Repub-
lican statesman, James G. Blaine. President Cleve-
land resigned his office as Governor of New York in
January, 1885, in order to prepare for .his duties as
the Chief Executive of the United States, in which
capacity his term commenced at noon on the 4th of
March, 1885. For his Cabinet officers he selected
the following gentlemen: For Secretary of State,
Thomas F. Bayard, of Delaware ; Secretary of the
Treasury, Daniel Manning, of New York ; Secretary
of War, William C. Endicott, of Massachusetts ;
Secretary of the Navy, William C. Whitney, of New
York ; Secretary of the Interior, L. Q. C. Lamar, of
Mississippi; Postmaster-General, William F. Vilas,
of Wisconsin ; Attorney-General, A. H. Garland, of
Arkansas.

The silver question precipitated a controversy be-
tween those who were in favor of the continuance of
silver coinage and those who were opposed, Mr.
Cleveland answering for the latter, even before his
inauguration,

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HADRACH BOND, the first
Governor of Illinois after its
organization as a State, serving
from 1818 to 1822, was born in
Frederick County, Maryland,
in the year 1773, and was
raised a farmer on his father's
plantation, receiving only a plain
English education. He emigrated
to this State in 1794, when it was a
part of the "Northwest Territory,"
continuing in the vocation in which
he had been brought up in his native
State, in the " New Design," near
Eagle Creek, in what is now Monroe
County. He served several terms as
a member of the General Assembly
of Indiana Territory, after it was organized as such,
and in 1812-14 he was a Delegate to the Twelfth
and Thirteenth Congresses, taking his seat Dec. 3,
1812, and serving until Oct. 3, 1814. These were
the times, the reader will recollect, when this Gov-
ernment had its last struggle with Great Britain.
The year 1812 is also noted in the history of this
State as that in which the first Territorial Legislature
was held. It convened at Kaskaskia, Nov. 25, and
adjourned Dec. 26, following.

While serving as Delegate to Congress, Mr. Bond
was instrumental in procuring the right of pre-emp-
tion on the public domain. On the expiration of his
term at Washington he was appointed Receiver of
Public Moneys at Kaskaskia, then the capital of the
Territory. In company with John G. Comyges,

Thomas H. Harris, Charles Slade, Michael Jones,
Warren Brown, Edward Humphries and Charles W.
Hunter, he became a proprietor of the site of the
initial city of Cairo, which they hoped, from its favor-
able location at the junction of the two great
rivers near the center of the Great West, would
rapidly develop into a metropolis. To aid the enter-
prise, they obtained a special charter from the Legis-
lature, incorporating both the City and the Bank of
Cairo.

In i8r8 Mr. Bond was elected the first Governor
of the State of Illinois, being inaugurated Oct. 6,
that year, which was several weeks before Illinois
was actually admitted. The facts are these: In
January, 1818, the Territorial Legislature sent a peti-
tion to Congress for the admission of Illinois as a
State, Nathaniel Pope being then Delegate. The
petition was granted, fixing the northern line of the
State on the latitude of the southern extremity of
Lake Michigan ; but the bill was afterward so amend-
ed as to extend this line to its present latitude. In
July a convention was called at Kaskaskia to draft a
constitution, which, however, was not submitted to
the people. By its provisions, supreme judges, pros-
ecuting attorneys, county and circuit judges, record-
ers and justices of the peace were all to be appointed
by the Governor or elected by the Legislature. This
constitution was accepted by Congress Dec. 30. At
that time Illinois comprised but eleven counties,
namely, Randolph, Madison, Gallatin, Johnson,
Pope, Jackson, Crawford, Bond, Union, Washington
and Franklin, the northern portion of the State be-
ing mainly in Madison County. Thus it appears
that Mr, Bond was honored by the naming of -a,

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SHADRACH BOND.

county before he was elected Governor. The present
county of Bond is of small limitations, about 60 to 80
miles south of Springfield. For Lieutenant Governor
the people chose Pierre Menard, a prominent and
worthy Frenchman, after whom a county in this State
is named. In this election there were no opposition
candidates, as the popularity of these men had made
their promotion to the chief offices of the Slate, even
before the constitution was drafted, a foregone con-
clusion.

The principal points that excited the people in
reference to political issues at this period were local
or "internal improvements," as they were called,
State banks, location of the capital, slavery and the
personal characteristics of the proposed candidates.
Mr. Bond represented the " Convention party," for
introducing slavery into the State, supported by Elias
Kent Kane, his Secretary of State, and John Mc-
Lean, while Nathaniel Pope and John P. Cook led
the anti-slavery element. The people, however, did
not become very much excited over this issue until
1820, when the famous Missouri Compromise was
adopted by Congress, limiting slavery to the south
of the parallel of 36° 30' except in Missouri. While
this measure settled the great slavery controversy,
so far as the average public sentiment was tempor-
arily concerned, until 1854, when it was repealed
under the leadership of Stephen A. Douglas, the issue
as considered locally in this State was not decided
until 1824, after a most furious campaign. (See
sketch of Gov. Coles.) The ticket of 181 8 was a
compromise one, Bond representing (moderately) the
pro-slavery sentiment and Menard the' anti-slavery.
An awkward element in the State government
under Gov. Bond's administration, was the imperfec-
tion of the State constitution. The Convention
wished to have Elijah C. Berry for the first Auditor
of Public Accounts, but, as it was believed that the
new Governor would not appoint him to the office,
the Convention declared in a schedule that "an
auditor of public accounts, an attorney general and
such other officers of the State as may be necessary,
may be appointed by the General Assembly." The
Constitution, as it stood, vested a very large appoint-
ing power in the Governor ; but for the purpose of
getting one man into office, a total change was made,
and the power vested in the Legislature. Of this
provision the Legislature took advantage, and de-

clared that State's attorneys, canal commissioners,
bank directors, etc., were all " officers of the State "
and must therefore be appointed by itself independ-
ently of the Governor.

During Gov. Bond's administration a general law
was passed for the incorporation of academies and
towns, and one authorizing lotteries. The session of
1822 authorized the Governor to appoint commis-
sioners, to act in conjunction with like commissioners
appointed by the State of Indiana, to report on the
practicability and expediency of improving the navi-
gation of the Wabash River; also inland navigation
generally. Many improvements were recommended,
some of which have been feebly worked at even till
the present day, those along the Wabash being of no
value. Also, during Gov. Bond's term of office, the
capital of the State was removed from Kaskaskia to
Vandalia. In 1820 a law was passed by Congress
authorizing this State to open a canal through the
public lands. The State appointed commissioners
lo explore the route and prepare the necessary sur-
veys and estimates, preparatory to its execution;
but, being unable out of its own resources to defray
the expenses of the undertaking, it was abandoned xd?
until some time after Congress made the grant of
land for the purpose of its construction.

On the whole, Gov. Bond's administration was
fairly good, not being open to severe criticism from
any party. In 1824, two years after the expiration
of his term of office, he was brought out as a candi-
date for Congress against the formidable John P.
Cook, but received only 4,374 votes to 7,460 for the
latter. Gov. Bond was no orator, but had made
many fast friends by a judicious bestowment of his
gubernatorial patronage, and these worked zealously
for him in the campaign.

In 1827 ex-Gov. Bond was appointed by the Leg-
islature, with Wm. P. McKee and Dr. Gershom
Jayne, as Commissioners to locate a site for a peni-
tentiary on the Mississippi at or near Alton.

Mr. Bond was of a benevolent and convivial dis-
position, a man of shrewd observation and clear ap- y
preciation of events. His person was erect, stand-
ing six feet in height, and after middle life became
portly, weighing 200 pounds. His features were
strongly masculine, complexion dark, hair jet and
eyes hazel ; was a favorite with the ladies. He died
April ir, r83o, in peace and contentment.

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GO VERNORS OF ILLINOIS.

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DWARD COLES, second
Governor of Illinois, 1823-
6, was born Dec. 15, 1786,
in Albemarle Co., Va., on
the old family estate called
"Enniscorthy," on the
Green Mountain. His fath-
er, John Coles, was a Colonel in the
Revolutionary War. Having been fit-
ted for college by private tutors, he
was sent to Hampden Sidney, where
he remained until the autumn of 1805,
when he was removed to William and
Mary College, at Williamsburg, Va.
This college he left in the summer of
1807, a short time before the final and graduating
examination. Among his classmates were Lieut.
Gen. Scott, President John Tyler, Wm. S. Archer,
United States Senator from Virginia, and Justice
Baldwin, of the United States Supreme Court. The
President of the latter college, Bishop Madison, was
a cousin of President James Madison, and that cir-
cumstance was the occasion of Mr. Coles becoming
personally acquainted with the President and re-
ceiving a position as his private secretary, 1809-15.
The family of Coles was a prominent one in Vir-
ginia, and their mansion was the seat of the old-
fashioned Virginian hospitality. It was visited by
such notables as Patrick Henry, Jefferson, Madison,
Monroe, the Randolphs, Tazewell, Wirt, etc. At the
age of 23, young Coles found himself heir to a plant-
ation and a considerable number of slaves. Ever
since his earlier college days his attention had been
drawn to the question of slavery. He read every-

thing on the subject that came in his way, and
listened to lectures on the rights of man. The more
he reflected upon the subject, the more impossible
was it for him to reconcile the immortal declaration
"that all men are born free and equal " with the
practice of slave-holding. He resolved, therefore, to
free his slaves the first opportunity, and even remove
his residence to a free State. One reason which der
termined him to accept the appointment as private
secretary to Mr. Madison was because he believed
that through the acquaintances he could make at
Washington he could better determine in what part
of the non-slaveholding portion of the Union he would
prefer to settle.

The relations between Mr. Coles and President
Madison, as well as Jefferson and other distinguished
men, were of a very friendly character, arising from
the similarity of their views on the question of slavery
and their sympathy for each other in holding doc-
trines so much at variance with the prevailing senti-
ment in their own State.

In 1857, he resigned his secretaryship and spent a
portion of the following autumn in exploring the
Northwest Territory, for the purpose of finding a lo-
cation and purchasing lands on which to settle his
negroes. He traveled with a horse and buggy, with
an extra man and horse for emergencies, through
many parts of Ohio, Indiana, Illinois and Missouri,
determining finally to settle in Illinois. At this time,
however, a misunderstanding arose between our
Government and Russia, and Mr. Coles was selected
to repair to St. Petersburg on a special mission, bear-
ing important papers concerning the matter at issue.
The result was a conviction of the Emperor (Alex-

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116.

EDWARD COLES.

ander) of the error committed by his minister at
Washington, and the consequent withdrawal of the
the latter from the post. On his return, Mr. Coles
visited other parts of Europe, especially Paris, where
he was introduced to Gen. Lafayette.

In the spring of 1819, he removed with all his
negroes from Virginia to Edwardsville, 111., with the
intention of giving them their liberty. He did not
make known to them his intention until one beautiful
morning in April, as they were descending the Ohio
River.- He lashed all the boats together and called
all the negroes on deck and made them a short ad-
dress, concluding his remarks by so expressing him-
self that by a turn of a sentence he proclaimed in
the shortest and fullest manner that they were no
longer slaves, but free as he was and were at liberty
to proceed with him or go ashore at their pleas-
ure. A description of the effect upon the negroes is
best desciibed in his own language :

" The effect upon them was electrical. They stared
at me and then at each other, as if doubting the ac-
curacy or reality of what they heard. In breathless
/+> silence they stood before me, unable to utter a word,
\ but with countenances beaming with expression which
> no words could convey, and which no language
^Qs can describe. As they began to see the truth of
i=i what they had heard, and realize their situation, there
5? came on a kind of hysterical, giggling laugh. After
*a; a pause of intense and unutterable emotion, bathed
rat in tears, and with tremulous voices, they gave vent to
\£b their gratitude and implored the blessing of God

^ on me."
C n Before landing he gave them a general certificate

of freedom, and afterward conformed more particu-
larly with the law of this State requiring that each
individual should have a certificate. This act of
Mr. Coles, all the more noble and heroic considering
the overwhelming pro-slavery influences surrounding
him, has challenged the admiration of every philan-
thropist of modern times.

March 5, 1819, President Monroe appointed Mr.
Coles Registrar of the Land Office at Edwardsville,
at that time one of the principal land offices in the
State. While acting in this, capacity and gaining
many friends by his politeness and general intelli-
gence, the greatest struggle that ever occurred in
Illinois on the slavery question culminated in the
furious contest characterizing the campaigns and
elections of 1822-4. In tne summer of 1823, when a
new Governor was to be elected to succeed Mr.
Bond, the pro-slavery element divided into factions,
putting forward for the executive office Joseph
Phillips, Chief Justice of the State, Thomas C.
Browne and Gen. James B. Moore, of the State Mil-
itia. The anti-slavery element united upon Mr.
Coles, and, after one of the most bitter campaigns,
succeeded in electing him as Governor. His plural-
ity over Judge Phillips was only 59 in a total vote of

over 8,000. The Lieutenant Governor was elected
by the slavery men. Mr. Coles' inauguration speech
was marked by calmness, deliberation and such a
wise expression of appropriate suggestions as to
elicit the sanction of all judicious politicians. But
he compromised not with evil. In his message to
the Legislature, the seat of Government being then
at Vandalia, he strongly urged the abrogation of the
modified form of slavery which then existed in this
State, contrary to the Ordinance of 1787. His posi-
tion on this subject seems the more remarkable, when
it is considered that he was a minority Goverrjor, the
population of Illinois being at that time almost ex-
clusively from slave-holding States and by a large
majority in favor of the perpetuation of that old relic
of barbarism. The Legislature itself was, of course,
a reflex of the popular sentiment, and a majority of
them were led on by fiery men in denunciations of
the conscientious Governor, and in curses loud and
deep upon him and all his friends. Some of the
public men, indeed, went so far as to head a sort of
mob, or " shiveree " party, who visited the residence
of the Governor and others at Vandalia and yelled
and groaned and spat fire.

The Constitution, not establishing or permitting
slavery in this State, was thought therefore to be
defective by the slavery politicians, and they desired
a State Convention to be elected, to devise and sub-
mit a new Constitution; and the dominant politics
of the day was " Convention " and " anti-Conven-
tion." Both parties issued addresses to the people,
Gov. Coles himself being the author of the address
published by the latter party. This address revealed
the schemes of the conspirators in a masterly man-
ner. It is difficult for us at this distant day to esti-
mate the critical and extremely delicate situation in
which the Governor was placed at that time.

Our hero maintained himself honorably and with
supreme dignity throughout his administration, and
in his honor a county in this State is named. He
was truly a great man, and those who lived in
this State during his sojourn here, like those who
live at the base of the mountain, were too near to see
and recognize the greatness that overshadowed them.

Mr. Coles was married Nov. 28, 1833, by Bishop
De Lancey, to Miss Sally Logan Roberts, a daughter
of Hugh Roberts, a descendant of Welsh ancestry,
who came to this country with Wm. Penn in 1682.

After the expiration of his term of service, Gov.
Coles continued his residence in Edwardsville, sup-
erintending his farm in the vicinity. He was fond
of agriculture, and was the founder of the first agri-
cultural society in the State. On account of ill
health, however, and having no family to tie him
down, he spent much of his time in Eastern cities.
About 1832 he changed his residence to Philadel-
phia, where he died July 7, 1868, and is buried at.
Woodland, near that city.

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INIAN EDWARDS, Governor
from 1827 to 1830, was a son
of Benjamin Edwards, and
was born in Montgomery
County, Maryland, in March,
1775. His domestic train-
ing was well fitted to give
his mind strength, firmness and
honorable principles, and a good
foundation was laid for the elevated
character to which he afterwards
attained. His parents were Bap-
tists, and very strict in their moral
principles. His education in early
youth was in company with and
partly under the tuition of Hon. Wm.
Wirt, whom his father patronized
and who was more than two years
older. An intimacy was thus
formed between them which was lasting for life. He
was further educated at Dickinson College, at Car-
lisle, Pa. He next commenced the study of law, but
before completing his course he moved to Nelson
County, Ky., to open a farm for his father and to
purchase homes and locate lands for his brothers and
sisters. Here he fell in the company of dissolute
companions, and for several years led the life of a
spendthrift. He was, however, elected to the Legis-
lature of Kentucky as the Representative of Nelson
County before he was 2 1 years of age, and was re-
elected by an almost unanimous vote.

In 1798 he was licensed to practice law, and the
following year was admitted to the Courts of Tennes-
see. About this time he left Nelson County for
Russellville, in Logan County, broke away from his
dissolute companions, commenced a reformation and
devoted himself to severe and laborious study. He
then began to rise rapidly in his profession, and soon
became an eminent lawyer, and inside of four years
he filled in succession the offices of Presiding Judge
of the General Court, Circuit Judge, fourth Judge of
the Court of Appeals and Chief Justice of the State,
— all before he was 32 years of age ! In addition, in
r8o2, he received a commission as Major of a battal-
ion of Kentucky militia, and in 1 804 was chosen a
Presidential Elector, on the Jefferson and Clinton
ticket. In 1806 he was a candidate for Congress,
but withdrew on being promoted to the Court of
Appeals.

Illinois was organized as a separate Territory in
the spring of 1809, when Mr. Edwards, then Chief
Justice of the Court of Appeals in Kentucky, received
from President Madison the appointment as Gover-
nor of the new Territory, his commission bearing date
April 24, r8o9. Edwards arrived at Kaskaskia in
June, and on the 1 ith of that month took the oath of
office. At the same time he was appointed Superin
tendent of the United States Saline, this Government ! !
interest then developing into considerable proportions » -
in Southern Illinois. Although during the first three fr "j
years of his administration he had the power to make 0 \
new counties and appoint all the officers, yet he always (9)
allowed the people of each county, by an informal ^

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NINIAN ED WARDS.

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vote, to select their own officers, both civil and mili-
tary. The noted John J. Crittenden, afterward
United States Senator from Kentucky, was appointed
by Gev. Edwards to the office of Attorney General of
the Territory, which office was accepted for a short
time only.

The Indians in 1810 committing sundry depreda-
tions in the Territory, crossing the Mississippi from
the Territory of Louisiana, a long correspondence fol-
lowed between the respective Governors concerning
the remedies, which ended in a council with the sav-
ages at Peoria in 1812, and a fresh interpretation of
the treaties. Peoria was depopulated by these de-
predations, and was not re-settled for many .years
afterward.

As Gov. Edwards' term of office expired by law in
1812, he was re-appointed for another term of three
years, and again in i8r5 for a third term, serving
until the organization of the State in the fall of 1818
and the inauguration of Gov. Bond. At this time
ex-Gov. Edwards was sent to the United States
Senate, his colleague being Jesse B. Thomas. As
Senator, Mr. Edwards took a conspicuous part, and
acquitted himself honorably in all the measures that
came up in that body, being well posted, an able de-
bater and a conscientious statesman. He thought
seriously of resigning this situation in i82r, but was
persuaded by his old friend, Wm. Wirt, and others to
continue in office, which he did to the end of the
term.

He vwas then appointed Minister to Mexico by
President Monroe. About this time, it appears that
Mr. Edwards saw suspicious signs in the conduct of
Wm. H. Crawford, Secretary of the United States
Treasury, and an ambitious candidate for the Presi-
dency, and being implicated by the latter in some of
his statements, he resigned his Mexican mission in
order fully to investigate the charges. The result
was the exculpation of Mr. Edwards.

Pro-slavery regulations, often termed "Black Laws,"
disgraced the statute books of both the Territory and
the State of Illinois during the whole of his career in
this commonwealth, and Mr. Edwards always main-
tained the doctrines of freedom, and was an important
actor in the great struggle which ended in a victory
for his party in 1824.

In 1826-7 the Winnebago and other Indians com-
mitted some depredations in the northern part of the

State, and the white settlers, who desired the lands
and wished to exasperate the savages into an evacu-
ation of the country, magnified the misdemeanors of
the aborigines and thereby produced a hostility be-
tween the races so great as to precipitate a little war,
known in history as the "Winnebago War." A few
chases and skirmishes were had, when Gen. Atkinson
succeeded in capturing Red Bird, the Indian chief,
and putting him to death, thus ending the contest, at
least until the troubles commenced which ended in
the " Black Hawk War " of 1832. In the interpre-
tation of treaties and execution of their provisions
Gov. Edwards had much vexatious work to do. The
Indians kept themselves generally within the juris-
diction of Michigan Territory, and its Governor,
Lewis Cass, was at a point so remote that ready cor-
respondence with him was difficult or impossible.
Gov. Edwards' administration, however, in regard to
the protection of the Illinois frontier, seems to have
been very efficient and satisfactory.

For a considerable portion of his time after his re-
moval to Illinois, Gov. Edwards resided upon his
farm near Kaskaskia, which he had well stocked with
horses, cattle aud sheep from Kentucky, also with
fruit-trees, grape-vines and shrubbery. He estab-
lished saw and grist-mills, and engaged extensively
in mercantile business, having no less than eight or ten
stores in this State and Missouri. Notwithstanding
the arduous duties of his office, he nearly always pur-
chased the goods himself with which to supply the
stores. Although not a regular practitioner of medi-
cine, he studied the healing art to a considerable ex-
tent, and took great pleasure in prescribing for, and
taking care of, the sick, generally without charge.
He was also liberal to the poor, several widows and
ministers of the gospel becoming indebted to him
even for their homes.

He married Miss Elvira Lane, of Maryland, in
1803, and they became the affectionate parents of
several children, one of whom, especially, is well
known to the people of the " Prairie State," namely,
Ninian Wirt Edwards, once the Superintendent of
Public Instruction and still a resident of Springfield.
Gov. Edwards resided at and in the vicinity of Kas_-
kaskiafrom 180910 1818; in Edwardsville (named
after him) from that time to 1824; and from the lat-
ter date at Belleville, St. Clair County, until his
death, July 20, 1833, of Asiatic cholera. Edwards
County is also named in his honor.

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GOVERNORS OF ILLINOIS.

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'3:OHN REYNOLDS, Governor 1831-

4, was born in Montgomery Coun-
ty, Pennsylvania, Feb. 26, 1788.
His father, Robert Reynolds and
his mother, nee Margaret Moore,
were both natives of Ireland, from
which country they emigrated to
the United States in 1785, land-
ing at Philadelphia. The senior
Reynolds entertained an undying
hostility to the British Govern-
ment. When the subject of this
sketch was about six months old,
his parents emigrated with him to
Tennessee, where many of their
relatives had already located, at the base of the
Copper Ridge Mountain, about 14 miles northeast of
the present city of Knoxville. There they were ex-
posed to Indian depredations, and were much molest-
ed by them. In 1794 they moved into the interior
of the State. They were poor, and brought up their
children to habits of manual industry.

In 1800 the family removed to Kaskaskia, 111., with
eight horses and two wagons, encountering many
hardships on the way. Here young Reynolds passed
the most of his childhood, while his character began
to develop, the most prominent traits of which were
ambition and energy. He also adopted the principle
and practice of total abstinence from intoxicating
liquors. In 1807 the family made another removal,

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this time to the " Goshen Settlement," at the foot of
the Mississippi bluffs three or four miles southwest
of Edwardsville.

On arriving at his 20th year, Mr. Reynolds, seeing
that he must look about for his own livelihood and
not yet having determined what calling to pursue,
concluded first to attend college, and he accordingly
went to such an institution of learning, near Knox-
ville, Tenn., where he had relatives. Imagine his
diffidence, when, after passing the first 20 years of
his life without ever having seen a carpet, a papered
wall or a Windsor chair, and never having lived in a
shingle-roofed house, he suddenly ushered himself
into the society of the wealthy in the vicinity of
Knoxville! He attended college nearly two years,
going through the principal Latin authors; but it
seems that he, like the rest of the world in modern
times, had but very little use for his Latin in after
life. He always failed, indeed, to exhibit any good
degree of literary discipline. He commenced the
study of law in Knoxville, but a pulmonary trouble
came on and compelled him to change his mode
of life. Accordingly he returned home and re-
cuperated, and in 1812 resumed his college and
law studies at Knoxville. In the fall of 1 812 he was
admitted to the Bar at Kaskaskia. About this time
he also learned the French language, which he
practiced with pleasure in conversation with his
family for many years. He regarded this language
as being superior to all others for social intercourse.

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124

JOHN REYNOLDS.

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From his services in the West, in the war of 18 12,
he obtained the sobriquet of the " Old Ranger." He
was Orderly Sergeant, then Judge Advocate.

Mr. Reynolds opened his first law office in the
winter and spring of 1814, in the French village of
Cahokia, then the capital of St. Clair County.

In the fall of 18 1 8 he was elected an Associate
Justice upon the Supreme Bench by the General
Assembly. In 1825 he entered more earnestly than
ever into the practice of law, and the very next year
was elected a member of the Legislature, where he
acted independently of all cliques and private inter-
ests. In 1828 the Whigs and Democrats were for
the first time distinctively organized as such in Illi-
nois, and the usual party bitterness grew up and
raged on all sides, while Mr. Reynolds preserved a
judicial calmness and moderation. The real animus
of the campaign was " Jackson " and " anti- Jackson,"
the former party carrying the State.

In August, 1830, Mr. Reynolds was elected Gov-
ernor, amid great excitement. Installed in office, he
did all within his power to advance the cause of edu-
cation, internal improvements, the Illinois & Mich-
igan Canal, the harbor at Chicago, settling the coun-
try, etc.; also recommended the winding up of the
State Bank, as its affairs had become dangerously
complicated. In his national politics, he was a
moderate supporter of General Jackson. But the
most celebrated event of his gubernatorial admin-
istration was the Black Hawk War, which occurred
in 1832. He called out the militia and prosecuted
the contest with commendable diligence, appearing
in person on the battle-grounds during the most
critical periods. He was recognized by the President
as Major-General, and authorized by him to make
treaties with the Indians. By the assistance of the
general Government the war was terminated without
much bloodshed, but after many serious fights. This
war, as well as everything else, was materially re-
tarded by the occurrence of Asiatic cholera in the
West. This was its first appearance here, and was
the next event in prominence during Gov. Reynolds'
term.

South Carolina nullification coming up at this time,
it was heartily condemned by both President Jackson
and Gov. Reynolds, who took precisely the same
grounds as the Unionists in the last war.

On the termination of his gubernatorial term in
1834, Gov. Reynolds was elected a Member of Con-
gress, still considering himself a backwoodsman, as
he had scarcely been outside of the State since he
became of age, and had spent nearly all his youthful
days in the wildest region of the frontier. His first
move in Congress was to adopt a resolution that in
all elections made by the House for officers the votes
should be given viva voce, each member in his place
naming aloud the person for whom he votes. This
created considerable heated discussion, but was es-

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sentially adopted, and remained the controlling prin-
ciple for many years. The ex-Governor was scarcely
absent from his seat a single day, during eight ses-
sions of Congress, covering a period of seven years,
and he never vacillated in a party vote; but he failed
to get the Democratic party to foster his " National
Road" scheme. He says, in "My Own Times" (a
large autobiography he published), that it was only
by rigid economy that he avoided insolvency while in
Washington. During his sojourn in that city he was
married, to a lady of the place.

In 1837, while out of Congress, and in company
with a few others, he built the first railroad in the
Mississippi Valley, namely, one about six miles long,
leading from his coal mine in the Mississippi bluff to
the bank of the river opposite St. Louis. Having not
the means to purchase a locomotive, they operated it
by horse-power. The next spring, however, the com-
pany sold out, at great sacrifice.

In T839 the ex-Governor was appointed one of the
Canal Commissioners, and authorized to borrow
money to prosecute the enterprise. Accord'ngly, he
repaired to Philadelphia and succeeding in obtaining
a million dollars, which, however, was only a fourth
of what was wanted. The same year he and his
wife made at our of Europe. This year, also, Mr.
Reynolds had the rather awkward little responsibility
of introducing to President Van Buren the noted
Mormon Prophet, Joseph Smith, as a " Latter-Day
Saint!"

In 1846 Gov. Reynolds was elected a member of
the Legislature from St. Clair County, more particu-
larly for the purpose of obtaining a feasible charter
for a macadamized road from Belleville to St. Louis,
a distance of nearly 14 miles. This was immediately
built, and was the first road of the kind in the State.
He was again elected to the Legislature in 1852, when
he was chosen Speaker of the House. In i860, aged
and infirm, he attended the National Democratic
Convention at Charleston, S. C, as an anti-Douglas
Delegate, where he received more attention from the
Southern Delegates than any other member. He
supported Breckenridge for the Presidency.- After
the October elections foreshadowed the success of
Lincoln, he published an address urging the Demo-
crats to rally to the support of Douglas. Immedi-
ately preceding and during the late war, his corre-
spondence evinced a clear sympathy for the Southern
secession, and about the first of March, 1861, he
urged upon the Buchanan officials the seizure of the
treasure and arms in the custom-house and arsenal
at St. Louis. Mr. Reynolds was a rather talkative
man, and apt in all the Western phrases and catch-
words that ever gained currency, besides many cun-
ning and odd ones of his own manufacture.

He was married twice, but had no children. He
died in Belleville, in May, 1865, just after the close
of the war.

\§ S*<^

GOVERNORS OF ILLINOIS.

-®a§

127

(!)

ILLIAM LEE D. EWING,
Governor of Illinois Nov. 3
to 17, 1834, was a native
of Kentucky, and probably
of Scotch ancestry. He had
a fine education, was a gentle-
man of polished manners and
refined sentiment. In 1830 John Rey-
nolds was elected Governor of the State,
and Zadok Casey Lieutenant Governor,
and for the principal events that followed,
and the characteristics of the times, see
sketch of Gov. Reynolds. The first we
see in history concerning Mr. Ewing, in-
forms us that he was a Receiver of Public
Moneys at Vandalia soon after the organization of
this State, and that the public moneys in his hands
were deposited in various banks, as they are usually
at the present day. In 1823 the State Bank was
robbed, by which disaster Mr. Ewing lost a thousand-
dollar deposit.

The subject of this sketch had a commission as
Colonel in the Black Hawk War, and in emergencies
he acted also as Major. In the summer of 1832,
when it was rumored among the whites that Black
Hawk and his men had encamped somewhere on
Rock River, Gen. Henry was sent on a tour of
reconnoisance, and with orders to drive the Indians
from the State. After some opposition from his
subordinate officers, Henry resolved to proceed up
Rock River in search of the enemy. On the 19th of
July, early in the morning, five baggage wagons,

camp equipage and all heavy and cumbersome arti-
cles were piled up and left, so that the army might
make speedy and forced marches. For some miles
the travel was exceedingly bad, crossing swamps
and the worst thickets; but the large, fresh trail
gave life and animation to the Americans. Gen.
Dodge and Col. Ewing were both acting as Majors,
and composed the " spy corps " or vanguard of the
army. It is supposed the army marched nearly 50
miles this day, and the Indian trail they followed
became fresher, and was strewed with much property
and trinkets of the red-skins that they had lost or
thrown away to hasten their march. During the
following night there was a terrific thunder-storm, and
the soldiery, with all their appurtenances, were thor-
oughly drenched.

On approaching nearer the Indians the next day.
Gen. Dodge and Major Ewing, each commanding a
battalion of men, were placed in front to bring on the
battle, but the savages were not overtaken this day
Forced marches were continued until they reached.
Wisconsin River, where a veritable battle ensued,
resulting in the death of about 68 of Black Hawk's
men. The next day they continued the chase, and
as soon as he discovered the trail of the Indians
leading toward the Mississippi, Maj. Ewing formed
his battalion in order of battle and awaited the order
of Gen. Henry. The latter soon appeared on the
ground and ordered a charge, which directly resulted
in chasing the red warriors across the great river.
Maj. Ewing and his command proved particularly
efficient in war, as it seems they were the chief actors
in driving the main body of the Sacs and Foxes, in-

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> 128

WILLIAM L. D. EWING.

eluding Black Hawk himself, across the Mississippi,
while Gen. Atkinson, commander-in-chief of the ex-
pedition, with a body of the army, was hunting for
them in another direction.

In the above affair Maj. Ewing is often referred to
as a " General," which title he had derived from his
connection with the militia.

It was in the latter part of the same year (1832)
that Lieutenant Governor Casey was elected to Con-
gress and Gen. Ewing, who had been elected to the
Senate, was chosen to preside over that body. At
the August election of 1834, Gov. Reynolds was also
elected to Congress, more than a year ahead of the
time at which he could actually take his seat, as was
then the law. His predecessor, Charles Slade, had
just died of Asiatic cholera, soon after the elec-
tion, and Gov. Reynolds was chosen to serve out his
unexpired term. Accordingly he set out for Wash-
ington in November of that year to take his seat in
Congress, and Gen. Ewing, by virtue of his office as
President of the Senate, became Governor of the
State of Illinois, his term covering only a period of
15 days, namely, from the 3d to the 17th days, in-
clusive, of November. On the 17th the Legislature
met, and Gov. Ewing transmitted to that body his
message, giving a statement of the condition of the
affairs of the State at that time, and urging a contin-
uance of the policy adopted by his predecessor ; and
on the same day Governor elect Joseph Duncan
was sworn into office, thus relieving Mr. Ewing from

the responsible situation. This is the only time that
such a juncture has happened in the history of Illi-
nois.

On the 29th of December, 1835, Gen. Ewing was
elected a United States Senator to serve out the
unexpired term of Elias Kent Kane, deceased. The
latter gentleman was a very prominent figure in the
early politics of Illinois, and a county in this State is
named in his honor. The election of Gen. Ewing to
the Senate was a protracted struggle., His competi-
tors were James Semple, who afterwards held several
important offices .in this State, and Richard M.
Young, afterward a United States Senator and a
Supreme Judge and a man of vast influence. On
the first ballot Mr. Semple had 25 votes, Young 19
and Ewing 18. On the eighth ballot Young was
dropped ; the ninth and tenth stood a tie ; but on
the 1 2th Ewing received 40, to Semple 37, and was
accordingly declared elected. In 1837 Mr. Ewing
received some votes for a continuance of his term in
Congress, when Mr. Young, just referred to, was
elected. In 1842 Mr. Ewing was elected State
Auditor on the ticket with Gov. Ford.

Gen. Ewing was a gentleman of culture, a lawyer
by profession, and was much in publicjife. In person
he was above medium hefght and of heavy build,
with auburn hair, blue eyes, large-sized head and
short face. He was genial, social, friendly and
affable, with fair talent, though of no high degree of
originality. He died March 25, 1846.

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OSEPH DUNCAN, Governor
1834-8, was born at Paris,
Ky., Feb. 23, 1794. At. the
tender age of 19 years he en-
listed in the war against Great
Britain, and as a soldier he
acquitted himself with credit. He
was an Ensign under the daunt-
less Croghan at Lower Sandusky,
or Fort Stephenson. In Illinois
he first appeared in a public capa-
city as Major-General of the Militia,
a -position which his military fame
had procured him. Subsequently
he became a State Senator from
Jackson County, and is honorably
mentioned for introducing the first bill providing for
a free-school system. In 1826, when the redoubt-
able John P. Cook, who had previously beaten such
men as John McLean, Elias Kent Kane and ex-
Gov. Bond, came up for the fourth time for Congress,
Mr. Duncan was brought forward against him by his
friends, greatly to the surprise of all the politicians.
As yet he was but little known in the State. He was
an original Jackson man at that time, being attached
to his political fortune in admiration of the glory of
his military achievements. His chances of success
against Cook were generally regarded as hopeless,
but he entered upon the campaign undaunted. His
speeches, though short' and devoid of ornament, were
full of good sense. He made a diligent canvass of
the State, Mr. Cook being hindered by the condition of
his health. The most that was expected of Mr.
Duncan, under the circumstances, was that he would

obtain a respectable vote, but without defeating Mr.
Cook. The result of the campaign, however, was a
source of surprise and amazement to both friends
and foes, as Mr. Duncan came out 641 votes ahead!
He received 6,32 r votes, and Mr. Cook 5,680. Un-
til this denouement, the violence of party feeling
smoldering in the breasts of the people on account
of the defeat of Jackson, was not duly appreciated.
Aside from the great convention struggle of 1824, no
other than mere local and personal considerations
had ever before controlled an election in Illinois.

From the above date Mr. Duncan retained his
seat in Congress until his election as Governor in
August, 1834. The first and bloodless year of the
Black Hawk War he was appointed by Gov. Rey-
nolds to the position of Brigadier-General of the
volunteers, and he conducted his brigade to Rock
Island. But he was absent from the State, in Wash-
ington, during the gubernatorial campaign, and did
not personally participate in it, but addressed circu-
lars to his constituents. His election was, indeed,
attributed tq the circumstance of his absence, be-
cause his estrangement from Jackson, formerly his
political idol, and also from the Democracy, largely
in ascendency in the State, was complete ; but while
his defection was well known to his Whig friends,
and even to the leading Jackson men of this State,
the latter were unable to carry conviction of that fact
to the masses, as mail and newspaper facilities at
that day were far inferior to those of the present
time. Of course the Governor was much abused
afterward by the fossilized Jackson men who re-
garded party ties and affiliations as above all
other issues that could arise; but he was doubtless

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132

JOSEPH DUNCAN.

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sincere in his opposition to the old hero, as the latter
had vetoed several important western measures
which were dear to Mr. Duncan. In his inaugural
message he threw off the mask and took a bold stand
against the course of the President. The measures
he recommended in his message, however, were so
desirable that the Legislature, although by a large
majority consisting of Jackson men, could not refrain
from endorsing them. These measures related
mainly to banks and internal improvements.

It was while Mr. Duncan was Governor that the
people of Illinois went whirling on with bank and in-
ternal improvement schemes that well nigh bank-
rupted the State. The hard times of 1837 came on,
and the disasters that attended the inauguration of
these plans and the operation of the banks were mu-
tually charged upon the two political parties. Had
any one man autocratic power to introduce and
carry on any one of these measures, he would proba-
bly have succeeded to the satisfaction of the public ;
but as many jealous men had hold of the same plow
handle, no success followed and each blamed the other
for the failure. In this great vortex Gov. Duncan
was carried along, suffering the like derogation of
character with his fellow citizens.

At the height of the excitement the Legislature
" provided for " railroads from Galena to Cairo, Alton
to Shawneetown, Alton to Mount Carmel, Alton to the
eastern boundary of the State in the direction of
Terre Haute, Quincy via Springfield to the Wabash,
Bloomington to Pekin, and Peoria to Warsaw, — in all
about 1,300 miles of road. It also provided for the
improvement of the navigation of the Kaskaskia,
Illinois, Great and Little Wabash and Rock Rivers ;
also as a placebo, $200,000 in money were to be dis-
tributed to the various counties wherein no improve-
ments were ordered to be made as above. The
estimate for the expenses for all these projects was
placed at a little over $10,000,000, which was not
more than half enough ! That would now be equal to
saddling upon the State a debt of $225,000,000 ! It
was sufficient to bankrupt the State several times
over, even counting all the possible benefits.

One of the most exciting events that ever occurred
in this fair State was the murder of Elijah P. Love-
joy in the fall of 1837, at Alton, during Mr. Duncan's
term as Governor. Lovejoy was an " Abolitionist,"
editing the Observer at that place, and the pro-
slavery slums there formed themselves into a mob,

and after destroying successively three presses be-
longing to Mr. Lovejoy, surrounded the warehouse
where the fourth press was stored away, endeavoring
to destroy it, and where Lovejoy and his friends
were entrenching themselves, and shot and killed the
brave reformerJ

About this time, also, the question of removing the
State capital again came up, as the 20 years' limit for
its existence at Vandalia was drawing to a close.
There was, of course, considerable excitement over
the matter, the two main points competing for it be-
ing Springfield and Peoria. The jealousy of the lat-
ter place is not even yet, 45 years afterward, fully
allayed.

Gov. Duncan's term expired in 1838. In 1842
he was again proposed as a candidate for the Execu-
tive chair, this time by the Whig party, against Adam
W. Snyder, of St. Clair County, the nominee of the
Democrats. Charles W. Hunter was a third candi-
date for the same position. Mr. Snyder, however, died
before the campaign had advanced very far, and his
party substituted Thomas Ford, who was elected,
receiving 46,901 votes, to 38,584 for Duncan, and
909 for Hunter. The cause of Democratic success
at this time is mainly attributed to the temporary
support of the Mormons which they enjoyed, and the
want of any knowledge, on the part of the masses,
that Mr. Ford was opposed to any given policy en-
tertained in the respective localities.

Gov. Duncan was a man of rather limited educa-
tion, but with naturally fine abilities he profited
greatly by his various public services, and gathered
a store of knowledge regarding public affairs which
served him a ready purpose. He possessed a clear
judgment, decision, confidence in himself and moral
courage to carry out his convictions of right. In his
deportment he was well adapted to gain the admira-
tion of the people. His intercourse with them was
both affable and dignified. His portrait at the Gov-
ernor's mansion, from which the accompanying was
made, represents him as having a swarthy complex-
ion, high cheek bones, broad forehead, piercing black
eyes and straight black hair.

He was a liberal patron of the Illinois College at
Jacksonville, a member of its Board of Trustees, and
died, after a short illness, Jan. 15, r844, a devoted
member of the Presbyterian Church, leaving a wife
but no children. Two children, born to them, had
died in infancy.

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GO VERNORS OF ILLINOIS.

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HOMAS CARLIN, the sixth
Governor of the State of
Illinois, serving from 1838
to 1842, was also a Ken-
tuckian, being born near
Frankfort, that State, July
18, 1789, of Irish paternity.
The opportunities for an education
being very meager in his native
place, he, on approaching years of
judgment and maturity, applied
himself to those branches of learn-
ing that seemed most important,
and thus became a self-made man ;
and his taste for reading and
study remained with him through
life. In 1803 his father removed
to Missouri, then a part of " New Spain," where he
died in 1810.

In 181 2 young Carlin came to Illinois and partici-
pated in all the "ranging" service incident to the
war of that period, proving himself a soldier of un-
daunted bravery. In 1814 he married Rebecca
Huitt, and lived for four years on _the bank of the
Mississippi River, opposite the mouth of the Mis-
souri, where he followed farming, and then removed
to Greene County. He located the town site of Car-
rollton, in that county, and in 1825 made a liberal
donation of land for county building purposes. He
was the first Sheriff of that county after its separate
organization, and afterward was twice elected, as a
Jackson Democrat, to the Illinois Senate. In the
Black Hawk War he commanded a spy battalion, a
post of considerable danger. In 1834 he was ap-
pointed by President Jackson to the position of
Receiver of Public Moneys, and to fulfill the office

more conveniently he removed to the city of Quincy.

While, in 1838, the unwieldy internal improvement
system of the State was in full operation, with all its
expensive machinery, amidst bank suspensions
throughout the United States, a great stringency in
the money market everywhere, and Illinois bonds
forced to sale at a heavy discount, and the " hardest
times" existing that the people of the Prairie State
ever saw, the general election of State officers was
approaching. Discreet men who had cherished the
hope of a speedy subsidence of the public infatua-
tion, met with disappointment. A Governor and
Legislature were to be elected, and these were now
looked forward to for a repeal of the ruinous State
policy. But the grand scheme had not yet lost its _
dazzling influence upon the minds of the people.
Time and experience had not yet fully demonstrated
its utter absurdity. Hence the question of arresting
its career of profligate expenditures did not become
a leading one with the dominant party during the
campaign, and most of the old members of the Leg-
islature were returned at this election.

Under these circumstances the Democrats, in State
Convention assembled, nominated Mr. Carlin for the
office of Governor, and S. H. Anderson for Lieuten-
ant Governor, while the Whigs nominated Cyrus Ed-
wards, brother of Ninian Edwards, formerly Governor,
and W. H. Davidson. Edwards came out strongly
for a continuance of the State policy, while Carlin
remained non-committal. This was the first time
that the two main political parties in this State were
unembarrassed by any third party in the field. The
result of the election was: Carlin, 35,573; Ander-
son, 30,335 ; Edwards, 29,629 ; and Davidson, 28,-

Upon the meeting of the subsequent Legislature
(1839), the retiring Governor (Duncan) in his mes-

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x i36

THOMAS CARLIN.

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sage spoke in emphatic terms of the impolicy of the
internal improvement system, presaging the evils
threatened, and uiged that body to do their utmost
to correct the great error ; yet, on the contrary, the
Legislature not only decided to continue the policy
but also added to its burden by voting more appro-
priations and ordering more improvements. Although
the money market was still stringent, a further loan
of $4,000,000 was ordered for the Illinois & Mich-
igan Canal alone. Chicago at that time began to
loom up and promise to be an important city, even
the great emporium of the West, as it has since in-
deed came to be. Ex-Gov. Reynolds, an incompe-
tent financier, was commissioned to effect the loan,
and accordingly hastened to the East on this respons-
ible errand, and negotiated the loans, at considera-
ble sacrifice to the State. Besides this embarrassment
to Carlin's administration, the Legislature also de-
clared that he had no authority to appoint a Secretary
of State until a vacancy existed, and A. P. Field, a
Whig, who had already held the post by appointment
through three administrations, was determined to
keep the place a while longer, in spite of Gov. Car-
lin's preferences. The course of the Legislature in
this regard, however, was finally sustained by the
Supreme Court, in a quo warranto case brought up
before it by John A. McClernand, whom the Gov-
ernor had nominated for the office. Thereupon that
dignified body was denounced as a "Whig Court!"
endeavoring to establish the principle of life-tenure
of office.

A new law was adopted re-organizing the Judici-
ary, and under it five additional Supreme Judges
were elected by the Legislature, namely, Thomas
Ford (afterward Governor), Sidney Breese, Walter B.
Scates, Samuel H. Treat and Stephen A. Douglas —
all Democrats.

It was during Cov. Carlin's administration that the
noisy campaign of " Tippecanoe and Tyler too " oc-
curred, resulting in a Whig victory. This, however,
did not affect Illinois politics very seriously.

Another prominent event in the West during Gov.
Carlin's term of office was the excitement caused by
the Mormons and their removal from Independence,
Mo., to Nauvoo, 111., in 1840. At the same time
they began to figure somewhat in State politics. On
account of their believing — as they thought, accord-
ing to the New Testament — that they should have

" all things common," and that consequently " all
the earth " and all that is upon it were the" Lord's "
and therefore the property of his " saints," they
were suspected, and correctly, too, of committing
many of the deeds of larceny, robbery, etc., that
were so rife throughout this country in those days.
Hence a feeling of violence grew up between the
Mormons and "anti-Mormons." In the State of
Missouri the Mormons always supported the Dem-
ocracy until they were driven out by the Democratic
government, when they turned their support to the
Whigs. They were becoming numerous, and in the
Legislature of 1840-r, therefore, it became a matter
of great interest with both parties to conciliate these
people. Through the agency of one John C. Ben-
nett, a scamp, the Mormons succeeded in rushing
through the Legislature (both parties not daring to
oppose) a charter for the city of Nauvoo which vir-
tually erected a hierarchy co-ordinate with the Fed-
eral Government itself. In the fall of 1841 the
Governor of Missouri made a demand upon Gov.
Carlin for the body of Joe Smith, the Mormon leader,
as a fugitive from justice. Gov. Carlin issued the
writ, but for some reason it was returned unserved.
It was again issued in T842, and Smith was arrested,
but was either rescued by his followers or discharged
by the municipal court on a writ of habeas corpus.

In December, 1841, the Democratic Convention
nominated Adam W. Snyder, of Belleville, for Gov-
ernor. As he had been, as a member of the Legisla-
ture, rather friendly to the Mormons, the latter
naturally turned their support to the Democratic
party. The next spring the Whigs nominated Ex-
Gov. Duncan for the same office. In the meantime
the Mormons began to grow more odious to the
masses of the people, and the comparative prospects
of the respective parties for success became very
problematical. Mr. Snyder died in May, and
Thomas Ford, a Supreme Judge, was substituted as
a candidate, and was elected.

At the close of his gubernatorial term, Mr. Carlin
removed back to his old home at Carrollton, where
he spent the remainder of his life, as before his ele-
vation to office, in agricultural pursuits. In 1849
he served out the unexpired term of J. D. Fry in the
Illinois House of Representatives, and died Feb. 4,
1852, at his residence at Carrollton, leaving a wife
and seven children.

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JHOMAS FORD, Governor
from 1842 to 1846, and au-
thor of a very interesting
history of Illinois, was born
at Uniontown, Pa., in the
year 1 800. His mother, after
the death of her first hus-
band (Mr. Forquer), married Rob-
ert Ford, who was killed in 1802,
by the Indians in the mountains
of Pennsylvania. She was conse-
quently left in indigent circum-
stances, with a large family, mostly
girls. With a view to better her
condition, she, in 1804, removed to
Missouri, where it had been cus-
tomary by the Spanish Govern-
ment to give land to actual settlers ; but upon her
arrival at St. Louis she found the country ceded to
the United States, and the liberal policy toward set-
tlers changed by the new ownership. After some
sickness to herself and family, she finally removed to
Illinois, and settled some three miles south of Water-
loo, but the following year moved nearer the Missis-
sippi ^bluffs. Here young Ford received his first

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schooling, under the instructions of a Mr. Humphrey,
for which he had to walk three miles. His mother,
though lacking a thorough education, was a woman
of superior mental endowments, joined to energy
and determination of character. She inculcated in
her children those high-toned principles which dis-
tinguished her sons in public life. She exercised a
rigid economy to provide her children an education ;
but George Forquer, her oldest son (six years older
than Thomas Ford), at an early age had to quit
school to aid by his labor in the support of the family.
He afterward became an eminent man in Illinois
affairs, and but for his early death would probably
have been elected to the United States Senate.

Young Ford, with somewhat better opportunities,
received a better education, though limited to the
curriculum of the common school of those pioneer
times. His mind gave early promise of superior en-
dowments, with an inclination for mathematics. His
proficiency attracted the attention of Hon. Daniel P.
Cook, who became his efficient patron and friend.
The latter gentleman was an eminent Illinois states-
man who, as a Member of Congress, obtained a grant
of 300,000 acres of land to aid in completing the
Illinois & Michigan Canal, and after whom the
county of Cook was named. Through the advice of

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this gentleman, Mr. Ford turned his attention to the
study of law; but Forquer, then merchandising, re-
garding his education defective, sent him to Transyl-
vania University, where, however, he remained but
one term, owing to Forquer's failure in business. On
his return he alternated his law reading with teach-
ing school for support.

In 1829 Gov. Edwards appointed him Prosecuting
Attorney, and in 1831 he was re-appointed by Gov.
Reynolds, and after that he was four times elected a
Judge by the Legislature, without opposition, twice a
Circuit Judge, once a Judge of Chicago, and as As-
sociate Judge of the Supreme Court, when, in 184.T,
the latter tribunal was re-organized by the addition
of five Judges, all Democrats. Ford was assigned to
the Ninth Judicial Circuit, and while in this capacity
he was holding Court in Ogle County he received a
notice of his nomination by the Democratic Conven-
tion for the office of Governor. He immediately re-
signed his place and entered upon the canvass. In
August, 1842, he was elected, and on the 8th of De-
cember following he was inaugurated.

All the offices which he had held were unsolicited
by him. He received them upon the true Jefferson-
ian principle, — Never to ask and never to refuse
office. Both as a lawyer and as a Judge he stood
deservedly high, but his cast of intellect fitted him
rather for a writer upon law than a practicing advo-
cate in the courts. In the latter capacity he was void
of the moving power of eloquence, so necessary to
success with juries. As a Judge his opinions were
sound, lucid and able expositions of the law. In
practice, he was a stranger to the tact, skill and in-
sinuating address of the politician, but he saw through
the arts of demagogues as well as any man. He was
plain in his demeanor, so much so, indeed, that at
one time after the expiration of his term of office,
during a session of the Legislature, he was taken by
a stranger to be a seeker for the position of door-
keeper, and was waited upon at his hotel near mid-
night by a knot of small office-seekers with the view
of effecting a " combination ! "

Mr. Ford had not the " brass " of the ordinary
politician, nor that impetuosity which characterizes a
political leader. He cared little for money, and
hardly enough for a decent support. In person he
was of small stature, slender, of dark complexion,
with black hair, sharp features, deep-set eyes, a
pointed, aquiline nose having a decided twist to one
side, and a small mouth.

The three most important events in Gov. Ford's
administration were the establishment of the high
financial credit of the State, the " Mormon War "and
the Mexican War.

In the first of these the Governor proved himself
to be eminently wise. On coming into office he found
the State badly paralyzed by the ruinous effects of
the notorious "internal improvement" schemes of

the preceding deca.de, with scarcely anything to
show by way of "improvement." The enterprise
that seemed to be getting ahead more than all the
rest was the Illinois & Michigan Canal. As this
promised to be the most important thoroughfare,
feasible to the people, it was well under headway in
its construction. Therefore the State policy was
almost concentrated upon it, in order to rush it on to
completion. The bonded indebtedness of the State
was growing so large as to frighten the people, and
they were about ready to entertain a proposition for
repudiation. But the Governor had the foresight to
recommend such measures as would maintain the
public credit, for which every citizen to-day feels
thankful.

But perhaps the Governor is remembered more for
his connection with the Mormon troubles than for
anything else; for it was during his term of office
that the " Latter-Day Saints " became so strong at
Nauvoo, built their temple there, increased their num-
bers throughout the country, committed misdemean-
ors, taught dangerous doctrines, suffered the loss of
their leader, Jo Smith, by a violent death, were driven
out of Nauvoo to the far West, etc. Having been a
Judge for so many years previously, Mr. Ford of
course was non-committal concerning Mormon affairs,
and was therefore claimed by both parties and also
accused by each of sympathizing too greatly with the
other side. Mormonism claiming to be a system of
religion, the Governor no doubt was "between two
fires," and felt compelled to touch the matter rather
" gingerly," and doubtless felt greatly relieved when
that pestilential people left the State. Such compli-
cated matters, especially when religion is mixed up
with them, expose every person participating in
them to criticism from all parties.

The Mexican War was begun in the spring of
1845, and was continued into the gubernatorial term
of Mr. Ford's successor. The Governor's connection
with this war, however, was not conspicuous, as it
was only administrative, commissioning officers, etc.

Ford's " History of Illinois " is a very readable and
entertaining work, of 450 small octavo pages, and is
destined to increase in value with the lapse of time.
It exhibits a natural flow of compact and forcible
thought, never failing to convey the nicest sense. In
tracing with his trenchant pen the devious operations
of the professional politician, in which he is inimit-
able, his account is open, perhaps, to the objection
that all his contemporaries are treated as mere place-
seekers, while many of them have since been judged
by the people to be worthy statesmen. His writings
seem slightly open to the criticism that they exhibit
a little splenetic partiality against those of his con-
temporaries who were prominent during his term of
office as Governor.

The death of Gov. Ford took place at Peoria, 111.,
Nov. 2, 1850.

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GO VERNORS OF ILLINOIS.

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Augustus c. French,

Governor of Illinois from
1846 to 1852, was born in
the town of Hill, in the
State of New Hampshire,
Aug. 2, 1808. He was a
descendant in the fourth
generation of Nathaniel
French, who emigrated from England
in 1687 and settled in Saybury, Mass.
In early life young French lost his
father, but continued to receive in-
struction from an exemplary and
Christian mother until he was 19 years
old, when she also died, confiding to
his care and trust four younger broth-
ers and one sister. He discharged his trust with
parental devotion. His education in early life was
such mainly as a common school afforded. For a
brief period he attended Dartmouth College, but
from pecuniary causes and the care of his brothers
and sister, he did not graduate. He subsequently
read law, and was admitted to the Bar in 1831, and
shortly afterward removed to Illinois, settling first at
Albion, Edwards County, where he established him-
self in the practice of law. The following year he
removed to Paris, Edgar County. Here he attained
eminence in his profession, and entered public life
by representing that county in the Legislature. A
strong attachment sprang up between him and Ste-
phen A. Douglas.

In 1839, Mr. French was appointed Receiver of
the United States Land Office at Palestine, Craw-
ford County, at which place he was a resident when

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elevated to the gubernatorial chair. In 1 844 he was
a Presidential Elector, and as such he voted for
• James K. Polk.

The Democratic* State Convention of 1846, meet-
ing at Springfield Feb. 10, nominated Mr. French
for Governor. Other Democratic candidates were
Lyman Trumbull, John Calhoun (subsequently of
Lecompton Constitution notoriety), Walter B. Scates,
Richard M. Young and A. W. Cavarly, — an array of
very able and prominent names. Trumbull was per-
haps defeated in the Convention by the rumor that
he was opposed to the Illinois and Michigan Canal,
as he had been a year previously. For Lieutenant
Governor J. B. Wells was chosen, while other candi-
dates were Lewis Ross, Win. McMurtry, Newton
Cloud, J. B. Hamilton and W. W. Thompson. The
resolutions declared strongly against the resuscita-
tion of the old State Banks.

The Whigs, who were in a hopeless minority, held
their convention June 8, at Peoria, and selected
Thomas M. Kilpatrick, of Scott County, for Governor,
and Gen. Nathaniel G. Wilcox, of Schuyler, for
Lieutenant Governor.

In the campaign the latter exposed Mr. French's
record and connection with the passage of the in-
ternal improvement system, urging it against his
election ; but in the meantime the war with Mexico
broke out, regarding which the Whig record was un-
popular in this State. The war was the absorbing
and dominating question of the period, sweeping
every other political issue in its course. The elec-
tion in August gave Mr. French 58,700 votes, and
Kilpatrick only 36,775. Richard Eells, Abolitionist
candidate for the same office, received 5,152 votes,

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AUGUSTUS C. FRENCH.

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By the new Constitution of 1848, a new election for
State officers was ordered in November of that year,
before Gov. French's term was half out, and he was
re-elected for the term of four years. He was there-
fore the incumbent for six consecutive years, the
only Governor of this State who has ever served in
that capacity so long at one time. As there was no
organized opposition to his election, he received 67,-
453 votes, to 5,639 for Pierre Menard (son of the
first Lieutenant Governor), 4,748 for Charles V.
Dyer, 3,834 for W. L. D. Morrison, and 1,361 for
James L. D. Morrison. But Wm. McMurtry, of
Knox County, was elected Lieutenant Governor, in
place of Joseph B. Wells, who was before elected
and did not run again.

Governor French was inaugurated into office dur-
ing the progress of the Mexican War, which closed
during the summer of 1847, although the treaty of
Guadalupe Hidalgo was not made until Feb. 2,
1848. The policy of Gov. French's party was com-
mitted to that war, but in connection with that affair
he was, of course, only an administrative officer.
During his term of office, Feb. 19, 1847, the Legisla-
ture, by sp'ecial permission of Congress, declared *hat
all Government lands sold to settlers should be im-
mediately subject to State taxation ; before this they
were exempt for five years after sale. By this ar-
rangement the revenue was materially increased.
About the same lime, the distribution of Government
land warrants among the Mexican soldiers as bounty
threw upon the market a great quantity of good
lands, and this enhanced the settlement of the State.
The same Legislature authorized, with the recom-
mendation of the Governor, the sale of the Northern
Cross Railroad (from Springfield to Meredosia, the
first in the State and now a section of the Wabash,
St. Louis & Pacific) It sold for $100,000 in bonds,
although it had cost the State not less than a million.
The salt wells and canal lands in the Saline reserve
in Gallatin County, granted by the general Govern-
ment to the State, were also authorized by the
Governor to be sold, to apply on the State debt. In
r85o, for the first time since 1839, the accruing State
revenue, exclusive of specific appropriations, was
sufficient to meet the current demands upon the
treasury. The aggregate taxable property of the
State at this time was over $100,000,000, and the
population 851,470.

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In 1849 the Legislature adopted the township or-
ganization law, which, however, proved defective,
and was properly amended in 185 1. At its session
in the latter year, the General Assembly also passed
a law to exempt homesteads from sale on executions.
This beneficent measure had been repeatedly urged
upon that body by Gov. French.

In 1850 some business men in St. Louis com-
menced to build a dike opposite the lower part of
their city on the Illinois side, to keep the Mississippi
in its channel near St. Louis, instead of breaking
away from them as it sometimes threatened to do.
This they undertook without permission from the
Legislature or Executive authority of this State ; and
as many of the inhabitants there complained that
the scheme would inundate and ruin much valuable
land, there was a slight conflict of jurisdictions, re-
sulting in favor of the St. Louis project ; and since
then a good site has existed there for a city (East St.
Louis), and now a score of railroads center there.

It was in September, 1850, that Congress granted
to this State nearly 3,000,000 acres of land in aid of
the completion of the Illinois Central Railroad,
which constituted the most important epoch in the
railroad — we might say internal improvement — his-
tory of the State. The road was rushed on to com-
pletion, which accelerated the settlement of the in-
terior of the State by a good class of industrious citi-
zens, and by the charter a good income to the State
Treasury is paid in from the earnings of the road.

In 1 85 1 the Legislature passed a law authorizing
free stock banks, which was the source of much leg-
islative discussion for a number of years.

But we have riot space further to particularize
concerning legislation. Gov. French's administra-
tion was not marked by any feature to be criticised,
while the country was settling up as never before.

In stature, Gov. French was of medium height,
squarely built, light complexioned, with ruddy face
and pleasant countenance. In manners he was
plain and agreeable. By nature he was somewhat
diffident, but he was often very outspoken in his con-
victions of duty. In public speech he was not an
orator, but was chaste, earnest and persuasive. In
business he was accurate and methodical, and in his
administration he kept up the credit of the State.

He died in 1865, at his home in Lebanon, St.
Clair Co., 111.

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GO VERNORS OF ILLINOIS.

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147

3:0EL A. MATTESON, Governor
1853-6, was born Aug. 8, 1808,
in Jefferson County, New York,
to which place his father had re-
moved from Vermont three years
before. His father was a farmer
in fair circumstances, but a com-
mon English education was all
that his only son received. Young
Joel first tempted fortune as a
small tradesman in Prescott,
Canada, before he was of age.
He returned from that place to
his home, entered an academy,
taught school, visited the prin-
cipal Eastern cities, improved a farm his father had
given him, made a tour in the South, worked there
in building railroads, experienced a storm on the
Gulf of Mexico, visited the gold diggings of Northern
Georgia, and returned via Nashville to St. Louis and
through Illinois to his father's home, when he mar-
ried. In 1833, having sold his farm, he removed,
with his wife and one child, to Illinois, and entered
a claim on Government land near the head of A11
Sable River, in what is now Kendall County. At
that time there were not more than, two neighbors
within a range of ten miles of his place, and only
three or four houses between him and Chicago. He
opened a large farm. His family was boarded 1 2

miles away while he erected a house on his claim,
sleeping, during this time, under a rude pole shed.
Here his life was once placed in imminent peril by
a huge prairie rattlesnake sharing his bed.

In 1835 he bought largely at the Government land
sales. During the speculative real-estate mania which
broke out in Chicago in 1836 and spread over the State,
he sold his lands under the inflation of that period
and removed to Joliet. In 1838 he became a heavy
contractor on the Illinois & Michigan Canal. Upon
the completion of his job in 1841, when hard times
prevailed, business at a stand, contracts paid in State
scrip; when all the public works except the canal
were abandoned, the State offered for sale 700 tons
of railroad iron, which was purchased by Mr. Mat-
teson at a bargain. This he accepted, shipped and
sold at Detroit, realizing a very handsome profit,
enough to pay off all his canal debts and leave him a
surplus of several thousand dollars. His enterprise
next prompted him to start a woolen mill at Joliet,
in which he prospered, and which, after successive
enlargements, became an enormous establishment.

In 1842 he was first elected a State Senator, but,
by a bungling apportionment, John Pearson, a Senator
holding over, was found to be in the same district,
and decided to be entitled to represent it. Mat-
teson's seat was declared vacant. Pearson, however,
with a nobleness difficult to appreciate in this day of

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148

JOEL A. MATTESON.

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greed for office, unwilling to represent his district
under the circumstances, immediately resigned his
unexpired term of two years. A bill was 'passed in a
few hours ordering a new election, and in ten days'
time Mr. Matteson was returned re-elected and took
his seat as Senator. From his well-known capacity
as a business man, he was made Chairman of the
Committee on Finance, a position he held during
this half and two full succeeding Senatorial terms,
discharging its important duties with ability and faith-
fulness. Besides his extensive woolen-mill interest,
when work was resumed on the canal under the new
loan of $r, 600,000 he again became a heavy con-
tractor, and also subsequently operated largely in
building railroads. Thus he showed himself a most
energetic and thorough business man.

He was nominated for Governor by the Demo-
cratic State Convention which met at Springfield
April 20, 1852. Other candidates before the Con-
vention were D. L. Gregg and F. C. Sherman, of
Cook ; John Dement, of Lee ; Thomas L. Harris, of
Menard ; Lewis W. Ross, of Fulton ; and D. P. Bush,
of Pike. Gustavus Koerner, of St. Clair, was nom-
inated for Lieutenant Governor. For the same offices
the Whigs nominated Edwin B. Webb and Dexter A.
Knowlton. Mr. Matteson received 80,645 votes at
the election, while Mr. Webb received 64,408. Mat-
teson's forte was not on the stump; he had not cul-
tivated the art of oily flattery, or the faculty of being
all things to all men. His intellectual qualities took
rather the direction of efficient executive ability. His
turn consisted not so much in the adroit manage-
ment of party, or the powerful advocacy of great gov-
ernmental principles, as in those more solid and
enduring operations which cause the physical devel-
opment and advancement of a State, — of commerce
and business enterprise, into which he labored with
success to lead the people. As a politician he was
just and liberal in his views, and both in official and
private life he then stood untainted and free from
blemish. As a man, in active benevolence, social
virtues and all the amiable qualities of neighbor or
citizen, he had few superiors. His. messages present
a perspicuous array of facts as to the condition of the
State, and are often couched in forcible and elegant
diction.

The greatest excitement during his term of office
was the repeal of the Missouri Compromise, by Con-

gress, under the leadership of Stephen A. Douglas in
1854, when the bill was passed organizing the Terri-
tory of Kansas and Nebraska. A large portion of
the Whig party of the North, through their bitter op-
position to the Democratic party, naturally drifted
into the doctrine of anti-slavery, and thus led to what
was temporarily called the " Anti-Nebraska " party,
while the followers of Douglas were known as " Ne-
braska or Douglas Democrats." It was during this
embryo stage of the Republican party that Abraham
Lincoln was brought forward as the "Anti-Nebraska"
candidate for the United States Senatorship, while
Gen. James Shields, the incumbent, was re-nom-
inated by the Democrats. But after a few ballotings
in the Legislature,(i85s), these men were dropped,
and Lyman Trumbull, an Anti-Nebraska Democrat,
was brought up by the former, and Mr. Matteson,
then Governor, by the latter. On the nth ballot
Mr. Trumbull obtained one majority, and was ac-
cordingly declared elected. Before Gov. Matteson's
term expired, the Republicans were fully organized
as a national party, and in 1856 put into the field a
full national and State ticket, carrying the State, but
not the nation.

The Legislature of 1855 passed two very import-
ant measures, — the present free-school system and a
submission of the Maine liquor law to a vote of the
people. The latter was defeated by a small majority
of the popular vote.

During the four years of Gov. Matteson's admin-
istration the taxable wealth of the State was about
trebled, from $137,818,079 to $349,951,272; the pub-
lic debt was reduced from $17,398,985 to $^,843,-
144; taxation was at the same time reduced, and the
State resumed paying interest on its debt in New
York as fast as it fell due ; railroads were increased
in their mileage from something less than 400 to
about 3,000; and the population of Chicago was
nearly doubled, and its commerce more than quad-
rupled.

Before closing this account, we regret that we have
to say that Mr. Matteson, in all other respects an
upright man and a good Governor, was implicated
in a false re-issue of redeemed canal scrip, amount-
ing to $224,182.66. By a suit in the Sangamon Cir-
cuit Court the State recovered the principal and all
the interest excepting $27,500.

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He died in the winter of 1872-3, at Chicago.

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GO VERNORS OF ILLINOIS.

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ILLIAM H. BISSELL, Gov-
ernor 1857-60, was born
April 25, 181 1, in the
State of New York, near
Painted Post, Yates County.
His parents were obscure,
honest, God-fearing people,
who reared their children under the daily
example of industry and frugality, accord-
ing to the custom of that class of Eastern
society. Mr. Bissell received a respecta-
ble but not thorough academical education.
By assiduous application he acquired a
knowledge of medicine, and in his early
manhood came West and located in Mon-
roe County, this State, where he engaged in the
practice of that profession. But he was not enam-
ored of his calling: he was swayed by a broader
ambition, to such an extent that the mysteries of the
healing art and its arduous duties failed to yield him
further any charms. In a few years he discovered
his choice of a profession to be a mistake, and when
he approached the age of 30 he sought to begin
anew. Dr. Bissell, no doubt unexpectedly to him-
self, discovered a singular facility and charm of
speech, the exercise of which acquired for him a
ready local notoriety. It soon came to be under-

stood that he desired to abandon his profession and
take up that of the law. During terms of Court he
would spend his time at the county seat among the
members of the Bar, who extended to him a ready
welcome.

It was not strange, therefore, that he should drift
into public life. In 1840 he was elected as a Dem-
ocrat to the Legislature from Monroe County, and
was an efficient member of that body. On his re-
turn home he qualified himself for admission to the
Bar and speedily rose to the front rank as an advo-
cate. His powers of oratory were captivating. With a
pure diction, charming and inimitable gestures,
clearness of statement, and a remarkable vein of sly
humor, his efforts before a jury told with irresistible
effect. He was chosen by the Legislature Prosecut-
ing Attorney for the Circuit in which he lived, and
in that position he fully discharged his duty to the
State, gained the esteem 0/ the Bar, and seldom
failed to convict the offender of the law.

In stature he was somewhat tall and slender, and
with a straight, military bearing, he presented a dis-
tinguished appearance. His complexion was dark,
his head well poised, though not large, his address
pleasant and manner winning. He was exemplary
in his habits, a devoted husband and kind parent.
He was twice married, the first time to Miss James,

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of Monroe County, by whom he had two children,
both daughters. She died soon after the year 1840,
and Mr. B. married for his second wife a daughter
of Elias K. Kane, previously a United States Senator
from this State. She survived him but a short time,
and died without issue.

When the war with Mexico was declared in 1846,
Mr. Bissell enlisted and was elected Colonel of his
regiment, over Hon. Don Morrison, by an almost
unanimous vote, — 807 to 6. Considering the limited
opportunities he had had, he evinced a high order of
military talent. On the bloody field of Buena Vista
he acquitted himself with intrepid and distinguished
ability, contributing with his regiment, the Second
Illinois, in no small degree toward saving the waver-
ing fortunes of our arms during that long and fiercely
contested battle.

After his return home, at the close of the war, he
was elected to Congress, his opponents being the
Hons. P. B. Fouke and Joseph Gillespie. He served
two terms in Congress. He was an ardent politician.
During the great contest of 1850 he voted in favor
of the adjustment measures ; but in 1854 he opposed
the repeal of the Missouri Compromise act and
therefore the Kansas-Nebraska bill of Douglas, and
thus became identified with the nascent Republican
party.

During his first Congressional term, while the
Southern members were following their old practice
of intimidating the North by bullying language,
and claiming most of the credit for victories in the
Mexican War, and Jefferson Davis claiming for the
Mississippi troops all the credit for success at Buena
Vista, Mr. Bissell bravely defended the Northern
troops ; whereupon Davis challenged Bissell to a duel,
which was accepted. This matter was brought up
against Bissell when he was candidate for Governor
and during his term of office, as the Constitution of
this State forbade any duelist from holding a State
office.

In 1856, when the Republican party first put forth
a candidate, John C. Fremont, for President of the
United States, the same party nominated Mr. Bissell
for Governor of Illinois, and John Wood, of Quincy,
for Lieutenant Governor, while the Democrats nomi-
nated Hon. W. A. Richardson, of Adams County,
for Governor, and Col. R. J. Hamilton, of Cook
County, for Lieutenant Governor. The result of the

election was a plurality of 4,729 votes over Richard-
son. The American, or Know-Nothing, party had a
ticket in the field. The Legislature was nearly bal-
anced, but was politically opposed to the Governor.
His message to the Legislature was short and rather
ordinary, and was criticised for expressing the sup-
posed obligations of the people to the incorporators
of the Illinois Central Railroad Company and for re-
opening the slavery question by allusions to the
Kansas troubles. Late in the session an apportion-
ment bill, based upon the State census of 1855, was
passed, amid much partisan strife. The Governor
at first signed the bill and then vetoed it. A furious
debate followed, and the question whether the Gov-
ernor had the authority to recall a signature was
referred to the Courts, that of last resort deciding in
favor of the Governor. Two years afterward another
outrageous attempt was made for a re-apportionment
and to gerrymander the State, but the Legislature
failed to pass the bill over the veto of the Governor.

It was during Gov. Bissell's administration that
the notorious canal scrip fraud was brought to light,
implicating ex-Gov. Matteson and other prominent
State officials. The principal and interest, aggregat-
ing $255,500, was all recovered by the State except-
ing $27,500. (See sketch of Gov. Matteson.)

In 1859 an attempt was discovered to fraudu-
lently refund the Macalister and Stebbins bonds and
thus rob the State Treasury of nearly a quarter of a
million dollars. The State Government was impli-
cated in this affair, and to this day remains unex-
plained or unatoned for. For the above, and other
matters previously mentioned, Gov. Bissell has been
severely criticised, and he has also been most shame-
fully libelled and slandered.

On account of exposure in the army, the remote
cause of a nervous form of disease gained entrance
into his system and eventually developed paraplegia,
affecting his lower extremities, which, while it left
his body in comparative health, deprived him of loco-
motion except by the aid of crutches. While he was
generally hopeful of ultimate recovery, this myste-
rious disease pursued him, without once relaxing its
stealthy hold, to the close of his life, March 18,
i860, over nine months before the expiration of his
gubernatorial term, at the early age of 48 years. He
died in the faith of the Roman Catholic Church, of
which he hart been a member since 1854.

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GOVERNORS OF ILLINOIS.

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J:OHN WOOD, Governoir 1860-1, and
the first settler of Quincy, 111.,
was born in the town of Sempro-
nius (now Moravia), Cayuga Co.,
N. Y., Dec. 20, 1798. He was
the second child and only son of
Dr. Daniel Wood. His mother,
nee Catherine Crause, was of
German parentage, and died
while he was an infant. Dr.
Wood was a learned and skillful
physician, of classical attain-
ments and proficient in several
modern languages, who, after
serving throughout the Revolu-
tionary War as a Surgeon, settled on the land granted
him. by the Government, and resided there a re-
spected and leading influence in his section until his
death, at the ripe age of 92 years.

The subject of this sketch, impelled by the spirit
of Western adventure then pervading everywhere,
left his home, Nov. 2, 18 18, and passed the succeed-
ing winter in Cincinnati, Ohio. The following sum-
mer he pushed on to Illinois, landing at Shawneetown,
and spent the fall and following winter in Calhoun
County. In r82o, in company with Willard Keyes,
he settled in Pike County, about 30 miles southeast
of Quincy, where for the next two years he pursued
farming. In 182T he visited "the Bluffs" (as the
present site of Quincy was called, then uninhabited)
and, pleased with its prospects, soon after purchased
a quarter-section of land near by, and in the follow-
ing fall (1822) erected near the river a small cabin,

18 x 20 feet, the first building in Quincy, of which
he then became the first and for some months the
only occupant.

About this time he visited his old friends in Pike
County, chief of whom was William Ross, the lead-
ing man in building up the village of Atlas, of that
county, which was thought then to be the possible TJ?
commencement of a city. One day they and others
were traveling together over the country between the
two points named, making observations on the com-
parative merits of the respective localities. On ap-
proaching the Mississippi near Mr. Wood's place,
the latter told his companions to follow him and he
would show them where he was going to build a city.
They went about a mile off the main trail, to a high
point, from which the view in every direction was
most magnificent, as it had been for ages and as yet
untouched by the hand of man. Before them swept
by the majestic Father of Waters, yet unburdened by
navigation. After Mr. Wood had expatiated at
length on the advantages of the situation, Mr. Ross
replied, " But it's too near Atlas ever to amount to
anything!"

Atlas is still a cultivated farm, and Quincy is a
city of over 30,000 population.

In 1824 Mr. Wood gave a newspaper notice,
as the law then prescribed, of his intention to apply
to the General Assembly for the formation of a new
county. This was done the following winter, result-
ing in the establishment of the present Adams
County. During the next summer Quincy was se-
lected as the county seat, it and the vicinity then
containing but four adult male residents and half

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that number of females. Sinoe that period Mr.
Wood resided at the place of his early adoption un-
til his death, and far more than any other man was
he identified with every measure of its progress and
history, and almost continuously kept in public posi-
tions.

He was one of the early town Trustees, and after
the place became a city he was often a member of
the City Council, many times elected Mayor, in the
face of a constant large opposition political majority.
In 1850 he was elected to the State Senate. In 1856,
on the organization of the Republican party, he was
chosen Lieutenant Governor of the State, on the
ticket with Wm. H. Bissell for Governor, and on the
death of the latter, March 18, i860, he succeeded to
the Chief Executive chair, which he occupied until
Gov. Yates was inaugurated nearly ten months after-
ward.

Nothing very marked characterized the adminis-
tration of Gov. Wood. The great anti-slavery cam-
paign of i860, resulting in the election of the honest
Illinoisan, Abraham Lincoln, to the Presidency of the
United States, occurred during the short period
while Mr. Wood was Governor, and the excitement
and issues of that struggle dominated over every
other consideration, — indeed, supplanted them in a
great measure. The people of Illinois, during all
that time, were passing the comparatively petty strifes
under Bissell 's administration to the overwhelming
issue of preserving the whole nation from destruction.

In 1 86 1 ex-Gov. Wood was one of the five Dele-
gates from Illinois to the " Peace Convention " at
Washington, and in April of the same year, on the
breaking out of the Rebellion, he was appointed

Quartermaster-General of the State, which position
he held throughout the war. In 1864 he took com-
mand as Colonel of the 137 th 111. Vol. Inf., with
whom he served until the period of enlistment ex-
pired.

Politically, Gov. Wood was always actively identi-
fied with the Whig and Republican parties. Few
men have in personal experience comprehended so
many surprising and advancing local changes as
vested in the more than half century recollections of
Gov. Wood. Sixty-four years ago a solitary settler
on the "Bluffs,-' with no family, and no neighbor
within a score of miles, the world of civilization away
behind him, and the strolling red-man almost his
only visitant, he lived to see growing around him,
and under his auspices and aid, overspreading the
wild hills and scraggy forest a teaming city, second
only in size in the State, and surpassed nowhere in
beauty, prosperity and promise ; whose people recog-
nize as with a single voice the proverbial honor and
liberality that attach to the name and lengthened
life of their pioneer settler, "the old Governor."

Gov. Wood was twice married, — first in January,
1826, to Ann M. Streeter, daughter of Joshua Streeter,
formerly of Salem, Washington Co., N. Y. They had
eight children. Mrs. W. died Oct. 8, 1863, and in
June, 1865, Gov. Wood married Mrs. Mary A., widow
of Rev. Joseph T. Holmes. Gov. Wood died June 4,
1880, at his residence in Quincy. Four of his eight
children are now living, namely: Ann E., wife of
Gen. John Tillson; Daniel C, who married Mary J.
Abernethy; John, Jr., who married Josephine Skinner,
and Joshua S., who married Annie Bradley. The
last mentioned now resides at Atchison, Kansas, and
all the rest are still at Quincy.

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GOVERNORS OF ILLINOIS.

*59

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',.-.SJ-i,

ICHARD YATES, the "War
Governor," 1 86 1-4, was born
Jan. 18, 1818, on the banks of
the Ohio River, at Warsaw,
Gallatin Co., Ky. His father
moved in 1831 to Illinois, and(
after stopping for a time in
Springfield, settled at Island
Grove, Sangamon County. Here,
after attending school, Richard joined
the family. Subsequently he entered
Illinois College at Jacksonville,
where, in 1837, he graduated with
first honors. He chose for his pro-
fession the law, the Hon. J. J. Har-
din being his instructor. After ad-
mission to the Bar he soon rose to distinction as an
advocate.

Gifted with a fluent and ready oratory, he soon
appeared in the political hustings, and, being a
passionate admirer of the great Whig leader of the
West, Henry Clay, he joined his political fortunes to
the party of his idol. In 1840 he engaged with great
ardor in the exciting " hard cider " campaign for
Harrison. Two years later he was elected to the
Legislature from Morgan County, a Democratic
stronghold. He served three or four terms in the
Legislature, and such was the fascination of his ora-
tory that by 1850 his large Congressional District,
extending from Morgan and Sangamon Counties
north to include LaSalle, unanimously tendered him
the Whig nomination for Congress. His Democratic
opponent was Maj. Thomas L. Harris, a very pop-
ular man who had won distinction at the battle of
Cerro Gordo, in the Mexican War, and who had
beaten Hon. Stephen T. Logan for the same position,

two years before, by a large majority. Yates was
elected. Two years later he was re-elected, over
John Calhoun.

It was during Yates' second term in Congress that
the great question of the repeal of the Missouri Com-
promise was agitated, and the bars laid down for re-
opening the dreaded anti-slavery question. He took
strong grounds against the repeal, and thus became
identified with the rising Republican party. Conse-
quently he fell into the minority in his district, which
was pro-slavery. Even then, in a third contest, he
fell behind Major Harris only 200 votes, after the
district had two years before given Pierce 2,000
majority for President.

The Republican State Convention of 1 860 met at
Decatur May 9, and nominated for the office of Gov-
ernor Mr. Yates, in preference to Hon. Norman B.
Judd, of Chicago, and Leonard Swett, of Blooming-
ton, two of the ablest men of the State, who were
also candidates before the Convention. Francis A.
Hoffman, of DuPage County, was nominated for
Lieutenant Governor. This was the year when Mr.
Lincoln was a candidate for President, a period re-
membered as characterized by the great whirlpool
which precipitated the bloody War of the Rebellion.
The Douglas Democrats nominated J. C. Allen of
Crawford County, for Governor, and Lewis W. Ross,
of Fulton County, for Lieutenant Governor. The
Breckenridge Democrats and the Bell-Everett party
had also full tickets in the field. After a most fear-
ful campaign, the result of the election gave Mr.
Yates 172,196 votes, and Mr. Allen 159,253. Mr.
Yates received over a thousand more votes than did
Mr. Lincoln himself.

Gov. Yates occupied the chair of State during the

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6V3IW® II Df>^ *&*;

1 60

RICHARD YATES.

*
®

most critical period of our country's history. In the
fate of the nation was involved that of each State.
The life struggle of the former derived its sustenance
from the loyalty of the latter; and Gov. Yates
seemed to realize the situation, and proved himself
both loyal and wise in upholding the Government.
He had a deep hold upon the affections of the
people, won by his moving eloquence and genial
manners. Erect and symmetrical in person, of pre-
possessing appearance, with a winning address and a
magnetic power, few men possessed more of the ele-
ments of popularity. His oratory was scholarly and
captivating, his hearers hardly knowing why they
were transported. He was social and convivial. In
the latter respect he was ultimately carried too far.

The very creditable military efforts of this State
during the War of the Rebellion, in putting into the
field the enormous number of about 200,000 soldiers,
were ever promptly and ably seconded by his excel-
lency ; and the was ambitious to deserve the title of
"the soldier's friend." Immediately after the battle of
Shiloh he repaired to the field of carnage to look
after the wounded, and his appeals for aid were
promptly responded to by the people. His procla-
mations calling for volunteers were impassionate
appeals, urging upon the people the duties and re-
quirements of patriotism ; and his special message
in 1863 to the Democratic Legislature of this State
pleading for material aid for the sick and wounded
soldiers of Illinois regiments, breathes a deep fervor
of noble sentiment and feeling rarely equaled in
beauty or felicity of expression. Generally his mes-
sages on political and civil affairs were able and com-
prehensive. During his administration, however,
there were no civil events of an engrossing character,
although two years of his time were replete with
partisan quarrels of great bitterness. Military ar-
rests, Knights of the Golden Circle, riot in Fulton
County, attempted suppression of the Chicago Times
and the usurping State Constitutional Convention of
1862, were the chief local topics that were exciting
during the Governor's term. This Convention assem-
bled Jan. 7, and at once took the high position that
the law calling it was no longer binding, and that it
had supreme power; that it represented a virtual
assemblage of the whole people of the State, and was
sovereign in the exercise of all power necessary to
effect a peaceable revolution of the State Government

^^EL ^_A4>|J[|$

and to the re-establishment of one for the "happiness,
prosperity and freedom of the citizens," limited only
by the Federal Constitution. Notwithstanding the
law calling the Convention required its members to
take an oath to support the Constitution of the State
as well as that of the general Government, they
utterly refused to take such oath. They also as-
sumed legislative powers and passed several import-
ant "laws!" Interfering with the (then) present
executive duties, Gov. Yates was provoked to tell
them plainly that " he did not acknowledge the right
of the Convention to instruct him in the performance
of his duty."

In 1863 the Governor astonished the Democrats
by " proroguing " their Legislature. This body, after
a recess, met June 2, that year, and soon began to
waste time upon various partisan resolutions ; and,
while the two houses were disagreeing upon the
question of adjourning sine die, the Governor, having
the authority in such cases, surprised them all by
adjourning them " to the Saturday next preceding the
first Monday in January, 1865 ! " This led to great
excitement and confusion, and to a reference of the
Governor's act to the Supreme Court, who decided in
his favor. Then it was the Court's turn to receive
abuse for weeks and months afterward.

During the autumn of 1864 a conspiracy was de-
tected at Chicago which had for its object the liber-
ation of the prisoners of war at Camp Douglas, the
burning of the city and the inauguration of rebellion
in the North. Gen. Sweet, who had charge of the
camp at the time, first had his suspicions of danger
aroused by a number of enigmatically worded letters
which passed through the Camp postoffice. A de-
tective afterward discovered that the rebel Gen.
Marmaduke was in the city, under an assumed
name, and he, with other rebel officers — Grenfell,
Morgan, Cantrell, Buckner Morris, and Charles
Walsh — was arrested, most of whom were convicted
by a court-martial at Cincinnati and sentenced to
imprisonment, — Grenfell to be hung. The sentence
of the latter was afterward commuted to imprison-
ment for life, and all the others, after nine months'
imprisonment, were pardoned.

In March, 1873, Gov. Yates was appointed a Gov-
ernment Director of the Union Pacific Railroad, in
which office he continued until his decease, at St.
Louis, Mo., on the 27th of November following.

&J.Q*

GOVERNORS OF ILLINOIS.

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Michard J. Ogles

**sqps**

-•M* *-

ICHARD J. OGLESBY, Gov-
ernor 1865-8, and re-elected
in 1872 and 1884, was born
July 25, 1824, in Oldham Co.,
Ky., — the State which might
be considered the " mother of
Illinois Governors." Bereft of
his parents at the tender age
of eight years, his early education
was neglected. When 12 years of
age, and after he had worked a year
and a half at the carpenter's trade,
he removed with an uncle, Willis
Oglesby, into whose care he had
been committed, to Decatur, this
State, where he continued his ap-
prenticeship as a mechanic, working six months for
Hon. E. O. Smith.

In 1844 he commenced studying law at Spring-
field, with Judge Silas Robbins, and read with him
one year. He was admitted to the Bar in 1845, and
commenced the practice of his chosen profession at
Sullivan, the county seat of Moultrie County.

The next year the war with Mexico was com-
menced, and in June, 1846, Mr. Oglesby volunteered,
was elected First Lieutenant of Co. C, Fourth Illinois
Regiment of Volunteers, and participated in the bat-
tles of Vera Cruz and Cerro Gordo.

On his return he sought to perfect his law studies
by attending a course of lectures at Louisville, but
on the breaking out of the California "gold fever " in
1849, he crossed the plains and mountains to the
new Eldorado, driving a six-mule team, with a com-

pany of eight men, Henry Prather being the leader.

In 1852 he returned home to Macon County, and
was placed that year by the Whig party on the ticket
of Presidential Electors. In 1856 he visited Europe,
Asia and Africa, being absent 20 months. On his
return home he resumed the practice of law, as a
member of the firm of Gallagher, Wait & Oglesby.
In 1858 he was the Republican nominee for the
Lower House of Congress, but was defeated by the
Hon. James C. Robinson, Democrat. In i860 he
was elected to the Illinois State Senate ; and on the
evening the returns of this election were coming in,
Mr. Oglesby had a fisticuff encounter with " Cerro
Gordo Williams," in which he came out victorious,
and which was regarded as " the first fight of the
Rebellion." The following spring, when the war
had commenced in earnest, his ardent nature
quickly responded to the demands of patriotism and
he enlisted. The extra session of the Legislature
elected him Colonel of the Eighth Illinois Infantry,
the second one in the State raised to suppress the
great Rebellion.

He was shortly entrusted with important com-
mands. For a time he was stationed at Bird's Point
and Cairo ; in April he was promoted Brigadier Gen-
eral ; at Fort Donelson his brigade was in the van,
being stationed on the right of General Grant's army
and the first brigade to be attacked. He lost 500
men before re-inforcements arrived. Many of these
men were from Macon County. He was engaged in
the battle of Corinth, and, in a brave charge at this
place, was shot in the left lung with an ounce ball,
and was carried from the field in expectation of im-

*®^ ©A^flMS&AS *®^

(!)

164

RICHARD J. OGLESBY.

mediate death. That rebel ball he carries to this
day. On his partial recovery he was promoted as
Major General, for gallantry, his commission to rank
from November, 1862. In the spring of 1863 he
was assigned to the command of the 16th Army
Corps, but, owing to inability from the effects of his
wound, he relinquished this command in July, that
year. Gen. Grant, however, refused to accept his
resignation, and he was detailed, in December follow-
ing, to court-martial and try the Surgeon General of
the Army at Washington, where he remained until
May, 1864, when he returned home.

The Republican, or Union, State Convention of

1864 was held at Springfield, May 25, when Mr.
Oglesby was nominated for the office of Governor,
while other candidates before the Convention were
Allen C. Fuller, of Boone, Jesse K. Dubois, of Sanga-
mon, and John M. Palmer, of Macoupin. Wm.
Bross, of Chicago, was nominated for Lieutenant
Governor. On the Democratic State ticket were
James C. Robinson, of Clark, for Governor, and S.
Corning Judd, of Fulton, for Lieutenant Governor.
The general election gave Gen. Oglesby a majority
of about 31,000 votes. The Republicans had also a
majority in both the Legislature and in the repre-
sentation in Congress.

Gov. Oglesby was duly inaugurated Jan. 17, r865.
The day before the first time set for his installation
death visited his home at Decatur, and took from it
his only son, an intelligent and sprightly lad of six
years, a great favorite of the bereaved parents. This
caused the inauguration to be postponed a week.

The political events of the Legislative session of

1865 were the election of ex-Gov. Yates to the
United States Senate, and the ratification of the 13th
amendment to the Constitution of the United States,
abolishing slavery. This session also signalized
itself by repealing the notorious "black laws," part
of which, although a dead letter, had held their place
upon the statute books since 181 9. Also, laws re-
quiring the registration of voters, and establishing a
State Board of Equalization, were passed by this Leg-
islature. But the same body evinced that it was cor-
ruptly influenced by a mercenary lobby, as it adopted
some bad legislation, over the Governor's veto, nota-
bly an amendment to a charter for a Chicago horse
railway, granted in 1859 for 25 years, and now
sought to be extended 99 years. As this measure
was promptly passed over his veto by both branches
of the Legislature, he deemed it useless further to
attempt to check their headlong career. At this
session no law of a general useful character or public
interest was perfected, unless we count such the
turning over of the canal to Chicago to be deepened.
The session of 1867 was still more productive of
private and special acts. Many omnibus bills were
proposed, and some passed. The contests over the
location of the Industrial College, the Capital, the

Southern Penitentiary, and the canal enlargement
and Illinois River improvement, dominated every-
thing else.

During the year 1872, it became evident that if
the Republicans could re-elect Mr. Oglesby to the
office of Governor, they could also elect him to the
United States Senate, which they desired to do.
Accordingly they re-nominated him for the Execu-
tive chair, and placed upon the ticket with him for
Lieutenant Governor, John L. Beveridge, of Cook
County. On the other side the Democrats put into
the field Gustavus Koemer for Governor and John
C. Black for Lieutenant Governor. The election
gave the Republican ticket majorities ranging from
35,334 to 56,174, — the Democratic defection being
caused mainly by tbeir having an old-time Whig and
Abolitionist, Horace Greeley, on the national ticket
for President. According to the general understand-
ing had beforehand, as soon as the Legislature met
it elected Gov. Oglesby to the United States Senate,
whereupon Mr. Beveridge became Governor. Sena-
tor Oglesby 's term expired March 4, 1879, having
served his party faithfully and exhibited an order of
statesmanship beyond criticism.

During the campaign of 1884 Mr. Oglesby was
nominated for a "third term" as Executive of the
State of Illinois, against Carter H. Harrison, Mayor
of Chicago, nominated by the Democrats. Both
gentlemen " stumped " the State, and while the peo-
ple elected a Legislature which was a tie on a joint
ballot, as between the two parties, they gave the
jovial " Dick" Oglesby a majority of i5,or8 for Gov-
ernor, and he was inaugurated Jan. 30, 1885. The
Legislature did not fully organize until this date, on
account of its equal division between the two main
parties and the consequent desperate tactics of each
party to checkmate the latter in the organization of
the House.

Gov. Oglesby is a fine-appearing, affable man, with
regular, well defined features and rotund face. In
stature he is a little above medium height, of a large
frame and somewhat fleshy. His physical appear-
ance is striking and prepossessing, while his straight-
out, not to say bluff, manner and speech are well
calculated favorably to impress the average masses.
Ardent in feeling and strongly committed to the pol-
icies of his party, he intensifies Republicanism
among Republicans, while at the same time his jovial
and liberal manner prevents those of the opposite
party from hating him.

He is quite an effective stump orator. With vehe-
ment, passionate and scornful tone and gestures,
tremendous physical power, which in speaking he
exercises to the utmost; with frequent descents to
the grotesque; and with abundant homely compari-
sons or frontier figures, expressed in the broadest
vernacular and enforced with stentorian emphasis,
he delights a promiscuous audience beyond measure.

&<Mmv&*r&

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GOVERNORS OF ILLINOIS.

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John M. -Pal mem

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4

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OHN Mc AULEY PALMER, Gov-
ernor 1869-72, was born on
Eagle Creek, Scott Co., Ky.,
Sept. 13, 1817. During his in-
fancy, his father, who had been
a soldier in the war of 181 2, re-
moved to Christian Co., Ky.,
where lands were cheap. Here
the future Governor of the great
Prairie State spent his childhood
and received such meager school-
ing as the new and sparsely set-
tled country afforded. To this
he added materially by diligent
reading, for which he evinced an
early aptitude. His father, an ardent Jackson man,
was also noted for his anti-slavery sentiments, which
he thoroughly impressed upon his children. In 183 1
he emigrated to Illinois, settling in Madison County.
Here the labor of improving a farm was pursued for
about two years, when the death of Mr. Palmer's
mother broke up the family. About this time Alton
College was opened, on the "manual labor " system,
and in the spring of 1834 young Palmer, with his
elder brother, Elihu, entered this school and remained
18 months. Next, for over three years, he tried
variously coopering, peddling and school-teaching.

During the summer of 1838 he formed the ac-
quaintance of Stephen A. Douglas, then making his

first canvass for Congress. Young, eloquent and in
political accord with Mr. Palmer, he won his confi-
dence, fired his ambition and fixed his purpose. The
following winter, while teaching near Canton, he be-
gan to devote his spare time to a desultory reading
of law, and in the spring entered a law office at Car-
linville, making his home with his elder brother,
Elihu. (The latter was a learned clergyman, of con-
siderable orginality of thought and doctrine.) On
the next meeting of the Supreme Court he was ad-
mitted to the Bar, Douglas being one of his examiners.
He was not immediately successful in his profession,
and would have located elsewhere than Carlinville
had he the requisite means. Thus his early poverty
was a blessing in disguise, for to it he now attributes
the success of his life.

From 1839 on, while he diligently pursued his
profession, he participated more or less in local
politics. In 1843 he became Probate Judge. In
1847 he was elected to the State Constitutional Con-
vention, where he took a leading part. In 1852 he
was elected to the State Senate, and at the special
session of February, 1854, true to the anti-slavery
sentiments bred in him, he took a firm stand in op-
position to the repeal of the Missouri Compromise;
and when the Nebraska question became a party
issue he refused to receive a re-nomination for the
Senatorship at the hands of the Democracy, issuing
a circular to that effect. A few weeks afterward,

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168

/0.ffW MC AULEY PALMER.

(!)

•1*

however, hesitating to break with his party, he par-
ticipated in a Congressional Convention which nomi-
T. L. Harris against Richard Yates, and which
unqualifiedly approved the principles of the Kansas-
Nebraska act. But later in the campaign he made
the plunge, ran for the Senate as an Anti-Nebraska
Democrat, and was elected. The following winter
he put in nomination for the '.United States Senate
Mr. Trumbull, and was one of the five steadfast men
who voted for him until all the Whigs came to their
support and elected their man.

In 1856 he was Chairman of the Republican State
Convention at Bloomington. He ran for Congress in
1859, but was defeated. In i860 he was Republican
Presidential Elector for the State at large. In 1861
he was appointed one of the five Delegates (all Re-
publicans) sent by Illinois to the peace congress at
Washington.

When the civil conflict broke out, he offered his
services to his country, and was elected Colonel of the
14th 111. Vol. Inf., and participated in the engagements
at Island No. 10 ; at Farmington, where he skillfully
extricated his command from a dangerous position ;
at Stone River, where his division for several hours,
Dec. 31, 1862, held the advance and stood like a
rock, and for his gallantry there he was made Major
General ; at Chickamauga, where his and Van Cleve's
divisions for two hour.s maintained their position
when they were cut off by overpowering numbers.
Under Gen. Sherman, he was assigned to the 14th
Army Corps and participated in the Atlanta campaign.
At Peach-Tree Creek his prudence did much to avert
disaster. In February, 1865, Gen. Palmer was as-
signed to the military administration of Kentucky,
which was a delicate post. That State was about
half rebel and half Union, and those of the latter
element were daily fretted by the loss of their slaves.
He, who had been bred to the rules of common law,
trembled at the contemplation of his extraordinary
power over the persons and property of his fellow
men, with which he was vested in his capacity as
military Governor ; and he exhibited great caution in
the execution of the duties of his post.

Gen. Palmer was nominated for Governor of Illi-
nois by the Republican State Convention which met
at Peoria May 6, 1868, and his nomination would
probably have been made by acclamation had he not
persistently declared that he could not accept a can-

didature for the office. The result of the ensuing
election gave Mr. Palmer a majority of 44,707 over
John R. Eden, the Democratic nominee.

On the meeting of the Legislature in January,
1869, the first thing to arrest public attention was
that portion of the Governor's message which took
broad Slate's rights ground. This and some minor
points, which were more in keeping with the Demo-
cratic sentiment, constituted the entering wedge fjr
the criticisms and reproofs he afterward received
from the Republican party, and ultimately resulted
in his entire aleniation from the latter element. The
Legislature just referred to was noted for the intro-
duction of numerous bills in the interest of private
parties, which were embarrassing to the Governor.
Among the public acts passed was that which limited
railroad charges for passenger travel to a maximum
of three cents per mile ; and it was passed over the
Governor's veto. Also, they passed, over his veto,
the " tax-grabbing law " to pay railroad subscriptions,
the Chicago Lake Front bill, etc. The new State
Constitution of 1870, far superior to the old, was a
peaceful " revolution " which took place during Gov.
Palmer's term of office. The suffering caused by the
great Chicago Fire of October, 187 1, was greatly
alleviated by the prompt responses of his excellency.

Since the expiration of Gov. Palmers 's term, he has
been somewhat prominent in Illinois politics, and
has been talked of by many, especially in the Dem-
ocratic party, as the best man in the State for a
United States Senator. His business during life has
been that of the law. Few excel him in an accurate
appreciation of the depth and scope of its principles.
The great number of his able veto messages abun-
dantly testify not only this but also a rare capacity to
point them out. He is a logical and cogent reasoner
and an interesting, forcible and convincing speaker,
though not fluent or ornate. Without brilliancy, his
dealings are rather with facts and ideas than with
appeals to passions and prejudices. He is a patriot
and a statesman of very high order. Physically he is
above the medium height, of robust frame, ruddy
complexion and sanguine-nervous temperament. He
has a large cranial development, is vivacious, social
in disposition, easy of approach, unostentatious in his
habits of life, democratic in his habits and manners
and is a true American in his fundamental principles
of statesmanship.

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GO VERNORS OF ILLINOIS.

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OHN LOWRiE BEVER-
IDGE, Governor 1873-6, was
born in the town of Green-
wich, Washington Co., N. Y.,
July 6, 1824. His parents
were George and Ann Bever-
idge. His father's parents, An-
drew and Isabel Beveridge, be-
fore their marriage emigrated
from Scotland just before the
Revolutionary War, settling in
Washington County. His father
was the eldest of eight brothers, the
youngest of whom was 60 years of
age when the first one of the num-
ber died. His mother's parents,
James and Agnes Hoy, emigrated
from Scotland at the close of the
Revolutionary War, settling also in
Washington Co., N. Y., with their
first-born, whose " native land "was
the wild ocean. His parents and
grandparents lived beyond the time
allotted to man, their average age
being-over 80 years. They belonged to the " Asso-
ciate Church," a seceding Presbyterian body of

America from the old Scotch school ; and so rigid
was the training of young Beveridge that he never
heard a sermon from any other minister except that
of his own denomination until he was in his 19th
year. Later in life he became a member of the
Methodist Episcopal Church, which relation he still
holds.

Mr. Beveridge received a good common-school ed-
ucation, but his parents, who could obtain a livelihood
only by rigid economy and industry, could not send
him away to college. He was raised upon a farm,
and was in his 18th year when the family removed
to De Kalb County, this State, when that section was
very sparsely settled. Chicago had less than 7,000
inhabitants. In this wild West he continued as a
farm laborer, teaching school during the winter
months to supply the means of an education. In the
fall of 1842 he attended one term at the academy at
Granville, Putnam Co., 111., and subsequently several
terms at the Rock River Seminary at Mount Morris,
Ogle Co., 111., completing the academic course. At
this time, the fall of 1845, his parents and brothers
were anxious to have him go to college, even though
he had not money sufficient; but, njt willing to bur-
den the family, he packed his trunk and with only
$40 in money started South to seek his fortune.

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JOHN L. BEVERIDGE,

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Poor, alone, without friends and influence, he thus
entered upon the battle of life.

First, he taught school in Wilson, Overton and
Jackson Cos., Tenn., in which experience he under-
went considerable mental drill, both in book studies
and in the ways of the world. He read law and was
admitted to the Bar, in the South, but did not learn
to love the institution of slavery, although he ad-
mired many features of Southern character. In De-
cember, 1847, he returned North, and Jan. zo, 1848,
he married Miss Helen M. Judson, in the old Clark-
Street M. E. church in Chicago, her father at thai
time being Pastor of the society there. In the spring
of 1848 he returned with his wife to Tennessee,
where his two children, Alia May and Philo Judson,
were born.

In the fall of 1849, through the mismanagement
of an associate, he lost what little he had accumu-
lated and was left in debt. He soon managed to
earn means to pay his debts, returned to De Kalb
Co., 111., and entered upon the practice of his pro-
fession at Sycamore, the county seat. On arrival
from the South he had but one-quarter of a dollar in
money, and scanty clothing and bedding for himself
and family. He borrowed a little money, practiced
law, worked in public offices, kept books for some of
the business men of the town, and some railroad en-
gineering, till the spring of 1854, when he removed
to Evanston, 12 miles north of Chicago, a place then
but recently. laid out, under the supervision of the
Northwestern University, a Methodist institution.
Of the latter his father-in-law was then financial
agent and business manager. Here Mr. Beveridge
prospered, and the next year (1855) opened a law
office in Chicago, where he found the battle some-
what hard; but he persevered with encouragement
and increasing success.

Aug. 12, 1861, his law partner, Gen. John F.
Farnsworth, secured authority to raise a regiment of
cavalry, and authorized Mr. Beveridge to raise a
company for it. He succeeded in a few days in rais-
ing the company, of course enlisting himself along
with it. The regiment rendezvoused at St. Charles,
111., was mustered in Sept. 18, and on its organiza-
tion Mr. B. was elected Second Major. It was at-
tached, Oct. 11, to the Eighth Cavalry and to the
Army of the Potomac. He served with the regiment
until November, 1863, participating in some 40 bat-

tles and skirmishes : was at Fair Oaks, the seven days'
fight around Richmond, Fredericksburg, Chancellors-
ville and Gettysburg. He commanded the regiment
the greater part of the summerof 1863, and it was while
lying in camp this year that he originated the policy
of encouraging recruits as well as the fighting capac-
ity of the soldiery, by the wholesale furlough system.
It worked so well that many other officers adopted
it. In the fall of this year he recruited another com-
pany, against heavy odds, in January, 1864, was
commissioned Colonel of the 17th 111. Cav., and
skirmished around in Missouri, concluding with the
reception of the surrender of Gen. Kirby Smith's
army in Arkansas. In 1865 he commanded various
sub-districts in the Southwest. He was mustered
out Feb. 6, 1866, safe from the casualties of war and
a stouter man than when he first enlisted. His men
idolized him.

He then returned to Chicago, to practice law, with
no library and no clientage, and no political experi-
ence except to help others into office. In the fall of
1866 he was elected Sheriff of Cook County, serving
one term; next, until November, 1870, he practiced
law and closed up the unfinished business of his
office. He was then elected State Senator; in No-
vember, 187 1, he was elected Congressman at large;
in November, 1872, he was elected Lieutenant Gov-
ernor on the ticket with Gov. Oglesby ; the latter be-
ing elected to the U. S. Senate, Mr. Beveridge became
Governor, Jan. 21, 1873. Thus, inside of a few
weeks, he was Congressman at large, Lieutenant
Governor and Governor. The principal events oc-
curring during Gov. Beveridge's administration were:
The completion of the revision of the statutes, begun
in 1869; the partial success of the "farmers' move-
ment;" " Haines' Legislature " and Illinois' exhibit at
the Centennial.

Since the close of his gubernatorial term ex-Gov.
Beveridge has been a member of the firm of Bever-
idge & Dewey, bankers and dealers in commercial
paper at 7 1 Dearborn Street (McCormick Block),
Chicago, and since November, 1881, he has also been
Assistant United States Treasurer: office in the
Government Building. His residence is still at Ev-
anston.

He has a brother and two sisters yet residing in
De Kalb County — James H. Beveridge, Mrs. Jennet
Henry and Mrs. Isabel French.

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HELBY M. CULLOM, Gover-
nor 1877-83, is the sixth child
of the late Richard N. Cullom,
and Was bom Nov. 22, 1829, in
Wayne Co., Ky., where his fa-
ther then resided, and whence
both the Illinois and Tennessee
branches of the family originated. In
the following year the family emi-
grated to the vicinity of Washington,
Tazewell Co., 111., when that section
was very sparsely settled. They lo-
cated on Deer Creek, in a grove at
the time occupied by a party of In-
dians, attracted there by the superior
hunting and fishing afforded in that
vicinity. The following winter was
known as the " hard winter," the snow [being very
deep and lasting and the weather severely cold ; and
the family had to subsist mainly on boiled corn or
hominy, and some wild game, for several weeks. In
the course of time Mr. R. N. Cullom became a prom-
inent citizen and was several times elected to the
Legislature, both before and after the removal of the
capital from Vandalia to Springfield. He died about

i873-

Until about 19 years of age young Cullom grew up
to agricultural pursuits, attending school as he had
opportunity during the winter. Within this time,
however, he spent several months teaching school,

4 —

and in the following summer he "broke prairie "with
an ox team for the neighbors. With the money ob-
tained by these various ventures, he undertook a
course of study at the Rock River Seminary, a
Methodist institution at Mt. Morris, Ogle County;
but the sudden change to the in-door life of a stu-
dent told severely upon his health, and he was taken
home, being considered in a hopeless condition. While
at Mt. Morris he heard Hon. E. B. Washburne make
his first speech.

On recovering health, Mr. Cullom concluded to
study law, under the instruction of Abraham Lincoln,
at Springfield, who had by this time attained some
notoriety as an able lawyer ; but the latter, being ab-
sent from his office most of the time, advised Mr.
Cullom to enter the office of Stuart & Edwards.
After about a year of study there, however, his health
failed again, and he was obliged to return once more
to out-door life. Accordingly he bought hogs for
packing, for A. G. Tyng, in Peoria, and while he re-
gained his health he gained in purse, netting $400 in
a few weeks. Having been admitted to the Bar, he
went to Springfield, where he was soon elected City
Attorney, on the Anti-Nebraska ticket.

In 1856 he ran on the Fillmore ticket as a Presi-
dential Elector, and, although failing to be elected as
such, he was at the same time elected a Representa-
tive in the Legislature from Sangamon County, by a
local coalition of the American and Republican par-
ties. On the organization of the House, he received
the vote of the Fillmore men for Speaker. Practicing

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SHELB Y M. CULLOM.

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law until 1 860, he was again elected to the Legisla-
ture, as a Republican, while the county went Demo-
cratic on the Presidential ticket. In January follow-
ing he was elected Speaker, probably the youngest
man who had ever presided over an Illinois Legis-
lature. After the session of 186 1, he was a candidate
for the State Constitutional Convention called for
that year, but was defeated, and thus escaped the
disgrace of being connected with that abortive party
scheme to revolutionize the State Government. In
1862 he was a candidate for the State Senate, but
was defeated. The same year, however, he was ap-
pointed by President Lincoln on a Government
Commission, in company with Gov. Boutwell of
Massachusetts and Charles A. Dana, since of the
New York Sun, to investigate the affairs of the
Quartermaster's and Commissary Departments at
Cairo. He devoted several months to this duty.

In 1864 he entered upon a larger political field,
being nominated as the Republican candidate for
Congress from the Eighth (Springfield) District, in
opposition to the incumbent, John T. Stuart, who had
been elected in 1862 by about 1,500 majority over
Leonard Swett, then of Bloomington, now of Chicago.
The result was the election of Mr. Cullom in Novem-
ber following by a majority of 1,785. In 1866 he
was re-elected to Congress, over Dr. E. S. Fowler,"by
the magnificent majority of 4,103! In 1868 he'was
again a candidate, defeating the Hon. B. S. Edwards,
another of his old preceptors, by 2,884 votes.

During his first term in Congress he served on the
Committee on Foreign Affairs and Expenditures in
the Treasury Department; in his second term, on
the Committees on Foreign Affairs and on Territories ;
and in his third term he succeeded Mr. Ashley, of
Ohio, to the Chairmanship of the latter. He intro-
duced a bill in the House, to aid in the execution of
law in Utah, which caused more consternation among
the Mormons than any measure had previously, but
which, though it passed the House, failed to pass the
Senate.

The Republican Convention which met May 25,
1876, nominated Mr. Cullom for Governor, while the
other contestant was Gov. Beveridge. For Lieuten-
ant-Governor they nominated Andrew Shuman, editor
of the Chicago Journal. For the same offices the
Democrats, combining with the Anti-Monopolists,
placed in nomination Lewis Steward, a wealthy

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farmer and manufacturer, and A. A. Glenn. The
result of the election was rather close, Mr. Cullom
obtaining only 6,800 majority. He was inaugurated
Jan. 8, 1877.

Great depression prevailed in financial circles at
this time, as a consequence of the heavy failures of
1873 and afterward, the effect of which had seemed
to gather force from that time to the end of Gov.
Cullom's first administration. This unspeculative
period was not calculated to call forth any new
issues, but the Governor's energies were at one time
put to task to quell a spirit of insubordination that
had been begun in Pittsburg, Pa., among the laboring
classes, and transferred to Illinois at Chicago, East
St. Louis and Braidwood, at which places laboring
men for a short time refused to work or allow others
to work. These disturbances were soon quelled and
the wheels of industry again set in motion.

In May, 1880, Gov. Cullom was re-nominated by
the Republicans, against Lyman Trumbull, by the
Democrats; and although the former party was some-
what handicapped in the campaign by a zealous
faction opposed to Grant for President and to Grant
men for office generally, Mr. Cullom was re-elected
by about 3 14,565, to 277,532 for the Democratic State
ticket. The Greenback vote at the same time was
about 27,000. Both Houses of the Legislature again
became Republican, and no representative of the
Greenback or Socialist parties were elected. Gov.
Cullom was inaugurated Jan. 10, 1881. In his mes-
sage he announced that the last dollar of the State
debt had been provided for.

March 4, 1883, the term of David Davis as United
States Senator from Illinois expired, and Gov. Cul-
lom was chosen to succeed him. This promoted
Lieutenant-Governor John M. Hamilton to the Gov-
ernorship. Senator Cullom's term in the United
States Senate will expire March 4, 1889.

As a practitioner of law Mr. C. has been a member
of the firm of Cullom, Scholes & Mather, at Spring-
field ; and he has also been President of the State
National Bank.

He has been married twice,— the first time Dec.
12, 1855, to Miss Hannah Fisher, by whom he had
two daughters ; and the second time May 5, 1863,
to Julia Fisher. Mrs. C is a member of the Method-
ist Episcopal Church, with which religious body Mr.
C. is also in sympathy.

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GOVERNORS OF ILLINOIS.

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OHN MARSHALL HAMIL-
TON, Governor 1883-5, was
born May 28, 1847, in a log
house upon a farm about two
miles from Rich wood, Union
County, Ohio. His father was
Samuel Hamilton, the eldest son
of Rev. Win. Hamilton, who, to-
gether with his brother, the Rev.
Samuel Hamilton, was among the
early pioneer Methodist preachers in
Ohio. The mother of the subject of
this sketch was, before her marriage,
Mrs. Nancy McMorris, who was
born and raised in Fauquier or Lou-
doun County, Va., and related to the
two large families of Youngs and Marshalls, well
known in that commonwealth ; and from the latter
family name was derived the middle name of Gov.
Hamilton.

In March, 1854, Mr. Hamilton's father sold out
his little pioneer forest home in Union County, O.,
and, loading his few household effects and family
(of six children) into two emigrant covered wagons,
moved to Roberts Township, Marshall Co., 111., being
21 days on the route. Swamps, unbridged streams
and innumerable hardships and privations met them
on their way. Their new home had been previously
selected by the father. Here, after many long years
of toil; they succeeded in paying for the land and
making a comfortable home. John was, of course,

brought up to hard manual labor, with no schooling
except three or four months in the year at a common
country school. However, he evinced a capacity
and taste for a high order of self-education, by
studying or reading what books be could borrow, as
the family had but very few in the house. Much of
his study he prosecuted by the light of a log fire in
the old-fashioned chimney place. The financial
panic of 1857 caused the family to come near losing
their home, to pay debts ; but the father and two
sons, William and John, "buckled to" and perse-
vered in hard labor and economy until they redeemed
their place from the mortgage.

When the tremendous excitement of the political
campaign of i860 reached the neighborhood of Rob-
erts Township, young Hamilton, who had been
brought up in the doctrine of anti-slavery, took a zeal-
ous part in favor of Lincoln's election. Making special
efforts to procure a little money to buy a uniform, he
joined a company of Lincoln Wide-Awakes at Mag-
nolia, a village not far away. Directly after the
ensuing election it became evident that trouble
would ensue with the'South, and this Wide-Awake
company, like many others throughout the country,
kept up its organization and transformed itself into a
military company. During the ensuing summer they
met often for drill and became proficient ; but when
they offered themselves for the war, young Hamilton
was rejected on account of his youth, he being then
but 14 years of age. During the winter of 1863-4 he
attended an academy at Henry, Marshall County,

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JOHN MARSHALL HAMILTON.

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and in the following May he again enlisted, for the
fourth time, when he was placed in the 141st 111.
Vol. Inf., a regiment then being raised at Elgin, 111.,
for the 100-day service. He took with him 13 other
lads from his neighborhood, for enlistment in the
service. This regiment operated in Southwestern
Kentucky, for about five months, under Gen. Paine.

The following winter, 1864-5, Mr. Hamilton taught
school, and during the two college years 1865-7, he
went through three years of the curriculum of the
Ohio Wesleyan University at Delaware, Ohio. The
third year he graduated, the fourth in a class of 46,
in the classical department. In due time he received
the degree of M. A. For a few months he was the
Principal of Marshall " College " at Henry, an acad-
emy under the auspices of the M. E. Church. By
this time he had commenced the study of law, and
after earning some money as a temporary Professor
of Latin at the Illinois Wesleyan University at
B'.oomington, he entered the law office of Weldon,
Tipton & Benjamin, of that city. Each member of
this firm has since been distinguished as a Judge.
Admitted to the Bar in May, 1870, Mr. Hamilton
was given an interest in the same firm, Tipton hav-
ing been elected Judge. In October following he
formed a partnership with J. H. Rowell, at that time
Prosecuting Attorney. Their business was then
small, but they increased it to very large proportions,
practicing in all grades of courts, including even the
U. S. Supreme Court, and this partnership continued
unbroken until Feb. 6, 1883, when Mr. Hamilton
was sworn in as Executive of Illinois. On the 4th
of March following Mr. Rowell took his seat in Con-
gress.

In July, T871, Mr. Hamilton married Miss Helen
M. Williams, the daughter of Prof. Win. G. Williams,
Professor of Greek in the Ohio Wesleyan University.
Mr. and Mrs. H. have two daughters and one son.

In 1876 Mr. Hamilton was nominated by the Re-
publicans for the State Senate, over other and older
competitors. He took an active pait " on the stump "
in the campaign, for the success of his party, and was
elected by a majority of r,640 over his Democratic-
Greenback opponent. In the Senate he served on
the Committees on Judiciary, Revenue, State Insti-
tutions, Appropriations, Education, and on Miscel-
lany ; and during the contest for the election of a
U. S. Senator, the Republicans endeavoring to re-

elect John A. Logan, he voted for the war chief on
every ballot, even alone when all the other Republi-
cans had gone over to the Hon. E. B. Lawrence and
the Democrats and Independents elected Judge
David Davis. At this session, also, was passed the
first Board of Health and Medical Practice act, of
which Mr. Hamilton was a champion, against so
much opposition that the bill was several times
" laid on the table." Also, this session authorized
the location and establishment of a southern peni-
tentiary, which was fixed at Chester. In the session
of 1879 Mr. Hamilton was elected President //v tern.
of the Senate, and was a zealous supporter of John
A. Logan for the U. S. Senate, who was this time
elected without any trouble.

In May, 1880, Mr. Hamilton was nominated on
the Republican ticket for Lieutenant Governor, his
principal competitors before the Convention being
Hon. Wm. A. James, ex-Speaker of the House of
Representatives, Judge Robert Bell, of Wabash
County, Hon. T. T. Fountain, of Perry County, and
Hon. M. M. Saddler, of Marion County. He engaged
actively in the campaign, and his ticket was elected
by a majority of 41,200. As Lieutenant Governor,
he presided almost continuously over the Senate in
the 32d General Assembly and during the early days
of the 33d, until he succeeded to the Governorship.
When the Legislature of 1883 elected Gov. Cullom
to the United States Senate, Lieut. Gov. Hamilton
succeeded him, under the Constitution, taking the
oath of office Feb. 6, 1883. He bravely met all the
annoyances and embarrassments incidental upon
taking up another's administration. The principal
events with which Gov. Hamilton was connected as
the Chief Executive of the State were, the mine dis-
aster at Braidwood, the riots in St. Clair and Madison
Counties in May, 1883, the appropriations for the
State militia, the adoption of the Harper high-license
liquor law, the veto of a dangerous railroad bill, etc.

The Governor was a Delegate at large to the
National Republican Convention at Chicago in June,

1884, where his first choice fof President was John
A. Logan, and second choice Chester A. Arthur; but
he afterward zealously worked for the election of Mr.
Blaine, true to his party.

Mr. Hamilton's term as Governor expired Jan. 30,

1885, when the great favorite "Dick" Oglesby was
inaugurated.

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HE time has arrived when it
becomes the duty of the
people of this county to per-
petuate the names of their
pioneers, to furnish a record
of their early settlement,
and relate the story of their
progress. The civilization of our
day, the enlightenment of the age
and the duty that men of the pres-
ent time owe to their ancestors, to
themselves and to their posterity,
demand that a record of their lives
and deeds should be made. In bio-
graphical history is found a power
to instruct man by precedent, to
enliven the mental faculties, and
to waft down the river of time a
safe vessel in which the names and actions of the
people who contributed to raise this country from its
primitive state may be preserved. Surely and rapidly
the great and aged men, who in their prime entered
the wilderness and claimed the virgin soil as their
heritage, are passing to their graves. The number re-
maining who can relate the incidents of the first days
of settlement is becoming small indeed, so that an
actual necessity exists for the collection and preser-
vation of events without delay, before all the early
settlers are cut down by the scythe of Time.

To be forgotten has been the great dread of mankind
from remotest ages. All will be forgotten soon enough,
in spite of their best works and the most earnest
efForts of their friends to perserve the memory of
their lives. The means employed to prevent oblivion
and to perpetuate their memory has been in propor-
tion to the amount of intelligence they possessed.
The pyramids of Egypt were built to perpetuate the
names and deeds of their great rulers. The exhu-
mations made by the archeologists of Egypt from
buried Memphis indicate a desire of those people

to perpetuate the memory of their achievements.
The erection of the great obelisks were for the same
purpose. Coming down to a later period, we find the
Greeks and Romans erecting mausoleums and monu-
ments, and carving out statues to chronicle their
great achievements and carry them down the ages.
It is also evident that the Mound-builders, in piling
up their great mounds of earth, had but this idea —
to leave something to show that they had lived. All
these works, though many of them costly in the ex-
treme, give but a faint idea of the lives and charac-
ters of those whose memory they were intended to
perpetuate, and scarcely anything of the masses of
the people that then lived. The great pyramids and
some of the obelisks remain objects only of curiosity;
the mausoleums, monuments and statues are crum-
bling into dust.

It was left to modern ages to establish an intelli-
gent, undecaying, immutable method of perpetuating
a full history — immutable in that it is almost un-
limited in extent and perpetual in its action ; and
this is through the art of printing.

To the present generation, however, we are in-
debted for the introduction of the admirable system
of local biography. By this system every man, though
he has not achieved what the world calls greatness,
has the means to perpetuate his life, his history,
through the coming ages.

The scythe of Time cuts down all ; nothing of the
physical man is left. The monument which his chil-
dren or friends may erect to his memory in the ceme-
tery will crumble into dust and pass away ; but his
life, his achievements, the work he has accomplished,
which otherwise would be forgotten, is perpetuated
by a record of this kind.

To preserve the lineaments of our companions we
engrave their portraits, for the same reason we col-
lect the attainable facts of their history. Nor do we
think it necessary, as we speak only truth of them, to
wait until they are dead, or until those who know
them are gone : to do this we are ashamed only to
publish to the world the history of those whose lives
are unworthy of public record.

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HENRY COUNTY.

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homas Fitch Davenport, of

Cambridge, came to Henry
County in 1837, and has
been since a continuous resi-
dent within its borders. In
1836 the agent of an organiza-
tion called "The New York
Colony " came to the county and
made a selection of the lands
in the interest of what was des-
ignated after their settlement in
Henry County as the " Mor-
ristown Colony." The location was
made in June, and the same year
five of the members came. They
were in all eventually about ten families, and among
them was that of the father of Mr. Davenport, who,
with his entire household, made a permanent settle-
ment in what is now Cambridge Township.

The name of Davenport is prominently associated
with the Colonial history of this country. This
branch of the family is a lineal descendant of the
Rev. John Davenport, who settled in Massachu-
setts soon after the coming of the Pilgrim Fathers.
The inscription on the tomb of Rev. John Daven-
port is inserted below. The slab contains, besides
the lettering, the family coat of arms, which is a
shield surmounted by the head of an animal " se-
jant " (sitting), above a tripartite inner shield, each

division having a cross inscribed. The inscription

reads : — , /-

" At honorary distance keep,
Nor dare disturb the peaceful sleep

Of Rev. Davenport.
None but his sons, the sacred tribes,
Or those whom heavenly wisdom guides,
May to his urn resort.

Religion, while he dwelt below,

Its sacred influence on him shed ;
Learning and grace adorned his brow,

And round their balmy odors spread.

Unfading honors shall his tomb surround,
To guard and wait the Prophet's sleeping clay,

Till the last trumpet raise him from the ground
To join the triumphs of the important day.

Rev. John Davenport departed this life on the 5th
day of February, 1730, & in the 36th of his ministry."

Perhaps the best known of the members of the
Davenport family is Abraham Davenport, who has
been immortalized in verse by John G. Whittier, the
Quaker poet. He was the son of the sturdy Puri-
tan preacher, and in 1780 was a member of the
Colonial Assembly, and was one of the Connecticut
"Councillors." That body was in session when the
still unaccountable event of the "dark day " trans-
pired. As the somber shadows, that were like no
other darkness within the remembrance of those
who witnessed them, came on, terror took possession
of the men composing the legislative body. Clamor-
ous cries for adjournment arose, but the imperturb-
able Abraham remarked that it was his opinion that
if the Lord was coming he would be better satisfied

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HENRY

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to find his followers in the fulfillment of their duty,
and gave a peremptory order to " bring in the can-
dles."

The grandfather of Thomas F. Davenport, whose
name was Silas Davenport, was a native of Con-
necticut and was a merchant. He passed his entire
life in the State of his nativity, and died there. He
reared a family of five children, and his son, Charles
W., was one of the members of the Morristown Col-
ony in Henry County, in 1837. The latter was born
in Stamford, Conn. He followed the profession of
his father, and his business relations were very ex-
tensive for the period in which he operated. He
established branches of his business in the city of
New York, in Washington, D. C, and in Mobile,
Ala. In the year 1824 he engaged in the prosecu-
tion of his interests in the several places mentioned.
His wife was, before her marriage, Mary E. Fitch, a
member of one of the best of the Connecticut fami-
lies. Her earliest known progenitor was Governor
Thomas Fitch, of Colonial times. She was the
daughter of Thomas and Amelia (Lewis) Fitch, and
her parents were natives respectively of Connect-
ticut and Long Island, New York. She was born in
Norwalk, Ct., June 22, 1796, and became the mother
of seven children — Charles W., Jr., Thomas F., Mrs.
Amelia Lloyd, Mrs. Mary Hannaman (deceased),
Adolphus (deceased), Theodore, who resides in
Nevada, is a miner in the Rocky Mountains and
unmarried; and Edward; the latter is a citizen of
Chicago, and is a member of the Board of Trade.
Charles W. Davenport, Sr., died in Morristown, Dec.
20, 1841; his wife died in Cambridge, Oct. 24, 1858.
At the date of their settlement in the county their
nearest neighbors on the north were five miles dis-
tant, and on the south 35 miles intervened between
them and the white settlers.

When Mr. Davenport was a boy his parents re-
moved to the city of New York, where he obtained
the greater part of his education. The history of
his business career in Henry County includes a wide
range of interests. He was engaged in farming in
Morristown until 1846, when he removed to Cam-
bridge, and there officiated as Deputy Circuit and
County Clerk at various times until 1850, when he
was elected to the position of County Clerk on the
Whig ticket; in 1854 he was elected Sheriff, and
discharged the duties of the office two years; in
1857 he was appointed to fill a vacancy as County

Treasurer, in which capacity he acted one year; in
1858 he went to Oakley, now Green River Station,
situated on the line of the Chicago & Rock Island
Railroad, and there conducted the affairs of the
station, and also operated as a miller and merchant.
Mr. Davenport was the actual founder of the town.
He says : " I ran the town. I built the depot, pre-
sented it to the railroad company, and gave them the
grounds and the right of way for the track." The
place had the brightest prospects, but a week after
the cyclone destroyed the village of Camanche, Iowa,
a tornado struck Oakley, and in the space of five
minutes Mr. Davenport was a poor man! Nearly
the whole village was in ruins. The mill, depot,
store and dwelling in which he carried on his busi-
ness and lived were destroyed, and " Othello's occu-
pation " had taken French leave, with the facilities
therefor. But " man proposes and God disposes/'
and there is no more forcible truism in the language.
Mr. Davenport can testify to its accuracy in his case.

He came from the scene of his losses to Cam-
bridge, and commenced mercantile operations in
such a manner as was possible in his circumstances.
He was getting a fair start once more, when, in the
spring of 1862, a disastrous fire again swept his
hopes and business out of existence. There was,
however, a chance. The issues of the Civil War
were in the balance, and the nation needed men in
her extremity. In August of the year in which his
latest business venture disappeared in the remorse-
less flames, he enlisted in the 112th Reg. 111. Vol.
Inf., under Col. T. J. Henderson. On the organiza-
tion of the company he was unanimously made First
Lieutenant, and acted in that capacity until the
close of the war. He enlisted Sept. 20, 1862, and
was mustered out of the military service of the
United States June 20, 1865. He was in the sev-
eral actions in which his company participated, with
the exception of a period of 1 8 months, during which
time he acted as Brigade Commissary and Quarter-
master.

After his return to Henry County he interested
himself in farming for a short time. In 1866 he
received an appointment as Assessor of Internal
Revenue for Henry County, and served one year.
Since the expiration of that appointment he has
been engaged chiefly in farming. He made one
further effort to amend his waning fortunes by a
business venture, and in 1870 went to Chicago to

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enter into a project under the management of a
stock company for the purpose of smelting gold and
silver ore. Mr. Davenport became the Secretary
of the well-known Balbach Smelting and Refining
Company, which had a capital of $100,000, and was
building up a fine business, taking out an average
of $1,000 per day from the ores. The memorable
fire of October, 187 1, was the ruin of the affairs of
the concern, and a sale to Stephen P. Lunt, of the
business house of Lunt, Prescott & Kean, took
place, in the vain hope to save the existence of the
incorporation. The firm were obliged to go into
liquidation, and in 1874 Mr. Davenport returned to
his home in Cambridge.

The marriage of Mr. Davenport to Elizabeth
Lloyd took place June 22, 1848. She was born in
Bucks Co., Pa. Her birth occurred Jan. 31, 1822,
She has been the mothe# of five children, two of
whom died in their infancy : Anna M. is the eldest
of the survivors ; Mrs. Fannie S. Rockwell is the
next in order of birth, and has one child, Iva;
Charles E. married Sarah J. Fullmer, and they have
one child, Sylvester. Mrs. Davenport is a member
of the Society of Friends.

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illiam Gradert, a farmer of the township
of Munson, is a citizen of the United
States, of German birth. He is a native
of Holstein, and was born April 28, 1848.
He is the son of Gustav and Christina Gra-
dert, who were born in the same province where
their son first saw the light of day. They are still
living there (1885).

From the age of six to fourteen, Mr. Gradert was
sent to school, as the laws of Germany provide that
all male children should be educated between those
ages. After reaching the latter age, he was employed
on the farm. He was 20 when he came to America.
In 1868 he landed at New York, and proceeded to
the city of Davenport without delay. He went into
the country in the vicinity of the city and obtained
work on a farm eight miles distant, where he re-
mained six months. He then came to Henry
County, and engaged as an assistant on the farm of
John Redus, of whom a sketch may be found else-

where in this volume. He passed two years in the
capacity of a farm hand in the employment of various,
individuals.

In the fall of 1870 he was married to Lena Gra-
dert. She was born in the same German province as
her husband. After his marriage he rented land for
a time, and in 1876 bought 80 acres on section 13, of
Munson Township. There was a house of humble
pretensions on the place, which has been rebuilt, and
other good farm structures have been erected, among
which is a large stock and hay barn. Mr. Gradert
has bought additional land, and is now the owner of
183 acres, which is all in advanced agricultural con-
dition.

The children of the household are Dora, Nettie,
Minnie, Lewis, Henry and William.

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aertes F. Dinnick, a prominent business
man of Henry County, resident at Cam-
bridge, was born Sept. 17. 1838, in Mercer
Co., 111. His parents, Lucius D. and Julia
(Langford) Dinnick, were born respectively in
the State of New York and Pennsylvania, and
removed from there to Berlin (now Swedona), Mercer
Co., 111., in the spring of the year in which their son
was born. The senior Dinnick attained prominence
as an agriculturist of extended relations in Mercer
County, and later he removed to Rock Island, where
he died in October, 1866, aged 60 years and "some
months. He was a member of the City Council of
Rock Island at the time of his death. The mother
of Mr. Dinnick died Oct. 8, 1885. Following is the
list of children's names in the order in which they
were born : Laura, Otis J., Laurin and Delavan (de-
ceased), Chauncey, Laertes F., Emily, Ellen and
Luella.

Mr. Dinnick was educated wholly in his native
State. He was among those who were prompt to re-
spond to the summons of an assaulted nationality
while yet the echo from Rebel balls on Sumter's
walls filled the land with surprised dismay. He en-
listed in April, r 861, for three months' service. On
the organization of his regiment and company he
was made Second Sergeant, and previous to the ex-
piration of his term of enlistment he was promoted
to the rank of Second Lieutenant. In the fall of

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HENRY COUNTY.

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1862, with W. D. Williams, of Rock Island, he was
instrumental in raising Company F, of the 89th Illi-
nois Volunteer Infantry. The former was made
Captain and the latter First Lieutenant. In the sum-
mer of 1863 Mr. Dinnick was promoted to the rank
of Captain, which he held until he was disabled. At
the battle of New Hope Church, Ga., Capt. Dinnick
was wounded. After spending two months in vari-
ous hospitals he returned home.

In the spring of 1865 he came to Cambridge and
has since been engaged without intermission as a
buyer and shipper of stock. He has also been em-
ployed in general farming and is the owner of a valu-
able farm of 240 acres adjoining the village of
Cambridge on the northwest. He owns also 400
acres near Sioux Falls, Dakota.

Mr. Dinnick was married Jan. 18, 1864, in An-
dover, 111., to Miss E. Genevieve, daughter of Morri-
son and Mary E. Francis. Her parents were among
the pioneers of Henry County, and an extended ac-
count of them is to be found on other pages of this
work. The children of Mr. Dinnick and his wife
are named Francis J., Clyde W., Hallie Lee and
Morrison.
The parents are members of the Christian Church.
In political bias and affiliation, Mr. Dinnick is a
Democrat.

- 000 -

obert Atwater, son of Elisha Atwater, a
pioneer of Henry County, was born in
Rock Island, Sept. 5, 1854. His father
was born in New Haven Co., Conn., Dec. 18
18 10. He passed the time of his boyhood
and youth in the place of his nativity, and
learned the business of a cabinet-maker. He had a
natural understanding of the use of tools, and after
acquiring a complete knowledge of the trade, which
he had chosen, he worked in the city of New Haven
until 1840. That was the year in which he came to
Illinois, and he located in the city of Rock Island. It
was then in its embryo state, and contained but a
few houses. Not long after he came to Henry
County, and located at Andover. He was occupied
therein the prosecution of his trade for a few years,
and then removed to what is now the township of
Cambridge, and was then designated town 15 in the
Government reports. He secured a claim on section

6, and proceeded to the work of making ready to
found a home. He built a log house and a log shop
for the prosecution of his trade. He operated as a
farmer, and at the same time as cabinei-maker. He
sold his earliest crops, and the first pork fatted on
his farm at Chicago. That city had then 5,000 in-
habitants, and was 160 miles distant. The pro-
duce was all drawn there with teams. This would
seem an interminable operation in these latter days.
Mr. Atwater sometimes worked at his business of
cabinet-making at Moline, and returned to his home
on Saturday nights on horseback. He always re-
turned to his work on Sunday evening. His wife
and children lived on the farm in Cambridge, and at
the time their nearest neighbors were three miles dis-
tant.

In 1857 Mr. Atwater bought a farm on section 19,
in the township of Munsfn, and entered almost ex-
clusively into the business of a farmer. In the
second year of the Civil War, he entered the military
service of his country. He enlisted in 1862 in Co.
H, ii2thRegt. 111. Vol. Inf., and when the com-
mand was organized he was made Second Lieu-
tenant. He was in active service one year, when he
was discharged for disability. He returned to his
home, and resumed the duties of his farm. He was
instrumental in the improvement of a large tract of
land, on which he erected a good class of farm
structures, and he also set out a large number of
trees. He died on the homestead estate Jan. r5,
1884.

His marriage to Margaret Wright took place May
18, 1838. Her birth occurred in Harrisburg, Pa.,
Feb. 28, 1 82 1. She became the mother of ir chil-
dren. Eli B. was born April 10, 1839. He was
just past his majority when the call for soldiers came,
and he enlisted. He was enrolled in the 9th 111.
Cav., and after a service of two and a half years was
discharged for disability. He returned to his home,
but never recovered his health. He died Jan. 24,
1872.

Thomas was born Oct. 5, 1841. He enlisted in
the same regiment as his father, and served two
years. He received a severe wound at the battle of
Knoxville, Tenn., and was taken from the field by
the rebels. He underwent amputation while in
their hands. During the time he lay in the rebel
hospital his other leg was badly frozen. His father
went after him and brought him home. He had an

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uncommon degree of pluck and courage, and they
carried him through all, and after he returned to his
home he partially recovered his health. He was
elected Circuit Clerk, and was serving his term at
the time of his death. George was born Aug. 10,
1843, and lives in Webster City, Iowa. Elnora was
born Sept. 23, 1848, and is married to N. R. Penny,
a resident of Salt Lake City, Utah. William C. was
born June 5, 1850, and lives in Munson Township.
Mary E. is the wife of Horatio Boyd, of Freeman,
Phillips Co., Kan. The latter is an editor. Mrs.
Boyd was born Sept. 25, 1852. Douglass was born
Dec. 6, 1858. Robert W., who was his predecessor
in the order of birth, was born Sept. 5, 1854. The
two brothers last named live on the homestead.
Frank, born Oct. 18, i860, is a clerk in a clothing
store in Rock Island. The demise of the mother
dccurred May 12, 1885. Emma, born Oct. 5, 1856,
died at two years of age.

Robert W. was brought up on the place where he
is now living. It has been his home all his life. He
was joined in marriage to Belle McNorton, Dec. 14,
1 88 1. She is a native of Ann a wan, and she and her
husband are the parents of a son named Earl.

ndrew Blose Laflferty, a hardware mer-
chant at Cambridge, was born March 29,
1840, in Armstrong Co., Pa. His paternal
grandfather, John Lafferty, was born in
County Derry, Ireland, in the town of Pullen,
and was Scotch-Irish by descent. He came
thence to America in 1801, and landed at Philadel-
phia. He proceeded to the frontier of the State of
Pennsylvania, and bought a farm in the vicinity of
Saltsburg, in Indiana County. There both himself
and his wife passed the remaining years of their life.
Her name hefore marriage was Martha McElmoyel.
His son was born Oct. 19, 1802. He was a farmer,
and also a teacher. In his early life he studied law,
and during the period of his active business career
he served his county in several official capacities.
He was twice married. Margaret (Long) Lafferty,
his first wife, bore him four children : John, Jacob,
Robert and Rachel. His second wife, nee Susanna
Blose, was the mother of four children : Martha,
Margaret, Andrew B. and James D. She died April

30, 1881. Her husband's decease took place Dec.

31, 1880.

Mr. Lafferty, of this account, came with his par-
ents to Illinois in 1856. He was then 16 years of
age, and he remained in Rock Island County until
the fall of the same year in which they came to the
State, when he came to Henry County. He inter-
ested himself in farming, and continued the prose-
cution of his interests in that line of business until
he decided to enter the military service of the United
States. July n, 1862, he enlisted in the 112th
Regt. 111. Vol. Inf., and became a member of Com-
pany D. He was in all the actions in which his
regiment was involved, with one exception, when he
was in the hospital. He had been disabled at the
battle of Knoxville, by the shock from a cannon ball
which entered the ground at his feet. He received
honorable discharge, and was mustered out June 20,
1865.

Mr. Lafferty was married Dec. 27, 1866, at Clay-
ton, Adams Co., 111., to Amanda M. Lafferty, a na-
tive of Indiana Co., Pa. She is the mother of six
children : Vernie L., Leon M., Andrew Bertram,
Sue A., Maude, Lora, Gertrude and Charles Loris.
The second son died Jan. n, 1877, at the age of two
and a half years; and Loris die"d Sept. 17, 1885,
aged 19 months. Mr. and Mrs. Lafferty are mem-
bers of the Congregational Church, and of the Order
of Good Templars. They are also connected in
membership with the Orders of E. S. A. and the
" Golden Rule." Mr. Lafferty belongs to the A. O.
U. W., and to the G. A. R. Post, and in political ad-
herence is a straight Prohibitionist. He is a man of
sanguine temperament and strong convictions, and is
an earnest worker in the temperance cause, and is
also an active business man.

In the fall of 1868 he removed to Cambridge, and
was associated with his brothei in the livery busi-
ness. They run two daily hack lines from Cambridge
to Galva and to Geneseo, carrying mail, _ passengers
and express. After a few years he purchased the
interest of his brother, and for some time continued
the business alone. In 18 — he sold out to embark
in the sale of agricultural implements, and to the lat-
ter he afterwards added the sale of hardware, and
the firm style became Lafferty & Wright. A year
later Mr. Lafferty became by purchase the sole own-
er of the business and its relations, and continued

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for some time to operate alone, until he enlarged" its
scope and took in his present partner, J. P. Woolsey
(see sketch).

obert M. Garrison, a citizen of Cambridge,

was bom April 10, 1833, in Park Co., Ind.

1 John Garrison, his grandfather, was a na-

\$ tive of Wilson County, in Central Tennessee,
and was the husband of Elizabeth, sister of
John C. Calhoun. She was born in Tennes-
see and lived there most of her life, dying in 1843,
when about 70, in Park Co., Ind. She was a lady of
brilliant mind and forcible character, and she bore
nine children: John, Milton, Samuel, Nancy, Thomas,
James, Eliza, Caroline and Lemuel.

Milton Garrison was born June 17, 1802, in Ten-
nessee, and in 1820 removed to Park Co., Ind. He
was an ordained minister in the Cumberland Presby-
terian Church, and he followed his religious calling
in Indiana, and was engaged in the discharge of its
duties until he was 65 years old. In 1848 he came
to Henry Co., 111., and settled in Munson Township,
where he became a successful farmer and died
March 18, 1882, at 80 years of age. He was a man
of fine character and wielded a strong influence for
good in his day and generation. He was married
about 18 jo to Rebecca, daughter of Robert and Pris-
cilla (Harris) McCord. Her parents were born in
North Carolina, and they were descendants of pio-
neers, who later in life bore the same relation to the
State of Kentucky, where they settled near its capital
city. The nine children of Milton Garrison and his
wife were Elizabeth (deceased), Robert M., John
M., James (deceased), William (deceased), an infant
who died unnamed, Sarah, Margaret and Garrett G.

Mr. Garrison was next to the oldest child of his
parents, and he was the first-born son . consequently
upon him fell the burdens of the family, while his
father was attending to his religious calling. He was
brought up on a farm and had but a little regular
schooling.

He came to Henry County in 1848 with his pa-
rents, and has since that time been occupied in farm-
ing in Munson Township until 1884, when he
removed to Cambridge. He still owns his fine farm

srael 6. Heaps, Supervisor of Annawan
Township, resident on section 23, has lived
in Henry County since 1848, when his
father, the now venerable William G. Heaps,
cast his lot with that of, the pioneers of this
part of the noble prairie State. Mr. Heaps
was born Nov. 13, 1840, in Lancaster Co., Pa. His
parents removed in his infancy to Adams Co., 111.
They went- thence to Wisconsin in order to improve
their circumstances, but not finding so congenial a
climate as they had anticipated, another removal to
Illinois was effected in the autumn of 1848. They
settled on the farm which was for many years the
homestead, and on which the father is at present a
resident in the family of his youngest son. The
senior Mr. Heaps was in straitened circumstances
and had a large family of small children to support
without aid, and when they became residents of
Henry County were almost entirely without money.
During the winter of 1848-9 a letter arrived at the
nearest postoffice for a member of the family, for
which it was necessary to wait some time before
money enough to " lift" it could be obtained. The
postage was 12^ cents. The tract of land on which
a location was made was in its natural condition, not
a furrow had been turned, and a place of shelter had
to be erected. The struggle for a livelihood was

in the township named and is living in quiet retire-
ment.

He was a Democrat until the nomination of James
Buchanan for the chief office of the United States,
which effected his conversion to Free-Soil principles ;
and on the organization of the Republican party he
became one of its firmest adherents.

He was married Oct. 9, 1856, at Cambridge, to
Mary E., daughter of William and Lydia (Moriarty)
Cochrane. The former was born in Ireland and the
latter in Virginia. They settled in Fayette Co., 111.,
in 1850, and in 1853 settled in the township of Mun-
son, in Henry County, where their lives ended. Mrs.
Garrison has borne four children: Mary J. married
Frank Cady ; Robert died in infancy ; Frank M. and
Effie B. are the youngest children.

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severe for a few years, but both parents worked
hard, practicing the strictest economy, and succeeded
in placing the family in comfort.

Mr. Heaps had small opportunity for obtaining
anything like what would at this day be considered
fair education from books. The schools were either
turn est altogether, or were of the same primitive
character as other surroundings ; and if there had
been the best opportunities, he could not have availed
himself of them, as in the summer seasons he drove
a breaking team, and in the winters he hauled rails
and timber for fencing. He drove a team of five
yoke of oxen, although he was not a dozen years old,
and for his labor for the neighbors received but 25
cents a day. He attended school in the winters
after reaching his 15th, 16th and 17th birthdays, and
by extra exertion succeeded in securing a knowledge
of the English branches taught in the district schools
that had been established in the neighborhood. Hav-
ing learned the way to study, he made meanwhile
considerable progress in the higher branches. In
1857 he entered the preparatory course at Lombard
University, and for several years he taught and
attended that institution alternately; and notwith-
standing the interruptions he was enabled to main-
tain his standing in his classes. In i860, when
Professor Standish was ill, Mr. Heaps was made
tutor to his classes. In the same year he entered
upon the studies of the junior year, and looked for-
ward confidently to the time when he should com-
plete his course and enter personally into the work
of the world ; but the war broke out and he enlisted
to defend his country.

April 22, 1861, a war meeting was called in the
Baptist Church at Annawan. Elder Hiram Petteys,
Major J. M. Allen, of Geneseo, and Elder McDer-
mond were present and participated in the discus-
sion of the emergency. At the termination of the
meeting, Mr. Heaps was the first man to place his
name on the list of enrollment and to call for Volun-
teers. He was thus the first enlisted man in Henry
County, and his name was followed by 53 others.
When the election of the company took place Mr.
Heaps was unanimously made Captain. Hiram Car-
rol and Richard Linehan were made First and
Second Lieutenants. It is a well-known fact that
the action of Governor Yates in raising' regiments
preceded the orders from the War Department • at

Washington, and when the first company from Henry
was offered it was rejected because every place was
already filled. After repeated efforts to obtain an
assignment the company partially disbanded. On
the second call for 300,000 troops, most of the mem-
bers went to Camp Butler and joined the 27th Regi-
ment of Volunteers. The command was soon sent
to Cairo, and thence to the field, where it was a par-
ticipant in the fight at Belmont, Mo., Nov. 7, 1861,
the first battle in which General Grant took part.
Mr. Heaps was under fire at Belmont, Island No. 10,
Farmington, Corinth, Columbia, siege- of Nashville
(1862), Lavergne, Stone River, Tullahoma, Chicka-
mauga, Mission Ridge, etc. At Stone River he was
severely wounded in the right arm and shoulder, and
at Chickamauga he was shot in the breast and left
on the field for dead. He recovered in time to par-
ticipate in the action at Mission Ridge, and after-
wards went with his command to East Tennessee to
the relief of Knoxville and the command of General
Burnside.

The months of January and February were passed
among the mountains of the State named, fighting
General Longstreet. When the call for veteran vol-
unteers was made, Mr. Heaps re-enlisted, and nearly
all the survivors of his company went with him.
Theirs was the sole company in the regiment that
re-enlisted, and it enrolled for three years or during
the war. On returning to the regiment with
others it was put in motion for Atlanta. The
company was a part of the force that stormed and
captured Rocky Faced Ridge, the key to Dalton. The
struggle there was terrific, and was acknowledged to
be one of the severest of the war. At Resaca, May
14, 1864, the regiment formed a part of the assault-
ing column that attacked and carried a part of the
rebel line. John B. Heaps, a brother, who was a
soldier in the 1 1 2th Illinois Infantry, was killed in
the action of that day, and after the shadows of
night had drawn a curtain over the bloody work, Mr.
Heaps sought and found the beloved body. He went
alone to the field where the forms and faces of those
who died that their homes might live were lying in
bewildering confusion, and by the feeble glimmer of
a single candle peered into the faces, cold and sol-
emn in the awful silence of death, until the one he
sought was found. In the darkness of the hour of
midnight the living brother dug the grave for the

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196

HENRY COUNTY.

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dead, wrapped his own blanket about the still figure
and carried it in his arms to its final resting place in
the woods near by.

The regiment took part in all the actions in which
the command of General Sherman was engaged ;
and Mr. Heaps was in the actions at Kenesaw
Mountain, Mud Creek, Pumpkin Vine, Marietta,
Chattahoochie River and Peach-Tree Creek. July
20, 1864, his company was detached and sent
to the extreme left to guard creek crossings. The
handful of men repulsed three attacks by greatly
superior numbers, and held the line throughout the
entire day. For their action the command received
the thanks of the Division Commander in a special
order. Two days later the company was heavily en-
gaged, and July 28th following, swung around the
forts in the vicinity of Atlanta, and took part in the
battles of Jonesboro, Rough and Ready, and were
involved in the capture of Atlanta. When General
Sherman decided on his march to the sea, the Fourth
Army Corps, to which the company of Captain
Heaps was attached, was sent back under " Pap
Thomas " to attend to the settlement of the rebel
General Hood. The work was soon after accom-
plished, in one of the hardest-fought battles of the
entire war. Nov. 30, 1864, while on the advance
skirmish line, the company was captured by the reb-
els, who cut off the retreat. The men were sent
successively to Corinth, Jackson, Selma, Catawba
and finally to Andersonville. In March, 1865, they
were passed through the line at Vicksburg on parole
and from there to St. Louis. At that place Mr.
Heaps was placed in command of a battalion and
remained there until the termination of the war. He
received his discharge May 15, 1865, by reason of
the closing of the war.

Returning to Annawan, he was married to Miss
Rhoda A. Petteys, to whom he had long been en-
gaged. They settled on the homestead of her father
and have since resided thereon. For some years
Mr. Heaps was occupied as a teacher, but finally
abandoned that calling for the business of farming
and stock-raising. For a number of years he has
been the traveling correspondent of the Drover's
Journal, the organ of the Union Stock Yards in
Chicago. In that capacity he has visited every
State and Territory west of the Mississippi River,
with the exception of Washington Territory and Or-

egon. He traveled through the great Northwest
before the railroad lines were built, and at a time
when the Sioux Indians were the terror of every-
body, when " war to the knife and knife to the hilt "
was the watchword and reply. He has traversed
nearly every valley and mountain in the West, from
the summit of Pike's Peak to the bottom of the
" Grand Canon " of the Colorado. He has been
among the Indians of the Southwest and made a
study of their manners, habits and customs, and
collected a comprehensive knowledge of their
legendary lore. He has journeyed through a consid-
erable portion of Old Mexico, and has written
much about that country. His description of the
" Bad Lands " of Dakota attracted much attention
and comment.

He is a Republican in political opinions, and is a
stanch adherent of the " grand old party." He has
several times been elected to the official position in
this township which he is now filling:

Mr. Heaps is the son of William G. and Hester
(Green) Heaps. The former is a native of Mary-
land. The latter was born in Pennsylvania.

Mrs. Heaps was born Dec. 20, 1844, in Oneida
Co., N. Y. Hiram Petteys, her father, was born in
Montgomery Co., N. Y., and was a minister in the
Christian Church. He died in 1864, at the age of
59. He was married Oct. ro, r828, to Susan Brand.
She was born Aug. 17, 1804, in Charlotte, Montgom-
ery County. George, Sarah, John H. and Rhoda A.
were the names of their children. Peleg Petteys, the
grandfather of Mrs. Heaps, was born Dec. rr, T772,
and married Martha Brown. She was born in
Montgomery County March 10,1772. The ances-
tors of herself and husband were of German and
English origin. John Brand, the maternal grand-
father of Mrs. Heaps, was born May 25, 1765, in the
State of New York. He married Sarah Ross, who
was born Dec. 10, 1767, in the same State. Their
marriage took place Jan. 7, 1790. They had twelve
children : John B., Henry, Thomas, Sarah, Rhoda,
Lovina, Ross, Rogers, Susan, Hiram, Elizabeth and
Mary. The children of Peleg Petteys were Anna,
Richard, Hiram, Robert, James, Valentine and
George.

Mr. and Mrs. Heaps have six children, as follows:
Ervin P., Lillian V., Clarence E.. Merrill B., Ross
D. and Warren T.

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HENRY COUNTY.

197

Mrs. Heaps is the owner of 160 acres of land in
the township of Annawan, which is all in advanced
cultivation. She was educated at Knox Seminary,
Galesburg, 111.

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eorge W. Dunlap, M. D., medical prac-
titioner at Cambridge, was born Nov. 14,
: 1841, in Leesburg, Highland Co., Ohio.
His grandfather, Major James Dunlap, was of
Scotch-Irish extraction and was a native of
Pennsylvania. He was a man of influence
and lived at Dunlap's Creek, Washington Co., Pa.,
where he kept the Dunlap House for many years.
He was prominent in the State militia and was for a
long period Brigade Inspector of Western Pennsyl-
vania. He died at the place named. He was mar-
ried there and reared a large family of children. His
son George, the father of Dr. Dunlap, was born in
Washington Co., Pa., and was there brought up, be-
came a physician and built up a large, successful
and popular practice in the county of which he was
a native. He came West in 1847, and in the winter
of that year settled in Mt. Pleasant, Iowa. Ten
years later he removed to the city of Burlington,
where he remained in the practice of his profession
until the time of his death. He came to Knoxville,
111., on a visit to a brother, Dr. A. J. Dunlap, and
died while there. Susan P. (Beatty) Dunlap, his
wife, was born Dec. 25, 1813, in Cambridge, Guern-
sey Co., Ohio. She was reared in Wheeling, West
Virginia, and was the daughter of Zaccheus and
Margery (Metcalf) Beatty. Her father was a native
of Maryland and her mother of Virginia. Of their ten
children five are still living. Of the latter, Mrs. Mar-
gery Overman is the oldest ; Virginia R. is the wife
of Dr. Wm. Orris, and with her brothers, A. J. Dun-
lap and Dr. James Dunlap, is a resident of Victor,
Iowa. Mr. Dunlap of this account is the third in
order of birth of the survivors.

Mr. Dunlap received his elementary education at
Mount Pleasant, Iowa, and attended Jefferson Col-
lege in the city of Philadelphia. Soon after finishing
his course at that institution he was appointed .As-
sistant Surgeon in the Ninth Iowa Cavalry and was
attached to the Post at Camp Roberts, Davenport,
for nearly a year. He then joined the regiment.

He was in the service nearly three years and was
mustered out a little before the close of the war.

He located at Brooklyn, Iowa, where he entered
upon the regular practice of his profession, and con-
tinued to operate there five years. He then came
and settled in Hermon, Knox Co., 111., and after
establishing his business there remained about seven
years. He removed thence to Macomb, McDon-
ough County, where he remained two and a half
years. He came from there to Cambridge in Novem-
ber, 1873. He has succeeded in founding a sub-
stantial and prosperous business, and is considered
one of the most skillful and reliable in the capacities
of surgeon and physician in the vicinity. He has an
extensive country patronage.

Feb. 2, T865, he was married, in Knox County, to
Miss Martha F. Poff. She is a native of Highland
Co., Ohio, and was born Dec. 9, 1843. She is the
daughter of M. F. Poff. Of five children of which
she has been the mother there is only one survivor,
— George W., born Oct. 17, 1873. Dr. Dunlap and
his wife are members of the Christian Church.

He is Chairman of the Board of Health, and is
prominent in his connection with the Order of Odd
Fellows, the A. F. & A. M., the A. O. U. W. and
the G. A. R. He has filled the various chairs in
these organizations and has represented the I. O. O.
F. at the Grand Lodge. He is an adherent of the
Democratic party, but supported Abraham Lincoln
for the office of President.

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ndrew L. Anderson, although by birth a
native of a foreign nationality, is a worthy
■* citizen of Henry County, whither he came
in i860. He has been connected with the
farming interests of the county since he came
hither, with the exception of the time passed
in the military service of his adopted country.

He was born in Westergotland in Sweden, Oct.
26, 1842. He was an inhabitant of the place where
he was born until he was 18. He was educated at
home and obtained a good education in the Swedish
language. In i860 he started for America, to seek
the privileges of a free government. After a voyage
of nine weeks on a sail vessel he landed at the
port of New York. He proceeded to Geneseo with-

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HENRY COUNTY.

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out delay, and from there went to Andover Town-
ship, where he worked on a farm through the sum-
mer, and attended school the following winter.

In January, 1862, he enlisted in Battery H, First
Illinois Light Artillery. After a service of 18 months
he received honorable discharge for disability, and
returned to Henry County. He passed some months
in recruiting his health, and as soon as he was able
to labor he came to Munson Township and went to
work in the employ of P. P. Allen. The time he
passed in the recovery of his health was spent chief-
ly at school, perfecting his understanding of the lan-
guage of the people among whom he had cast his
fate. He remained in the employ of Mr. Allen seven
years. He was occupied the first two or three years
as a common farm-hand, and after that bought stock
for his employer, including horses, cattle and sheep.
He passed one year in Missouri in the interests of
Mr. Allen. After leaving the employ of that gentle-
man he rented land in Munson Township until 1880,
when he bought the farm which has since been his
field of operation. It is situated on section 3, and is
all under 'cultivation. It is well fenced and is pro-
vided with all necessary fixtures for a good stock
farm.

Mr. Anderson was married in 187 1 to Amanda
Wallin. She is a native of the same town in Swe-
den in which her husband was born. Hilda H.,
Alvin E., deceased, John Albeit, Eugenia L., James
Elmer and Andrew Wendell are the names of the
children that have been added to the family. The
last named child died at the age of ten months.

Mr. Anderson is deeply interested in the affairs of
education in the township where he is a resident, and
has officiated several years as Director. He has
discharged the duties of Assessor twice.

ohn Redus is a citizen of the township of
Munson, and although he is a native of a
forejgn nationality, has discharged the du-
ties of his citizenship in a manner that reflects
the utmost credit on his character as a man,
and it also proves the genuineness of his regard
for the country which protects him in the privileges

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to which he must ever have remained a stranger in
the land of his birth. He left the home of his par-
ents to escape servitude in the army of his own
country, but volunteered to aid in the preservation of
the freedom he sought. He has been for nearly 20
years a farmer in Henry County. He is now the
proprietor of 200 acres of land, on which he is enjoy-
ing the prerogatives of an American citizen.

He was born in Holstein, Germany, Nov. 17, 1837,
and is the son of John and Johanna (Loehr) Redus.
He was kept in school from the age of 6 to 16 as
the law of his country provided, and in the intervals
of attendance there he acted as the assistant of his
father, who was a blacksmith. The latter was also a
farmer.

He was 17 when he left his native land to come
to America, and was six weeks making the passage on
a sail vessel, and landed at the port of New York.
He came from there with little delay to the city of
Davenport, and remained there until 1855. In the
spring of that year he came to Geneseo and was there
variously employed until 186 1. September 1st of the
first year of the war he enlisted in the 43d 111. Vol.
Cav. He was in the service a little more than three
years. He was in the actions at Shiloh.Fort Henry,
Fort Donelson, Corinth, Jackson, siege and capture
of Vicksburg, and after the latter he went to Arkan-
sas. He was transferred from the 43d to the 14th
Regiment of Veterans, Co. H, on account of injuries
which he had sustained, and served the remainder
of his time in that command. After his transfer he
was on duty in the city of Washington. On receiv-
ing his discharge he returned to Geneseo.

In the spring of 1867 he rented a farm in that
township, which he managed one year. In 1868 he
bought 80 acres in the township of Munson, which
he has since owned. It is situated on section 2, and
at the time he became its owner it had been plowed,
but no buildings had been erected. The farm struc-
tures he now uses in his 'operations he has built him-
self; also his house. The whole property now
includes 200 acres, which is all in excellent and prof-
itable condition. He is the owner also of a valuable
timber lot.

Mr. Redus was united in marriage to Miranda
Galenor Jan. 22, 1868. Their children are named
Hattie, Annie, Melvina, Henry, Ernest and Elva.
The mother was born in Boone Co., Ind. A daugh-
ter named Cora died at the age of two years.

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HENRY COUNTY.

T. Hammond, residing on section 1 8, Ox-
ford Township, is one of the energetic
and progressive farmers of that township,
^> as well as respected citizens and self-made
men of this county. He was born in Maine,
Nov. 10, 1821, his parents being George and
Elenor (Taylor) Hammond, natives of that State.

W. T. Hammond, whose biographical sketch we
write, remained with his parents until the death of
his father, which occurred when he was eight years
of age. He then went to live with his grandfather
Taylor, and remained with him until he was 14
years old. On reaching this age in life, he engaged
to learn the trade of a bricklayer and plasterer, at
which business he continued to labor until he
reached his 18th year, at which time he had thor-
oughly mastered the trade, and from thence on con-
tinued to work at it until 1849. 1° l%39 ne went to
Natchez, Miss., and remained there until 1840, when
he went to Burlington, Iowa, and worked at his
trade until the fall of that year. He then came to
this State, locating at Galesburg, where he followed
his trade, taking contracts and employing men to
assist him, having from 10 to 20 men in his employ
at a time. He remained in Galesburg until 1848,
when he purchased a farm in Mercer County, con-
sisting of 120 acres. He moved on this place, en-
gaged in its cultivation, and there resided until the
spring of 1850.

At that time the gold fever swept across the
American continent, and, becoming infected with the
" disease," he rented his place and went to California
in search of gold. He did not mine any, but erected
a hotel there, which he ran for about a year, when
he sold it, ani returned in the spring of 1852 to this
State. In 1856 he sold his farm, and soon thereafter
purchased another of 340 acres in Oxford and Ri-
vola Townships. Part of Windsor village is located
on his land in Mercer County. Mr. Hammond is
engaged in general farming and stock-raising, and
is meeting with success in his chosen vocation. He
has a farm, the land of which is under an advanced
state of cultivation, together with a good residence,

barn and outbuildings, and its appearance is indica>
tive of thrift, energy and economy on the part of the
proprietor.

Mr. Hammond was married June 9, 1846, to Miss
Sarah D. Edgar, a native of Kentucky. Six chil-
dren have been born of their union, — Franklin J.,
Sarah E., William T., Lucinda T., James W. and
Edgar T. Franklin J. married Mary C. Bridger;
Sarah E. is the wife of James W. Bachus ; William
T. married Maud Blossom; and Lucinda is the wife
of E. P. Turner.

Mr. Hammond, politically, affiliates with the
Republican party, and is one of the respected
and honored citizens of his township. He has
done much for the building and improvement of
Windsor. In addition to his possessions in this
county, he has 600 acres of land in Kansas, 360 of
which is under fence. He has been shipping cattle
West to his farms in Butler County, that State. He
has a hotel, the "Commercial House," and three
private dwellings in Windsor village, Mercer County,
this State, and his accumulation of this world's goods
may be attributed to his own good judgment, indom-'
itable energy and perseverance.

Vk amuel I. Curry, residing at Woodhull, was
born in Knox Township, Knox Co., 111.,
Nov. 18, 1852. His parents were Isaiah
B. and Mary (Vangilder) Curry, natives ot
Virginia and Indiana respectively, who came
to this State in 1849 and 1844. They were
married in 1851, in Knox County, and the issue of
their union was six children, — Samuel I., Sophia J.,
Morey J., David V., Eslella and William B., all of
whom are yet living.

The subject of this notice was united in marriage
to Miss Ida M. Whitmore, March 13, 1876. She
was the daughter of David and Eliza J. (Booher)
Whitmore, of Clover Township, this county, and
their union has been blessed with two daughters,
Bessie M. and Jessie D; Sophia, second child in
order of birth of the parents' family, married Henry
Vail, a resident of Wataga, this State, and they have
two children, William and Harry ; Morey J. mar-
ried Josie Henwood, and two children have been
born of that union, — Ethel A. and Cleona P,

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HENRY COUNTY.

Mr. Curry of this notice received a good English
education at the Hedding College of Abingdon,
Knox County. After leaving school he lived with
his parents until he attained the age of 24 years,
when he was married, and afterward worked on his
father-in-law's land, in Clover Township, for eight
years. At the expiration of that time he came to
Woodhull, and engaged in the hardware and imple-
ment business with his father-in-law, and has con-
tinued in the same since Jan. 1, 1884. They are
doing a successful and constantly increasing busi-
ness, and by fair dealing are establishing a good
trade at that point.

Politically, Mr. Curry is a believer in the tenets
of the Democratic party. He and his wife are mem-
bers of the Methodist Episcopal Church. Although
a young man, Mr. Curry has obtained quite a promi-
nence in the community in which he resides as a
man of business, sterling worth and integrity.

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ohn Billings. This gentleman, who is en-
f gaged in farming and in dealing in real
estate, and resides on section 29, Oxford
Township, is classed among the solid and sub-
stantial men of his township. He is a native
of New York State, where, in Washington
County, he was born on the 22d of April, 1834. His
parents, Elisha and Catherine (Perine) Billings,
were likewise natives of the Empire State. Both
passed their lives in that State, the former dying
July 19, 1876, and the latter in October, 1878.

John Billings remained under the care and counsel
of his lather until he was 20 years of age, receiving
quite a liberal education. After leaving home he
went to Maryland, and later to Virginia, spending
two years in those States, teaching school. He then
returned home and attended school the following
winter, and the next spring came West, and in June
of the same year (1856) stopped at Eldora, Hardin
Co., Iowa. Here he remained for six months, when
he moved to Algona, Kossuth Co., Iowa, where he
bought 171 acres of land, and also 160 acres in
Franklin County. He remained in Iowa until
December of 1858, when he came to Woodhull, this
county, and engaged in the mercantile business.
At this he was employed for two years, when his

store and stock were burned. He then secured
another stock of goods, and conducted the business
for one year longer, when he sold out and purchased
the farm upon which he now resides, consisting at
that time of 160 acres. Since then he has added 'k
to it 120 acres, and has also secured a quarter sec-
tion in Martin Co., Minn.

Mr. Billings and Miss Mattie E. Horn were united
in marriage December, 1859. The following nine
children have been born to them : John W., Mar-
shall N., Emily C, Henry M., Burton B., Roy H.,
Pearl A., Lillian A. and Bessie A. Mr. Billings,
politically, is an independent. Socially, he belongs
to the Masonic Order, and is looked upon as one of
the representative men of Oxford Township.

D. Harkness, one of the energetic and
^ progressive farmers of Oxford Township,
where on section 32 he resides, was born
in New York, April T4, 1819. The parents
of Mr. Harkness, William G. and Fannie (Hig-
gins) Harkness, were natives of Massachusetts
and Connecticut respectively. They moved to Ohio
in 1835 and settled at Clyde, Sandusky County,
where they purchased a small place. The father
was a physician and followed the practice of his pro-
fession in Ohio until his death.

D. D. Harkness, whose sketch we write, was an
inmate of the parental home until 30 years of age.
He received a good common-school education, and
was employed, on obtaining a suitable age, in his
father's office, together with that of clerking in a dry-
goods store. In 1849 he engaged in the grocery
business, and was thus occupied until 1855, when
he sold out and came to this State. On arrival here
he purchased 220 acres of land, located on section
32, Oxford Township, on which he settled and has
continued to reside until the present* time. He has
been successful through life, and has a good farm,
the appearance of which is indicative of a life of
effort combined with that of good judgment and per-
severance.

Mr. Harkness was united in marriage with Miss
Amanda S. Alexander, a native of Ohio, in 1847.
Of their union six cnildren have been born, — Dela-
van, Arthur J., Jennie, Eva, Prescott and Laura.

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HENRY COUNTY.

Politically, Mr. H. is independent. He has held the
office of Commissioner of Highways, and carries on
general farming, together with that of stock-raising,
and is meeting with success in his chosen vocation.

-« <#■* »-

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ohn W. Horn, a retired farmer, residing on
section 30, Clover Township, is a native of
England, in which country he was born
May 1, 1813. At seven years of age Mr.
Horn was bound out to Thomas Cox by his
mother, and remained wi^h him two years.
The first year he was to receive one penny per day,
and the second year was to have three " happence "
per day. He then left Mr. Cox and worked with a
widow lady for two-pence per day for the first year
and three-pence per day for the second year. He
afterwards was a laborer for another farmer, from
whom he received four-pence a day for one year, af-
ter which he engaged to learn a trade, that of wagon-
making and blacksmithing. He engaged to learn
these trades when he was T2 years of age, and
worked at the same four years, when he worked for
another gentleman one year at mechanical labor.

At this period in his life's history, realizing that
the United States offered better facilities for the ac-
cumulation of property than his mother country, he
shipped as a sailor and came here. On arrival in
this country, with only 18 pence in his pocket and
nothing but the clothes on his back, he concluded to
remain and establish a home. He went by vessel
to Maine, and from Maine shipped to New York,
where he engaged in sawing timber for ships, which
occupation he continued for two months. He next
went to Kingston on the Hudson, and from there on
a canal-boat to Honesdale, Wayne Co., Pa., where
he worked on a tannery as a carpenter for one year.
He next went to New York, where he was engaged
in building another tannery, at Neversink Falls, Sul-
livan County, that State, and was there occupied for
one year. His next remove was to Greene County,
that State, where he worked as a carpenter and
builder on a church, and where he was engaged for
a year. During the. following year, in the same
county, he took a job of building a church, which he
finished, and the following winter attended school,
then being 22 years of age. From that county he

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went to Ohio, stopped at Cleveland and there en-
gaged in the carpenter's trade, at which he continued
for six months. From Cleveland he went to Mau-
mee City, where he was employed as foreman in the
erection of buildings, and had some 40 men working
under him. He erected a block of buildings, five
stories in height and covering the entire block, upon
which job he was occupied for four years. Leaving
the latter place, Mr. Horn came to Chicago, the
date of his arrival in that city being 1839. Upon
his arrival there he helped erect a large building on
Water Street, which he completed during the same
year of his coming there, and then went to Galesburg,
Knox County, this State. On arrival in Galesburg,
he engaged in the cabinet-making business, and
worked at it during the winter of 1839. In the
spring of 1840 he engaged in the erection of houses
in Knox County, taking contracts for the same, and
followed that business for ten years, until 1850.
He erected the first church in Galesburg, and the
largest that has ever been erected in that city.

In 1850, Mr. Horn went to California, and on his
arrival in the Golden State he was taken sick. On
convalescing he engaged in the carpenter's trade,
and received for his labor the sum of $8 per day,
and remained in Portland, Oregon, four months. He
then went to Salem, same State, where he was en-
gaged in the same business nine months, and while
there erected a Methodist church. From that place
he went 400 miles overland to the gold fields of
Northern California, where he remained for two and
a half years. In 1853, Mr. Horn returned to Gales-
burg and engaged in building bridges for the Chi-
cago, Burlington & Quincy Railroad, and erected 17
bridges for that company in the limited time of 115
days. In 1855, Mr. Horn purchased 320 acres of
land in Clover Township, this county, on which he
located and engaged actively and energetically in its
cultivation and improvement, and on which he has
since resided. The farm is located near the village
of Woodhull, and in fact the western part of that
village is located on his land.

Mr. Horn has been a widower for the last eight
years. Politically, he is a believer in and supporter
of the principles of the Republican party, and re-
ligiously is a member of the Congregational Church.
He has held different offices within the gift of the
people of the community in which he resides, and is

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204

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HENRY

COUNTY.

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* one of those gentlemen respected for their straight-
? forward and manly dealings with their fellow men.
•m A portrait of him is of course given in connection
with this sketch, on a page just preceding.

)

oshua C. Edwards, residing on section 24,
Andover Township, is engaged in breeding
improved live stock and general farming,
his specialties being Short-horn cattle, Cots-
wold sheep, Poland-China swine and Ply-
mouth Rock fowls. He takes special interest
in all the improved breeds of farm stock.

Mr. Edwards was born near Parkesburg, Chester
Co., Pa., July 15, 1832. His father was a native of
the same county. The progenitors of the Edwards
family in America were William Edwards and two
brothers, who first came to the shores of America on
the 5th of May, 1682, from the parish of Cracy, near
Cardiff, Wales. The family of William and his de-
scendants have since been directly connected with
the history of the Quakers of Eastern Pennsylvania,
and the land upon which this branch of the Edwards
family first settled is still held by the descendants of
William Edwards. The parents of our subject, Zenas
P. and Mary Edwards, moved to Ohio in 1839,
settling in the timber near what is now the city of
Alliance, Stark County, where they still live.

Joshua C. Edwards lived at home with his parents
until he was 18 years of age, when he was inden-
tured for the term of three years, to S. C. Taylor, at
Salem, Ohio, to learn the machinists' trade. After
serving his full term as an apprentice, he was ap-
pointed foreman of the works of S. C. Taylor, which
position he held until December, 1855, when he
came West ; attended Knox College, at Galesburg,
111., one year. Worked at Rock Island, 111., and
Washington, Iowa, at his trade, and in 1858 settled
in Cambridge. Commenced farming in i860, and in
1866 bought the land on section 24 where he now
resides.

On Jan. 31, 1861, Mr. Edwards was married, in
Andover Township, to Mrs. Lucy B. Edwards, nee
Soule, daughter of Capt. Alfred and Harriet B. Soule,
of South Freeport, Minn. Mrs. Edwards was born
Dec. 15, 1 83 1. She is the mother of a daughter by
her first husband, Dr. O. H. Edwards. Mary L., the

daughter referred to, resides with Mr. Edwards. The
present family consists of five sons — Zenas P., "Jose
S., Alfred, Clement C. and Ralph R. Harriet B.
died in infancy.

In 1880 Mr. Edwards suffered the misfortune of
losing a large cattle barn and all his crops, by a tor-
nado and hailstorm. He has met many obstacles
and reverses, but with commendable energy has sur-
mounted difficulties and has accumulated a compe-
tency. He now has 22J acres of land, well improved,
with a good residence, commodious barns and other
out-buildings. He is one of the progressive, enter-
prising men of the county, and believes in keeping
posted upon the issues of the day, as well as to pro-
vide good literature for his family. He has a large
library and takes regularly a large list of newspapers
and magazines adapted to the use of the different
members of his family. He has served several terms
as Justice of the Peace and Road Commissioner of
his township, and has served as School Director 24
years ; was also an active and efficient officer of the
Henry County Agricultural Society for 22 years.
Politically, he is a strong and active Republican.

ames H. Cree. One of the wealthy repre-
sentative gentlemen of Oxford Township,
Henry County, is Mr. James H. Cree, a
, retired farmer of Alpha village, where he is
^f at present residing. He was born in Ohio, in
the year 18 16, on the 31st of May, and is a
son of Robert and Ellen (Barkley) Cree, natives of
Pennsylvania and Kentucky respectively. The sub-
ject of this notice remained at home until 22 years
of age, assisting in the labors of the farm, and alter-
nating his labors thereon with attendance at the
district schools, where he received a fair education.
After leaving home he engaged in the occupation
of a farmer, which he continued for 20 years. In
1858 he sold his farm and came to Oxford Town-
ship, where he made a purchase of 80 acres on sec-
tion 13. On the latter he resided for 23 years,
in the meantime putting it under excellent cultiva-
tion, and of which he made one of the best farms
in the township. He next bought a house and three
lots in Alpha village, which he has made his home,
residing there ever since.

Miss Barbary Snyder, a native of Virginia, was

■*@^ — &A$MI®M3>A©-

^v^nn^niif^^-

HENRY COUNTY.

united in marriage with Mr. Cree, and they have
raised three orphan children, taking them when
very young — Margaret A. Copner, William A. Sny-
der and Elizabeth A. Snyder. Margaret A. Copner
became the wife of George Brewer, and they are the
parents of four children : Effie J., Barbary, William
and Ira; William Snyder married Miss Ida Spivey,
and one child, Elias, has been born to them ; Eliza-
beth Snyder married Robert Knox, and they have
two children, viz. : Ora M. and Robert.

Mr. Cree is a Republican in his political views,
and belongs with his wife to the Methodist Epis-
copal Church. He has held the office of School
Director in his township, and is a respected and
reliable man of Henry County.

-{3-

-«-

i ' W. Grant, one of the energetic and pro-
gressive farmers of Oxford Township, re-
siding on section 17, is a native of Sweden,

having been born in that country July 9, 1 840.

He emigrated to the United States in 1864,

when 24 years of age, and came almost di-
rectly to Galesburg, Knox County, this State, where
he worked out for three years. He received a com-
mon-school education in his native country, and
assisted on the farm of his parents, Jonas B. and
Bristen (Olson) Grant, natives of Sweden, until
they came to this country, they having emigrated at
the same time as A. W., 1864, and settling in the
same city, Galesburg.

In 1867, Mr. Grant rented a farm near Woodhull,
Clover Township, Henry County, and was engaged
in its cultivation for eight years. At the expiration
of that time he purchased a farm consisting of 294
acres, and being located on the section where he at
present resides. By energetic labor, good judgment
and economy he has improved his property, until at
the present time it is valued at $25,000. His farm
presents the appearance of thrift and industrious la-
bor, and is indicative of what may be accomplished
by hard labor and perseverance.

Mr. Grant formed a matrimonial alliance with
Miss Christina Peterson, in 1869. She was a native
of Sweden and came to the United States in 1864.
Six children have been born of their union,— Martin
W., Adolph R., Edwin N., Oscar N., Luther E. and

Wolfred N. In politics Mr. Grant is independent
Religiously, he and his wife, together with his chil-
dren, are members of the Lutheran Church at Wind-
sor. He is Road Commissioner of his district and
also School Director.

In his vocation of life, agriculture, he has met
with more than ordinary success, which is to be at-
tributed not to chance, but to his hard labor and
economy.

arshall Johnson, a farmer of section 33,
Clover Township, was born Feb. 14,
1857, in the State of Massachusetts, and
is a son of Samuel and Elizabeth (Holman)
Johnson, natives respectively of Vermont and
Massachusetts, who came to Illinois in 1859
and settled on section 23, the present homestead,
comprising then a quarter of the section.

Mr. Johnson has always lived at home with his
parents, receiving in his youth a common-school ed-
ucation and working upon the farm ; and when he
arrived at the age of legal majority he received from
his father 80 acres of land, as a present. To the
present time he has had charge of the homestead,
and is credited with being a careful and judicious
manager and an industrious and economical laborer.
As a citizen of the community his reputation is of
the first order.

He married Miss Margaret Willis, a daughter of
Dr. J. W. Willis, of Woodhull, in 1881. They have
two children, — Stella and Elsie.

Mr. Johnson is a Republican in his political sen-
timents, and he has served his township as Collector,
in 1884.

-*-

&-*•

jilliam Rutledge, a respected citizen and
progressive farmer of Oxford Township,
residing on section 28, was born in West-
y moreland Co., Pa., Dec. 21, 1822, his par-
^ ents being George and Elizabeth (Shaw)
Rutledge, natives of Ireland, who came to this
country in 181 6, and whose family comprised seven
children.

William was the fourth child in order of birth of

-=*©*= ©A^P KIID&AS ^G^-

®£^§-

HENRY COUNTY.

his parents' family, and went to Jefferson Co., Ohio,
when ten years of age, where he was engaged in a
bakery and confectionery establishment for seven
and a half years. He then went back to Pennsyl-
vania and engaged in boating on the Pennsylvania
Canal, at which he was employed for 12 years. Leav-
ing that occupation, he engaged in farming in West-
moreland County, and followed that calling for eight
years. His next move was to Oil Creek, where he
was engaged in the oil works for two years, and
then again returned to the farm in Westmoreland
County, and followed that vocation for seven years
longer. At the expiration of this time, in October,
1872, he came West to this State, and the next year
after his arrival rented a farm, which he cultivated,
and in fact continued to farm on rented land for
nine years. In 1881 he purchased 160 acres of
land, located on section 28, Oxford Township, on
which he settled and has continued to reside until
the present time, meeting with no small degree of
success in his chosen vocation, agriculture. Mr.
Rutledge was married in 1847, to MissM. McCurdy,
a native of Pennsylvania. Of their union seven
children have been born, namely: Jennie, Eliza-
beth, Elenora, Laura E., Georgiana, Rockwell F.
and William.

Politically, Mr. Rutledge is a Prohibitionist. He,
together with his wife and children, are members of
the Baptist Church at Alpha. Mr. Rutledge is
School Director, Path Master and Trustee in his
township. His daughter, Jennie, is at present the
wife of John Weible; Elizabeth married John Toze;
Elenora was united in marriage with James West ;
Laura E. married L. F. Payton; Georgiana is the
wife of Frank Freeman; and Rockwell formed a
matrimonial union with Ella Jorden.

^itep-*-~

W. Johnson, a retired farmer residing

upon section 33, Clover Township, was

born Jan. 27, 1812, in the Green Mountain

State. His father, Samuel Johnson, was a

.native of England, and was a manufacturer of

woolen goods at Chester, Windsor Co., Vt.;

and his mother, nee Lucy Olcott, was also a native of

that State.

S. W. remained at his parental home until he was

22 years of age, receiving a fine education. Very
early in life he was also trained in the principles
and art of music, and at the age of 17 years he
taught his first singing school; this vocation he fol-
lowed as a business for a number of years. In
1858 he emigrated to the boundless West, settling
on section 33, Clover Township, this county, where
he purchased 160 acres of land, and which is now
his home. Until within about two years he has
been a teacher of vocal music. Mr. J. is a lively,
social, companionable man, sincere and solid, and
has been honored with a number of local offices in
his township. He is a Republican.

He was married in 1840 to Miss Elizabeth Hol-
man, a native of Millbury, Mass., and they have
three children, viz. : Ida W., who married Nehemiah
West, of Galesburg, 111.; Marshall, who married
Margaret Willis, of Woodhull ; and Ruth A.

'§'<fii xel Burgeson, a farmer of Lynn Township,

K@5<§®*§«

came to the United States in 1849 with
his mother and brother, his father having
died in his native country when he (Axel) was
eight years old. The mother brought her two
children to Chicago, but Axel came direct to
Andover in the fall of 1 849 and set out to earn his
own living. Coming to Andover when 16 years old,
he commenced work for William Bellows at Orion,
for the small remuneration of $3 per month. He
then made his home for two years with Rev. Pills-
bury, at Princeton, 111., and then rented land for a
year south of Andover, in this county. After work-
ing as a common laborer in Knox County for two
years, he returned to Andover, where he was mar-
ried Nov. 15, 1854. His first pnrchase of land was
in 1853, of 80 acres unimproved, which he set about
cultivating and putting into a first-class condition
for a comfortable home. At that point he has now
90 acres, well improved.

He was born in Central Sweden, Aug. 10, 1833,
his father being Burg Lawson, a farmer. He was
married Nov. rs, 1854, to Miss Caroline C. Ander
son, who was born in Sweden, April 12, 1837, and
was eight years of age when her parents came with
her to this county. They are both now deceased.
Mr. and Mrs. Burgeson have had r2 children, five

<©

-Q-A

m n® w&*& — ^^-. —

I
f

(f*

HENRY COUNTY.

-^^m^^

207

of whom are deceased. The living are Samuel D.,
born Dec. 28, 1856; Carrie, Aug. 23, i860; Emily,
March 26, 1862; Sarah, Sept. 26, 1863; Elmer J.,
Oct. 28, 1869; Edward R., March 8, 1873; and
Charles A. N., May 26, 1876. Mr. and Mrs. B. are
members of the Methodist Episcopal Church, and
Mr. B. is a Republican in his political views.

erman H. Hillery, a farmer, carrying on
his agricultural pursuits on section 24,
Clover Township, was born Feb. 24, 185 1,
in Virginia. His parents were Joseph and
Elizabeth ^Sprouse) Hillery, natives respec-
tively of Germany and Virginia. He was but
18 months old when his father died ; and at the age
of three years and five months he was taken for
rearing and education by Philip Mauck; with him
he remained until he was of age, being" educated
and brought up to farm labor.

Commencing in life on his own account, he was a
renter of farms for ten years, when, in 1880, he pur-
chased 120 acres on the section where he now re-
sides and where he is setting a good example as an
honest and industrious farmer.

He was married in 1872 to Mrs. E. M. Ramsey, a
native of this State. She now has six children, two
of whom are by her former husband, namely, Ida
and Robert. By her present marriage are Viletia,
Mary E., Frank E. and Leroy. Ida is the wife of
Franklin Elliott, of Clover Township.

Mr. Hillery is in sympathy with the principles of
the Democratic party, and is an influential citizen in
his township.

enry E. Houghton, a farmer on section ^,
Clover Township, was born in Chester,
Windsor Co., Vt, June 16, 1849, and was
two years old when he came with his parents
to Illinois. His father, Calvin C. Houghton,
purchased 360 acres at the present homestead,
^f* and was a resident there until his death, May 10,
1874. His widow, nee Lucy E. Johnson, is still liv-
ing at that place, with her daughter and son, the
subject of this sketch, who have had the manage-
ment of the place since the father's death.

Henry E. has a farm of 160 acres on section. 26,
and another farm of the same size on section 28 : the
former he leases. In his youth he received a com-
mon-school education: is now a township Super-
visor, a School Trustee, and is a citizen of high
standing in his community. He is engaged in gen-
eral farming and also deals in horses and cattle. He
has also purchased 100 tons of broom-corn for three
years, on commission, for a firm in Canada. When
he first became a resident here, his nearest neighbor
was six miles distant. There was then a great
plenty of small game. Mr. H. is yet unmarried.

E. Edgerton, residing in the village of
Woodhull, where he is living in retirement
from the active labors of life, the major
portion of his years having been spent in the
arduous toils of the farm, was born in New
York, in Essex County, Nov. 6, 1818, his par-
ents being Jacob and Mary (Stoddard) Edgerton,
natives of Vermont.

The parents of Mr. Edgerton came to Illinois in
1839 and located at Galesburg, Knox County. They
purchased a lot in that city and erected thereon a
residence, in which they resided until the date of
his death in 1843. The mother followed him to the
land of the hereafter, Nov. 5, 1858. The issue of
their union was six children.

S. E. Edgerton was the fourth child in order of
birth of a family of six children. He remained with
his parents until within one year of his majority,
having received the advantages afforded by the com-
mon schools and assisted his father in the labors of
the farm until that time. His father was a carpen-
ter, and young Edgerton learned that trade prior to
his leaving home. He came to this State in the
spring of 1838, and located at Galesburg, where he
worked at his trade until the spring of 1844. He
then rented a farm in Knox County, and was con-
tinually engaged in its cultivation until 1855, meet-
ing with some degree of success in that manner ot
farming. At the expiration of that time he removed
to Henry County, and purchased a farm of 105
acres, located on section 6, Clover Township. The
land was prairie and in its natural condition, and

®
*

he at once entered upon the task of breaking and

HENRY COUNTY.

H<^

improving it. He erected a residence thereon, to-
gether with barn, fences, etc., set out trees and
otherwise improved the place, and continued to re-
side there for 25 years, when, in 1879, he removed
into Woodhull village and purchased a fine residence
and lot, and has continued to reside there up to the
present time.

The marriage of Mr. Edgerton to Miss Martha L.
Belding occurred April 6, 1842. She was the ac-
complished daughter of Stephen and Martha Beld-
ing, and was born in Windsor Co., Vt., May 2, 1822.
Three children, all daughters, have been born of
their union, viz. : Mary L., born April 6, 1843, mar-
ried Sidney Durston; Ethel A., born Aug. n, 1846,
■wife of T. I. Hurd; Ida L., born Feb. n, 1857, mar-
ried Manning L. Spooner, with whom she lived
until her death, which occurred in Cincinnati, Ohio,
Sept. 12, 1880; and Clark E., an adopted son, born
Feb. 12, 1856, was united in marriage to Mintie A.
Gamble; and Phebe E„ an adopted daughter, born
Oct. 22, 1859, married Orion Durston.

Mr. Edgerton is a believer in and a supporter of
the principles advocated by the Republican party.
He is a gentleman whose accumulations are attrib-
utable to his own energy and good judgment, and is
a respected and honored citizen of the community
in which he resides.

>
)

wSWi\\ eter B. Peterson, engaged as a general

IiRIh • farmer and stock-raiser on section 23, Lynn

flj [S33S Township, is a native of Sweden, having

ifpj been born there Oct. 1, 1830. He emigrated

J/ji. to America in the fall of 1857, first locating in

Galesburg, Knox Co., 111., where he engaged

as a common laborer for 1 1 years, in the employ of

G. W. Brown, manufacturer of corn-planters.

Mr. Pelerson was united in marriage the 13th
day of May, 1865, while at Galesburg, the lady to
whom he was united being Miss Matilda Hegg, also
a native of Sweden, and who came to the United
States in 1852 with her parents, when only ten years
old. They located in Lynn Township, where they
they both died. Peter B. Peterson's parents are
both deceased, having died in Sweden. Mr. and
. Mrs. Peterson have become the parents of three
^- children, namely: Emma Elida, Frank Edward and

Ellen Nell. Mr. P., on coming to Lynn Township,
rented land for the first three years, and finally pur-
chased the same; owning now, including his wife's
property, 90 acres of land, which is mostly improved
and under excellent cultivation. Mr. and Mrs. P., in
religious matters, attend the Lutheran Church.

-»-

-BH

-Ci-1

J. Howell, a retired farmer, residing on
section 29, Clover Township, was born
in Orange County, N. Y., May 7, 1823.
His parents were Cadwallader and Catherine
(Wood) Howell, natives of New York, who
came to Illinois in 1860, and finally died in
this State, the former in 1877, and the latter in 1869.
Mr. Howell, our subject, made his home with an
uncle from the time he was 18 months old until the
year 1856, receiving a common-school education.
At the age of 30 years he left his uncle for one year,
and. engaged in the creamery business in Morris-
town, N. J. He then resided with his uncle again
for two years, from whom he received for his services
his farm and pers^jal effects. He came to Illinois
in 1856, settling in Woodhull, and building the first
house in the place. He purchased the half of sec-
tion 7, in company with his brother, George Howell.
He also bought 40 acres in the northern part of the
same section, a quarter of section 29, in 1859; also
no acres since then, and a quarter of section 24,
80 acres on section 12, and 80 acres on section 32.
At. the present time he occupies section 29 as a resi-
dence. In 1880 he became a member of the Farm-
ers' Bank firm, in company with Messrs. Woods &
Co. As a farmer and as a dealer in fine horses and
high-grade stock, Mr. Howell has been eminently
successful. He is a solid and representative citizen
of Henry County, worthy of any public trust. He
is a Republican in his political affiliation ; was the
first Republican surveyor of the township ot Clover.
For the past nineteen years he has been a Trustee
of the Presbyterian Church, to which body his wife
and daughter also belong.

Mr. Howell was married to Miss Matilda C. Post,
a native of Orange Co., N. Y., and the daughter of
the late Gen. P. S. Post, who was engaged in the
War of 181 2. He had the entire control of the
State Militia of Orange County. He married Miss
Mary D. Coe, a native of the State of New York,

(!)

tife

-^v^>im^tmf>^^ — ^»^-

4*§^

HENRY COUNTY.

and a daughter of John B. Coe, a Representative of
Rockland County, that State. He came West with
his family in 1855, settling in Galesburg, where he
died in 1861 ; the mother still resides in Galesburg,
with her son, Gen. P. S. Post, who was a General in
the late war, was Consul to Austria 13 years, and is
at present living a retired life in Galesburg.

Mr. and Mrs. Howell have had two children,
namely: Carrie P., who married M. C. Brownlee, of
Monmouth, 111., in 1883; and Schuyler P., who died
in 1878, at the age of 17 years, at Rock Island, 111.

llp&2? R. Hayden. One of the representative and

worthy men of Henry County, is A. R.
* Hayden, a retired farmer, whose place of

residence is on section 25, Clover Township,
and who was born in Lewis Co., Ky., Oct. 20,
1819. His parents were Jonathan and Re-
becca (Taylor) Hayden, who were natives of Penn-
sylvania and New Jersey, respectively. In an early
day the father was engaged in mercantile business,
but later adopted the occupation of a farmer, and
came to Indiana in the year 1856, where he re-
mained until his death.

A. R., of this sketch, remained at home until he
attained the age of 22 years, enjoying such advan-
tages as were afforded by the common schools
of that early day, and then learned surveying.
After leaving home he followed the latter business,
that of a surveyor. Later, he commenced to work
part of the homestead which his father had given
him, and then sold it, coming to Illinois. He re-
mained in Fulton County for three years, and next
came on to Henry County and located on 1 60 acres
on section 25, Clover Township, which he had pur-
chased in 1853. By his industry and energy he
now has the same in an advanced state of cultiva-
tion, has set out trees, fenced it, erected suitable
buildings and a fine residence. He enlisted early
in the war in the 81st 111. Inf., served three years,
and was honorably discharged at Fort Donelson.

Mr. Hayden was married May 14, 1841, to Miss
Minerva Reeve, a native of Montgomery Co., Ind.,
and their home circle has been blessed with the
birth of nine children, namely : Amanda, Cynthia,
Louisa, Rebecca, Joab, William H., Eveline, Sylva-

nus and Alfred M., all of them married except the
youngest. Mr. H. votes with the Republican party,
whose principles he espouses. He and his wife are
members of the Christian Church of Ontario, Knox
County, this State.

nomas Long, a general farmer and stock-
raiser, residing on section 15, Lynn Town-
ship, is a native of Pennsylvania, where,
in Indiana County, he was born, Jan. 10,
1833. For parental history of Mr. Long, see
biography of J. S. Long, in another part of the
work. Thomas Long resided on the parental home-
stead, and attended the district schools of his native
county, developing into manhood. He learned the
trade of a blacksmith in early life under the instruc-
tion of an older brother, Jacob, in Westmoreland
Co., Pa. He continued to labor with his brother
from the date of his majority until he was about 25
years of age, working at the blacksmith trade. In
the spring of 1858, realizing that better opportu-
nities were offered in the undeveloped West for the
accumulation of a competency, he came to Orion,
this county. He first engaged in breaking prairie,
at which vocation he labored for a time, and then
entered upon the occupation of a farmer for his own
individual profit. He and his brother, J. S. Long,
purchased 230 acres of land in Lynn Township,
which they own at the present time in partnership.
Mr. Long subsequently increased his landed in-
terests by the purchase of 160 acres additional, on
which he at present resides. He is one of the
energetic and progressive farmers as well as stock-
raisers of his township. He Has a pleasant home,
a good farm, and in addition to his agricultural
labors is engaged to a considerable extent in breed-
ing high-graded stock. Politically, he is a Repub-
lican, but has always declined the proffered offices
of his township.

Mr. Long formed a matrimonial alliance in Swe-
dona, Mercer Co., 111., at the residence of the bride's
parents, Feb. 6, 1878, with Euphemia B., daughter
of Alex, and Mary (Burns) Cook, natives of North
and South Scotland respectively. The father was a
son of a Highland Scotch farmer, Archie Cook, who
was united in marriage to Mary McKelvie, and who
was a farmer by occupation. They came to Canada

was a tarmer by occupation

-z^k @V&MH&M(Ki>^ ^

W*^

,i@

2IO

HENRY COUNTY.

7
\

)

and settled in Inverness, Province of Quebec, about
1834, where they resided until their deaths, in 1852.
The mother of Mrs. Long (Mary Burns) was the
daughter of William and Mary (Tennock) Burns.
The grandfather, William Burns, was a second
cousin of Robert Burns, the famous Scottish poet,
and belonged to an old and prominent family of
Scotland, where he and his wife both died, she soon
after their marriage, and he in 1852. The parents
of Mrs. Burns had seven children, one of whom,
Peter F., is deceased. He was shot at the battle of
Resaca, Ga., while fighting in defense of his coun-
try's honor. The living are as follows : Archie, who
married Fanny Moore, and lives at Pre-emption,
Mercer Co., and is a wagon-maker ; Mary married
James Williamson, who resides at Creston, Iowa;
Lizzie married Dr. Williamson, a resident of Golden,
Adams Co., this State ; Jane resides with her father
in Swedona, Mercer Co., and has been a teacher of
long standing in the public schools of that county;
Belle was united in marriage to J. B. Dalles, who
resides in Philadelphia, Pa., and is engaged in iron
ore business. Mrs. Long was the fourth child of
her parents' family, having been born July 31, 1847,
in Govan, near the city of Glasgow, Scotland.
When in her 14th year she emigrated to the United
States with her parents, who settled in this county,
where the mother died, March 6, 1878. Her father
still survives, and resides at Swedona, Mercer Co.

Mr. and Mrs. Long are the parents of two chil-
dren: Bessie B., born Oct. 18, 1878, and Inez L,
Dec. 5, 1 88 1. They also have in their care for
bringing up a girl named Kittie, the daughter of
William and Catharine Farrell, of Geneseo. She
was born in that village, March 20, 1870, and was
in her eighth year wlien she was received into Mr.
Long's family.

L. Huffman, engaged as farmer on sec-
tion 9, Clover Township, is a native of
;&-s this State, having been born Jan. 1, 1852,
Jfe in Peoria County. His parents, Herbert W.
VfiJ and Elizabeth (Creiger) Huffman, were na-
i tives of New Jersey. The parents came to
this State in 1845, and settled in Peoria County,
where they purchased 60 acres of land. Their son,
C. L. Huffman, of whom we write, remained with

■ ^m 1 "vim

fVV-

them until he had attained his majority, receiving
his education in the common schools and assisting
in the labors of the farm. On becoming his own
man in life, C. L. left the parental roof-tree, and
worked out by the month in Henry County — his
parents having moved to this county in 1865 — until
about 25 years of age. He then rented a farm in
Clover Township, located on section 35, which he
cultivated for his own individual benefit for two
years. He then rented the place on which he at
present resides, and cultivated the same for one
year, after which he bought it, and has since con-
tinued to reside thereon, occupied in its cultivation
and improvement.

Mr. Huffman was united in marriage to Clara A.,
the daughter of Stephen J. Lighthizer, July 4, 1876.
She was born April it, r857, in Clover Township,
Henry County, and has borne to her husband one
child, — Edith C, born Nov. 30, 1879. Mr. Huff-
man, politically, is a believer in and a supporter of
the principles of the Republican party. He is a
worthy young man of Clover Township, and re-
spected in the community in which he resides for
his straightforward and manly dealings with his fel-
low men.

R. Spivey, farmer and stock-raiser, resid-
ing on section 18, Oxford Township, was
born in Indiana, March 31, 1840, his par-
ents being John and Lusada (Alread) Spivey,
jF natives of Ohio and South Carolina respect-
ively, who came to this State in 1 848, and
located in Rock Island County, where the father 1
died one year later.

J. R. Spivey, subject of this biographical sketch,
remained with his parents until he attained his
majority, receiving during that time a moderate edu-
cation in the district schools, and spending the major
portion of his time in labor on the farm. On be-
coming his own man he left home and rented a farm
in Mercer County, and in 1864 he purchased 80
acres of land in that county. After cultivating the
same for one year he sold it and came to this
county, where he purchased 80 acres on section 17,
Oxford Township. This he kept and cultivated for
three years, when he sold it, and purchased 120
acres, where he at present resides. He moved on
flflf^A^ ^i»£ &Ma§£>&*^ him

6=*4»ll|l>>^
HENRY COUNTY.

211

)

his land, and entered upon its cultivation and im-
provement, and was likewise engaged in the stock
business, which, together with agricultural pursuits,
continued to follow until 1883. Since that time he
has lived in retirement from the active labors of
life.

Mr. Spivey has been twice married. His first
wife, to whom he was united in marriage in Septem-
ber, 1861, was Miss Edith Duzenberry, a native of
Virginia, and four childreu were born of their union,
— James, Alice, John and Jane. Mrs. Spivey died
in 1874, and his second marriage was with Miss
Isadore Goodhue, a native of this State. Of the
latter union two children have been, born, — Elias,
Cass and Clark. Mr. S. politically, is a Prohibi-
tionist. Himself and wife and two children are
members of the Methodist Episcopal Church, and
three of his children are members of the Congrega-
tional Church.

L. Woods, manufacturer, Woodhull, was
born in Perry Co., Pa., Feb. 22, 1834, and
came to Illinois in 1856, residing in Ot-
tawa until 1858, clerking in a hardware
store for Jackson & Lockwood. He returned
to Pennsylvania, and after the death of his
father, in 1859, he rented the homestead for two
years. The farm was then sold, by order of the
Court, and Mr. Woods bought the place and occu-
pied it for two years longer. He then sold out and
moved to Newport, and engaged in buying and sell-
ing horses for the army and also to farmers. He
next purchased a farm near New Broomfield, Perry
Co., Pa., consisting of 103 acres, and occupied the
same for three years ; selling out again, he came to
Woodhull, this county, and purchased 138 acres of
land on section 24, Oxford Township, which place
he still retains. He has since engaged extensively
in the manufacture of brooms, at Woodhull, now
employing 17 men. He is also a member of the
firm of Howell, Woods & Co., bankers, of Wood-
hull. He is also the proprietor of 500 acres of land
in Kansas and Nebraska. He holds the office of
School Treasurer, has been Road Commissioner,
etc., and is one of the leading and solid men of
Henry County. He votes the Democratic ticket.

Miss Susan A. Gamble, a native of Perry Co., Pa.,
and Mr. Woods were married Feb. 22, i860, and
they have four children, — Carrie L., born Jan. 12,
t86i; Joseph W., who was born April 28, 1862;
Bell M., born June 1, 1865 ; and Laura M., Sept.
18, 1868; Carrie L. married A. A. Mackey, the
Postmaster of Woodhull. Mr. Wood's parents were
Joseph and Margaret (Adams) Woods, natives of
Pennsylvania. The former died in 1859, and the
latter in i860.

-ra+4

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£2-

A^OU

ugust Anderson, of the firm of E. & A.
Anderson, general merchants, at Lynn
Center, this county, is a native of Sweden,
in which country he was born May 30, 1850.
His father, Andrew Anderson, was also born
in Sweden, a farmer by occupation, and mar-
ried Christina Nilson, a native of that country.
While they resided in Sweden seven children were
born to them, and August, subject of this notice, was
the youngest in order of birth.

August Anderson was brought by his parents
when two years of age to this country. They
located in Andover Township, Henry County, where
the father purchased 50 acres of land, on which he
has continually resided. There has been one child
born to them since they came to the United States,
and they reside on the old homestead on which they
settled when they came to this county, being among
the early settlers. August Anderson was reared on
the homestead spoken of, where he assisted in the
labors of the farm, and attended the public schools
at Andover until February, 1884. At that date he
connected himself with Mr. Edward Anderson in
mercantile trade in Lynn Center, since which time
he ha,s continued with him in partnership in the
business.

Mr. Anderson was united in marriage July 30,
1885, at Andover, with Miss Mary I. Peterson, who
was born in Sweden, Dec. 14, 1858. Her father
died in his native country before Mrs. Anderson of
this notice was a year old. Her mother afterward
married P. O. Anderson, and the family came to the
United States, Mrs. A. of this notice being at the
time of her mother's emigration to this country eight
years old. She was the eldest but two in order of

mu®^ — 5^^- — --.' — •

.v|J

|Y^§S^f

212

HENRY COUNTY.

birth of a family of eight children, two of whom are
deceased. Her parents located in Andover Town-
ship, where the step- father died, Oct. 6, 1880.
Mrs. Anderson received her education in the dis-
trict schools of Andover and Clover Townships.
Her mother is at present residing in Andover, and
is 57 years old.

Mr. and Mrs. Anderson are members of the Swe-
dish Methodist Church at Andover, of which de-
nomination he is at present Treasurer. Politically,
he is a believer in and a supporter of the principles
advocated by the Republican party.

A A

T~"T

A A

T~ T

£3-

P. Taylor, who resides on section 9,
Clover Township, was born in Cumberland
Co., Pa., Sept. 10, 1836. His parents were
Michael and Sally (Persing) Taylor, native of
that State. They moved to Ohio in 1844,
where his father was engaged in farming for
seven years. In 1851 he came to this State and lo-
cated on section 9, Clover Township, this county,
where he purchased 160 acres of land. On this land
he settled with his family, and has constantly jesided
thereon until the present time. His wife, mother of
the subject of this notice, died on the old homestead
in 1865.

O. P. Taylor, whose biographical sketch we write,
received a fair education in the district schools and
assisted his father in the labors of the farm until he
reached his 21st year. On becoming his own man
in life, he was given charge of the old homestead and
has continued to cultivate the same up to the pres-
ent time. By energetic labor and economy, he has
added 80 acres of land to the original 160 which the
homestead comprised. The 80 acres is located on
sections 4 and 9. Mr. T. has also purchased in con-
nection with a brother 80 acres on section 9, 80
acres on section 10, and 40 acres on section 4, and
also 10 acres of woodland in Andover Township. He
has a large stock of cattle and horses, and is en-
gaged in general farming, in which vocation he is
meeting with success.

He was married to Miss Lorina Downey, a native
of Illinois, in 1866, and of their union, two sons have
^ een born, Charles and Willie. Politically, Mr. Tay-

lor is a Democrat. He has held the office of School
Director for 1 1 years, and is an energetic and pro-
gressive farmer, and respected citizen of the town-
ship and county in which he resides.

*<lr*

•also

illiam Boltenstern, engaged as a general
farmer and stock-raiser on section 24,
Lynn Township, where is located his resi-
dence, is a native of Pommern, Prussia,
in which country he was born Dec. 3T,
18 18. His father, Charles Boltenstern, was
a farmer and a native of Prussia. He was
married in that country to Minnie Nitz, she being a
native of the same place, and both were of old Ger-
man families, who had lived there when that part
of Prussia belonged to Sweden, before Napoleon.
The parents of our subject had always lived in
Germany, the date of the death of the father being
about the year 1846, and the mother 1858.

William Boltenstern, whose name heads this
sketch, was the third child in order of birth of a
family of r2 children, and resided under parental'
influence until about 19 years of age, in the mean-
time attending the public schools and acquiring a
good education. At the age mentioned he entered
the regular army of Prussia, where he remained for
about two years, and then engaged in the occupation
of a farmer, which he followed until his emigration
to America, in T852. Upon his arrival in the New
World, he located on a farm of 80 acres in Lynn
Township, which he begin immediately to improve
and put under excellent cultivation. In this he
succeeded, and later he added to his original acre-
age, until he is now the owner of over 1,000 acres,
the most of this large property being in a good state
of cultivation. It is distributed over the townships
of Lynn, Andover and Osco. His farm ranks
among the first of the township, and Mr. B. is one
of the most extensive land-owners in the same.
His stock-raising is immense, and he is looked upon
as a progressive, energetic and respected stockman.

The 27th of June, 1857, Mr. Boltenstern chose
for his companion, and with whom he was united,
Miss Mary Anderson, who was born in Sweden, in
1839. When 12 years of age she emigrated with
her mother to America, her father having died in

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rj&xz — 6v^n u® n Df^r^ — ^a<€^

HENRY COUNTY.

Sweden. They located at Andover, Henry County,
and there she lived until her marriage. The mother
still survives, making her home with her daughter,
Mrs. B. Mr. and Mrs. B. have had their home
circle blessed with the birth of five children, one of
whom is deceased : Theodore W., Morris A., Henry
E., and Victor F. are living, and Charles is
deceased. Mr. and Mrs. B. and family are mem-
bers of the Presbyterian Church. Mr. B. has served
in the minor offices of his township, and politically
he affiliates with the Republican party

-S3

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'§'«( D. Underwood, who is engaged as a farmer
on section 33, Oxford Township, was. born
in Oxford Township, Henry County, Dec.
11, 1839, and is a son of Almeron and Per-
melia (Coldgrove) Underwood, who were na-
tives of New York. They came to Illinois in
1836, and remained through the winter in Fulton
County. In the spring of the following year they
went to Oxford Township and " took up " land on
section 31, 160 acres, which they afterwards in-
creased by taking 160 more adjoining. This they
began work upon, and by their energy and industry
succeeded in the task of its improvement and culti-
vation. They were the first settlers in Oxford Town-
ship, where they lived until their deaths, occurring in
1868 and 1876 respectively.

A. D., our subject, attended the district schools,
and later the Galesburg Academy, thus receiving a
fine education; in the meantime he assisted his
father on the farm, remaining at home until he at-
tained the age of 21 years. In 1862, he enlisted in
Co. D, 83d 111. Vol. Inf., and was in the service for
about three years, at the end of which time he re-
ceived an honorable discharge.

March 31, 1870, Mr. Underwood was married to
Miss Ellen L. Sinden, a native of the State of Illi-
nois. Their home circle has been blessed by the
birth of four children, namely: Hester P., Bruce
A., Sidney R. and Mabel E. Mr. U. is a Republi-
can in political sentiments. He has been Assessor
and Justice of the Peace, and socially is a member
of the Order of Masons. Since his marriage he has
resided on 80 acres of land on section 33, his pres-

*^^j!/<7a7r»v»'vwv

elson Gustus, Supervisor of Lynn Town-
ship, residing on section 30, where he is
jjTH likewise engaged in the occupation of
farming and stock-raising, was born in Swe-
,!(, den, Aug. 22, 1836. His father, Gustaf Nilson,
was also a native of Sweden, a farmer by occupation,
and was united in marriage in that country to Maria
H. Anderson, a daughter of a Swedish farmer and
a native of the same province as himself. The
issue of their union was four children, namely:
Carl M., who is married and resides on a farm in
his native province in Sweden ; Johanna G. is like-
wise married to a Swedish farmer ; Carl J. Dahlberg,

ent homestead, which he has improved and put under V[>
excellent cultivation, and 20 acres in Knox County. K
Mr. U. is one of the solid and prominent men of Ox-
ford Township.

ho mas Cain, a farmer of section 29, Clover
Township, was born on the Isle of Man,
Nov. 10, 1850, and in emigration to this
country he arrived in Altona, 111., April 29,
1868. He was brought up to agricultural
labor, received a common-school education, and
at Altona he commenced to work upon a farm for his
uncle, David Patty ; but after the expiration of about
five months he was severely attacked with typhoid
fever, which laid him up for ten weeks; the next
summer he worked for nine months upon a farm in
this county, and then went to Galva, where he was a
farm laborer for two years. In 1885 he purchased an
80-acre farm in Clover Township, upon section 29,
where he is now a resident. He has some very fine
horses and some grade cattle.

Mr. Cain is a Republican, is a School Director,
and has held other offices in his township. He is a
very benevolent man as well as enterprising, and
both himself and wife belong to the Methodist Epis-
copal Church.

He was united in the bonds of matrimony in 1872,
to Miss Bathia E. Riner, a native of Ohio, and they
have six children: Elizabeth A., William T.,
Martha J., Cora A , Blanche M. and Nellie G.

<>>

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> 214

■6v4>nn^iiti^v^c) ^k-

-*4*^%

HENRY COUNTY.

)

who emigrated to this country after his marriage,
and is at present residing in retirement at Randolph,
Riley Co., Kan. ; Anna S., who married J. L. Lund,
also a native of Sweden; they emigrated to the
United States and settled near Orion, where her
husband died, and Mrs. L. at present resides in
McPherson, McPherson Co., Kan., in retirement.

Nelson Gustus, the subject of this notice, was the
youngest son of his parents' children. He resided
at home, assisting his father in the labors on the
farm and attending school, until he attained the age
of 17 years. At this period in his life's history,
hoping to better his. financial condition in life, he
emigrated to this, the land of promise and progress.
Soon after arriving in this country he located in
Henry County, where he engaged in general labor
on the railroad and on the farm for three years. At
the end of this time he rented land in Lynn Town-
ship, this county, and continued farming in that
manner for four years. In i860 he purchased 40
acres of land located on section 31, Lynn Township.
On this small farm, which was in its natural condi-
tion and on which the hand of civilization was not
to be seen, he entered upon the arduous and pro-
tracted task of establishing a home. By energetic
effort and economy he succeeded in placing his 40
acres under good methods of cultivation, and a few
years later he purchased 20 acres more. Having a
firm belief in the future development of the county,
he continued on his farm, and labored hard, and
the outcome of his good judgment and industry has
enabled him at the present time to be the owner of
329 acres of good land, in an advanced state of
cultivation. He has his farm in first-class con-
dition, well supplied with good farm buildings and
an elegant residence, and is enjoying the fruits of a
laborious life, and meeting with signal success in
his chosen vocation, agriculture. In addition to his
agricultural labors he is somewhat engaged in stock-
growing, and in breeding and selling it.

Mr. Gustus was united in marriage, Feb. 26,
1862, at Andover, Henry County, with Miss Clara
M. Magnusson, a native of Sweden. She was only
a small child when she came to the United States
with her parents, who settled in Lynn Townsnip,
this county. Her mother at present resides in Swe-
dona, with her daughter, Mrs. Johanna E. Esbjorn,
where her husband died, in 1877. She is in her

83d year. Mr. and Mr. Gustus are the parents of
three children, viz. : John E., who resides at Linds-
borg, Kan., is a professor of plain and ornament-
al penmanship, and Principal of the Business De-
partment of the Bethany Normal Institute ; Oscar
T., who is well educated, and possesses in a high
degree the art of portrait-drawing and journalism;
Hulda R. is a young lady, likewise possessed of a
good education, received in the district schools of
the county.

The family are all members of the Evangelical
Lutheran Swedish Church at Swedona. Mr. Gustus
was Assessor 12 years, Road Commissioner eight
years, and has held the position of Supervisor of his
township for five years ; has been President of the
Svea Mutual Fire Insurance Company ten years ; is a
staunch and active Republican, and takes consider-
able interest in the local politics of his township and
county, and is one of the respected and honored
citizens of Henry County. His wife has been for
the past eight years a confirmed invalid, yet bears
her pain with that fortitude characteristic of the
disposition she possesses.

"n*£8&ttfigs*~- v&

x«i— >*gfaWJ3OT»

D. Timberlake, retired farmer, residing
on section ^, Oxford Township, was born
in Green Co, Ky., Dec. 17, 1807. His
parents were Joseph and Anna (Douglas)
Timberlake, natives of Virginia. They were
occupied in farming in Kentucky, where they
remained until their deaths. The father was a
soldier in the Revolutionary War.

R. D., whose name heads this notice, remained at
home until ten years of age, the death of his mother
occurring at that time. From that time in life the
boy supported himself working out by the month or
year, and followed the same for 20 years. In 1833
he moved to Sangamon Co., 111., where he superin-
tended a large farm for Richard F. Barrett, for four
years; then, in 1837, he removed to Oxford Town-
ship, Henry County, and "took up" 240 acres of
land on section 33, his present residence, and later
added to his original purchase by buying 660 acres,
until he now has 900 acres, on which he entered vig-
orously and energetically upon the task of improve-
ment and cultivation. Upon his large and valuable

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-$§§>$

z*®* — 6V4?mi®iiii?>

HENRY COUNTY.

(!)

farm he carries on general farming, doing splendidly
and succeeding well.

R. D. Timberlake was united in marriage Nov.
13, 1834, with Miss Jemima Simms, who was born
in Kentucky and came when four years of age to
Sangamon Co., where she was married. Of this
union have been born nine children, viz. : Joseph,
William S., Ann, Robert and George (twins), Susan,
Delilah, Jeminah and Lucy. They are all married.
Mr. Timberlake has 27 grandchildren and three
great-grandchildren. He is a Democrat in political
views, and is one of the first settlers in Oxford
Township; -is thought of as a representative and
solid man.

jrs. C. C. Houghton, residing in Clover
Township, and the widow of Calvin C.
Houghton, came with her husband to this
State in 1852, and located in Clover Town
ship, on section ^^, where her husband " took
up" 160 acres of land, on which they resided
for three years. They then moved to Galesburg,
Knox County, this State, where they purchased ten
acres of land in that vicinity and on which they
lived two years.

Mr. Houghton, husband of the subject of this no-
tive, was born in Vermont in 1817. He received a
good common-school education in his native State,
and at the age of 16 years, left home and engaged in
the hardware business. In 1 845 he was united in
marriage with Lucy E. Johnson, a native of Chester,
Vt. They resided in that State for seven years and
then came to Illinois. The issue of their union was
six children — Curtis, Henry, Fred, Hugh, Winnifred
and Nellie. Curtis formed a matrimonial alliance
with Miss Frances Brooks, and the issue of their
union was two children — Hall and Glenn ; Fred
married Maggie Benn, and they are the parents of
two children — Inez M. and Hugh M.; Hugh married
Alice Remine, and to them have been born three
children — Fred and Mabel and one deceased; Win-
nifred married John Oliver and they also had two
children — Henry and Ned. Henry lives with his
mother and manages het business and is Supervisor
of the township of Clover.

The demise of Mr. Houghton occurred in 1874.

party. He was a farmer by occupation, and also an
extensive dealer in stock, and his life was one of ac-
tivity and energetic labor. He was a gentleman
always ready to aid in any good undertaking and
was calculated to benefit the community in which he
resided. His life of effort and economy, coupled
with the active co-operation of his good helpmeet,
was such as enabled him to leave his wife and chil-
dren a fine property.

Politically he was identified with the Republican

F. Beals, a farmer residing on section 35,
Clover Township, this county, was born
near Cleveland, O., Aug. 12, 1832, and is
a son of Abner S. and Jane (Shepard) Beals,
natives of New York and Pennsylvania re-
spectively. The parents of Mr. Beals came
to Cleveland, Ohio, in 1818, where they purchased a
farm of 50 acres, on which they resided for a time
and then sold the same. In 1868 they moved to
Michigan and settled in Cass County, where they
continued to reside until their deaths, that of the
father occurring Oct. 1 , 1 87 6, and the mother May 30,
of the same year. R. F. Beals, son of the parents
mentioned, was an inmate of their family for 19 years,
and during that time received an education in the
district schools and assisted in the labors of the farm.
Arriving at the age mentioned, he left home to make
his own way in the world, and engaged first in chop-
ping wood. He followed this occupation only a
short time, when he engaged to learn the carpenter
trade at Cleveland, Ohio. He soon mastered the
same and took contracts for the building of houses,
barns and all kinds of other buildings, and employed a
set of hands. In 1855, he left Ohio and came to this
State, where, in Oneida, Knox County, he was occu-
pied for a time and then came to Clover Township,
this county, the date of his arrival being 1856. Ar-
riving here he worked at his trade for two years,
taking contracts for the building of houses through-
out the township.

In 1858, Mr. Beals purchased 80 acres of land, on
which he located, and engaged in its cultivation and
improvement. He has subsequently increased his
landed interests by the purchase of 170 acres addi-
tional, lying partly in Knox and partly in this county,
making his aggregate of acres 250. He has bought
and sold other lands, but the latter acreage com-

*®

32*

^&k — 6v^nti®iiiif>^

<2/

,*
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!l6

HENRY COUNTY.

prises his present farm. He has made many im-
provements upon his place, such as the erection of
his residence, barn, fences, the setting out of trees,
etc.; and the appearance of his farm is indicative
not only of good judgment, but of energetic and la-
borious toil.

Mr. Beals enlisted in the war for the Union in
August, 1862, joining Co. I, io2d 111. Vol. Inf., and
participated in all the battles of the Atlanta cam-
paign, prominent among which were Resaca, New
Hope Church, Peach-Tree Creek and siege of At-
lanta. He was slightly wounded while on the skir-
mish line, and served three years in defense of the
Union cause. He was with Sherman in his march
to the sea; was promoted as Orderly Sergeant, and
on several occasions commanded his company. He
received an honorable discharge at the close of the
war, and returned home, where, doffing his uni-
form, he again engaged in the peaceful pursuits of
life.

Mr. Beals formed a matrimonial alliance with
Miss Adeline H. McClellan in 1857. She wa> a
bride for only one short year and passed to the land
of the hereafter. Mr. Beals was again married in
1865, to Miss Amanda M. Hayden, who was the
daughter of A. R. Hayden, of Clover Township.
Politically, Mr. Beals is a believer in the tenets of
the Republican party. Socially, he is a member of
the I. O. O. F., the Masonic Order, and of the G. A.
R., and is Commander of Holden Post, of the latter
society. He has held the office of Supervisor
for four years, that of Justice of the Peace, and
other minor offices within the gift of the people of
his township, and is one of the respected and hon-
ored citizens of the same.

ames Bachus, residing on section 30, Ox-
ford Township, where he is engaged in the
occupation of farming, is a native of Ohio,
where, in Gallia County, that State, he was
born, Oct. 14, 1823. The parents of Mr.
Bachus were Jacob and Nancy (Long) Bachus,
with whom James resided until 1831. At that date
his mother died, and he was bound out to a farmer
until he should arrive at the age of majority. On be-
coming his own man in life he came to Oxford Town-
%&^° 2®$$Z @^fl ft

ship, and purchased 51 acres of land. Mr. B. is a
self-made man in every sense of the word. On com-
ing here he was very poor, and for many years
worked hard to procure a home. By energetic ef-
fort, economy and perseverance, he has been enabled
to purchase 59 acres additional, and now has a fine
farm of no acres. He has held the office of Trus-
tee of his township for 28 years, and is also School
Director of his district. Religiously, he is a member
of the Methodist Episcopal Church.

In 1845, Mr. Bachus was united in marriage with
Miss Mary James. Of their union eight children
were born, seven of whom survive, namely: James,
Benjamin, Mary, Archibald, Charles, Foss and Jane.
Arvilla is deceased. Mrs. Bachus died in 1875, and
Mr. B. formed a second matrimonial alliance, with
Miss Catherine Maxy, in 1876. They have become
the parents of two children — Minnie B. and Leroy.
Mr. Bachus is a Prohibitionist in his political views,
and is one of the respected citizens of Oxford Town-
ship.

<'
&

arah Houghton, the wife of Thomas P.
Houghton, deceased, and whose maiden
name was Sarah Barton, is a resident
of Clover Township, residing on section 35.
Thomas P. Houghton, deceased, husband of
the subject of this notice, was born in Graf-
ton Township, Windham Co., Vt., in 1806, and died
on the old homestead in Clover Township, this
county, in May, 187 1. He remained with his par-
ents until 1855, when he came to this county and
rented land, and continued to farm in that manner
for six years. He then purchased 80 acres of land,
and by good judgment, energetic labor and economy
he subsequently added 200 acres to his original pur-
chase, the same being located on section 35, Clover
Township, on which he located with his family and
entered vigorously and energetically upon the task
of its improvement. He was a great worker during
his life-time, and was respected and honored for his
straightforward and honest dealings. He held num-
erous offices within the gift of the people of his town-
ship, and was at one time Postmaster. He was a
gentleman noted for his liberality, and always lent a
helping hand in time of need to the deserving. He
could be found interested in everything that was cal-

flUf^g — ^^ -$$&£<

HENRY COUNTY.

^«*££

culated to benefit the community in which he resided,
and by his constant labor and good judgment, when
called to the hereafter, left a fine home and suffi-
ciency of this world's goods to his wife and children.
The marriage of Mr. Houghton to Miss Barton,
which occurred Dec. 3, 1840, in Massachusetts, was
blessed by the birth of five children, one of whom is
deceased. The record is as follows : John, Lucia,
Wilhelmina W., Charles E. and Martha, who died at
the age of two years. John was united in marriage
to Miss Harriet Deevolo; Lucia married Alexander
Maher; Wilhelmina married Lewis W. Slosson ; and
Charles was united in marriage with Lucinda
Clough. Charles E. runs the home farm, where the
mother resides, aged 77 years.

-E3-

"ohn J. Thorp, residing on section 26, Clover
Township, where he is engaged in the oc-
cupation of a farmer, was born in the town-
ship in which he at present resides, Sept. 12,
1853, his parents being John and Elizabeth
(Judy) Thorp. His parents were natives of
Indiana and Pennsylvania respectively, and came to
this State in 1852, settling in Clover Township, this
county, where his father purchased 165 acres of
land, located on section 26, and where the parents
resided until the death of the father, which occurred
Dec. 9, 1864. He was a soldier in* the late war,
and was with Sherman in his famous march from
Atlanta to the sea. During the march he was taken
sick with fever, and died, and was buried in Georgia.
He enlisted in 1864, in the 31st Regt. 111. Vol. Inf.,
Co. B.

John J. Thorp, of whom we write, remained on
the parental homestead, and on attaining his ma-
jority he took the same, and has subsequently pur-
chased the interest of the other heirs. He received
an education in the common schools of his county,
and has devoted his entire life to agricultural pur-
suits.

He was married to Miss Lena E. Reeve, a native
of this county, Jan. 26, 1876. She was a daughter
of George Reeve, of this county, and has borne her
husband three children, — Charles E., Claude M. and
Orabelle. Mrs. Thorp died May 13, 1885, leaving
a husband and three children to mourn her loss.

Politically, Mr. Thorp is identified with the Re-
publican party. He has held the office of School
Director in his township, and, although a young man,
has bright prospects. In addition to his agricultural
duties on the farm, he has been engaged in running
an engine for threshing and shelling corn for the
past five years.

»OOC>C . "

amuel Pritchard. Though the early years
of his- life were not the most favorable for
a successful and prominent career, Mr.
Pritchard, who resides upon a farm on section
25, Oxford Township, has become a well-to-
do and representative man of his community.
He/was born in Rochester, N. Y., April 9, 1830.
His parents, Lucius and Sally (Sampson) Pritchard,
who were natives of Vermont and Connecticut re-
spectively, both died when Samuel was only five
years of age. The lonely orphan, thus bereft of
nature's guardians at so early an age, was taken
charge of by an aunt. He remained with her for
five years, attending school, which he did tolerably
regularly until he attained the age of 19 years.

After leaving the school-room he worked by the
month for a number of years, when, in 1852, he em-
barked in the hotel business at Rochester. He
remained as landlord at this place for three years,
when he sold out and came to Bureau Co., 111., in-
tending to make a purchase of real estate there.
He, however, returned to Rochester without making
any investment. In 1855 he made a .second visit to
Illinois, stopping where he now lives. Here he
purchased 80 acres of wild land, to which he subse-
quently added 40 adjoining. He has since made
purchases of land in Henry and Knox Counties,
amounting to 836 acres. He has made all the im-
provements on the home farm, and to-day has a
very pleasant and well-improved place.

Mr. Pritchard was married on the 1st of April,
i860, to Miss Edna Brown, a native of New York.
She has become the mother of two chiidren, — La-
Fayette E. and Forest T. The former married
Fannie Gamble, a native of Woodhull, this county,
and resides at that place. Mrs. Pritchard died Dec.
10, 1867, and Mr. Pritchard was subsequently mar-
ried Dec. 23. 1868, to Amanda J. Butts, daughter

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HENRY COUNTY.

of Frederick W. and Harriet Butts, natives of Ohio.
She was born July 14, 1834, and was brought to
Illinois by her parents the same year. Politically,
Mr. P. is a Democrat, and belongs to the Presby-
terian Church. His wife is connected with the
Christian Church.

The public will doubtless be pleased to find Mr.
Pritchard's portrait in this Album.

-*3-

-E3-

S. Thayer, an energetic and worthy
farmer of Clover Township, section 36
being the location of his residence, was
born in Livingston Co., N. Y., Aug. 19,
1832. He is a son of Harry and Elizabeth
(Hall) Thayer, also natives of New York State
and New Hampshire respectively. The subject of
this sketch remained at home under the influence of
his parents until he attained the age of 19 years, in
the meantime assisting on the farm and receiving an
education, attending the Lima Seminary.

After leaving home, he came to Knox Co., 111., and
engaged to work on a farm on shares for four years, at
the end of which time he left for Clover Township,
this county, where he purchased 80 acres on sec-
tion 36, his present residence, and later 20 acres
adjoining, which he has under excellent cultivation.
Miss Eliza Conners was the lady chosen to share
the joys and sorrows, successes and reverses of life
with Mr. Thayer, the event occurring in the year
1874. Of their union have been born three children
— Harry M., Alice C. and George Erving. Politi-
cally, Mr. Thayer is a Republican.

»»«ja££7©3©"— m

*§&S<OTa»»

; illiam R. Tracy. The following is the
sketch of one cf the promising and enter-
prising young men of Oxford Township,
» who is engaged in general farming on sec-
Tn tion 20 : He is one of the very few farmers
or business men of the county who was born in
this section of the State. In reading over the per-
sonal sketches of the active men of the county of
to-day, one is impressed with the large number who
were born in the East or a foreign country, and the

fewness of those who are natives of Illinois. Mr.
Tracy was born in Richland Grove Township, Mercer
Co., 111., Jan. 26, 1852. His parents were Joab and
Mary J. (Coon) Tracy, natives of Montgomery Co.,
Ind. They came to Illinois and located in Mercer
County in 1851. There the elder Tracy rented a
farm and for three years cultivated it. He then
came into Henry County and purchased 160 acres
of land in Lynn Township. He has subsequently
bought 1,200 acres, and is still living in Lynn.

William R. remained at home until 21 years of
age, enjoying excellent advantages for an education.
The winter previous to his leaving home, he taught
school. He then for six years had the use of one
of his father's farms. At the end of that period he
bought a farm in his native township, Mercer County,
of 160 acres. After living upon it for five years, he
sold out and came into Oxford Township, this
county, where he now lives and owns 300 acres of
land. Besides the farm work that he has done, he
has taught district schools for eight winters. Polit-
ically, he is identified with the Democratic party.

In 1873, April 17, he was married to Miss Mary
D. Barrett, a native of Henry County. To them
have been born two children, — Grace and Will-
iam R.

W. TUrner, a retired farmer residing on
section 29, Clover To,\ nship, is a native of
the Empire State, and a son of Isaac and
Matilda (Travise) Turner, natives also of that
^ State. The senior Mr. Turner was a mechanic
by occupation. L. W., our subject, was born May
31, 1829, received in his boyhood and youth a com-
mon-school education, and at the age of 15 years he
left home and learned the carriage and wagon mak-
er's trade, serving an apprenticeship of three years.
He followed that trade three years longer, and then
he removed to Ohio, arriving there June 25, 1850,
and engaged in millwrighting, also in the manufac-
ture of wagons and carriages, for two years. Previous
to his removal to Ohio, however, he worked for two
years on the New York & Erie Railroad, building a
bridge. In 1855, he rented a farm, which he oc-
cupied and cultivated until 1861, when he came to
Woodhull, this county, and purchased a farm of 80

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HENRY COUNTY.

acres on section 29, Clover Township. To this he
has since added 40 acres, making a total of 120
acres. This farm he has greatly improved, building
upon it a fine residence, etc.

Mr. Turner and Julia A. Shoot, a native of Ohio,
were united in matrimony in 1853, and they have
had one son, Lucius A., who married Viola Peck,
and has three children, — Harvey O., Pearl I. and
Jennie O.

Mr. Turner has held various local offices in Clover
Township. He is a National Greenbacker in his
political doctrines, is a member of the Masonic and
Odd Fellows Orders, and a leading man in that
part of Henry County.

—J-

4«*

V<)

oab Traey. The gentleman whose name
heads this personal sketch resides on sec-
tion 32, Lynn Township, and is one of the
largest land-owners of the county. He was
born in Montgomery Co., Ind., May 26, 1831.
His father, Jesse Tracy, was a native of Ken-
tucky and of a family of four sons and four daugh-
ters, who lost their father when Jesse was quite
young. He lived in Kentucky until after his marri-
age, which event occurred in Mason County, and the
lady who joined her fortunes with his was Nancy
Hayden, also a Kentuckian by birth and ancestry.
After their marriage they went to Ohio, where, en-
gaged in farming, they lived for some years. During
their sojourn in the Buckeye State, four children were
born to them. From Ohio they came into Mont-
gomery Co., Ind., where Joab was born, as well as
another child, making a family of six children, all of
whom are living except the eldest, who was named
John. The second was Minerva, who lives in Iowa ;
Rachel resides in Montgomery County still; Cath-
erine resides in Champaign Co., 111. ; Joab, our sub-
ject ; and James, a farmer in Kansas. All of the
children are married excepting one, and are all well-
to-do apd prosperous farmers.

Joab was about 20 years of age when the family
moved to Peoria Co., 111., his father having previously
died in Montgomery County. He was born April 8,
1795, and died on the 16th of September, 1845, when
Joab was 14 years old. He lived with his mother in

Peoria County for some years, when they went to
Champaign Co. 111., where, Aug. 17, 1859, the mother
died. Our subject had not lived quite a year in
Peoria County, when he celebrated his marriage.
This event, however, took place in Montgomery
County, his old home. Miss Mary J., daughter of
Hiram and Nancy (LaV alley) Cpon, was the lady of
his choice. This important event in their lives oc-
curred Jan. s, 185 1. Mrs. Coon, the mother of Mrs.
Tracy, died when the latter was five years of age.
Between this period and her marriage, she lived with
strangers.

About one year subsequent to his marriage, Mr. T.
came to Mercer County, and for three years lived in
Richland Grove Township. In 1855, he came into
Lynn Township, and entered 160 acres of land upon
which he began to make improvements, and where
he intended to establish a home. This quarter sec-
tion, which he .still has in possession, was never
owned by any person save himself and " Uncle
Sam." He made improvements upon this place, and
soon began to add to first purchase. He has con-
tinued to make such accessions until he now owns
940 acres in Lynn Township, 320 acres in Osco
Township, 80 acres in Oxford and 17^ acres in
Richland Grove Township. His farms, as a whole,
are mostly under the plow, and upon his home place
he has first-class farm buildings, and a large and.
commodious residence.

Politically, Mr. T. is a Democrat of the first water,
and has been since he voted for Franklin Pierce.
He takes an active part in local politics, but declines
any official position.

The record of the ten children born to Mr. and
Mrs. T. is given as follows : William R. is married
and resides on a farm in Oxford Township, and is the
father of two children, Grace and William; James
A. is married and lives in Osco Township. The
former married Mary D. Barrett, and the latter Lena
Molthrope ; Willis married Orlena S. Reynolds, lives
in Lynn Township, and has two children — Edith
and Alvah ; Ellen is the wife of Charles Kinsey, and
lives in Richland Grove Township, and the mother
of two children — Emma and an infant ; Catherine is
the wife of Allen Sayre, of Rural Township, Rock
Island County, and is the mother of one child —
Harry T. ; Jesse lives in Osco ; Rachel, Joab, Minnie
and Jennie live at home.

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HENRY COUNTY.

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M. Thayer, engaged in farming on section
36, Clover Township, was born in Livings-
ton Co., N. Y., May 3, 1830, and is a son
of Peter Thayer, a native of Massachusetts.
He left home at the age of 24 years, and, after
having received a common-school education,
and assisting on his father's farm, he came to this
county, locating upon 80 acres of section 34 ; at the
end of one year he moved to Iowa, where he resided
seven years, three years of which time, however, he
spent in the war of the Union. He enlisted in 1861
in Co. F, 5th Mo. Cav., under Col. Pennick, of St.
Joseph, Mo., and was engaged in many small battles,
as Lexington, Lone Jack, Springfield, Wilson Creek,
etc. He received one slight wound, and after a ser-
vice of three years he was honorably discharged.
Returning to this county, he rented a farm one year,
and then purchased the place which he now occu-
pies, consisting of 240 acres, all in a high state of cul-
tivation.

In the year 1865, Mr. Thayer married Elvira
Hamilton, a native of Lima, Livingston Co., N. Y.
Their three children are Inez H., Ernest N. and
Marcy L.

Mr. Thayer is a Republican in his political views,
is a worthy gentleman and a highly respected citi-
zen. Both himself and Mrs. Thayer are members of
the Christian Church in Knox County.

ohn H. Dean, dealer in grain at Atkinson,
came to Henry County in 1859. He was
born Feb. 26, 1822, in the town of Bath, in
Grafton Co., N. H, He is a descendant of
one of the Pilgrims of the Mayflower. He lost
his father in early childhood, and, as his mother
was left in indifferent circumstances, he began at the
age of nine years to take care of himself. His first
employ was at such labor on a farm as was suitable
for a child of his tender years. He had the good
fortune to secure a home with the same family until
he was 21. He came to the West in 1846 and lo-
cated in Rock Island County, where he was engaged
in the lumber and mercantile business. One memor-

able act in his career was the fact that he was the
first to plow the ground where was afterwards erected
the college in which Jefferson Davis finished his edu-
cation. He continued to operate there until he
came to Henry County. In 1859 he established his
present business at Atkinson, where he has been one
of the most valuable citizens of the place in its prog-
ress. His business is of extensive proportions. In
his political relations he is a Republican. He is a
member of the Order of Masonry.

Mr. Dean was married to Miss Eliza Butterfield,
Aug. 15, 1848. She was born in Bellows Falls, Vt.,
and died at Moline, Nov. 9, 1849. In 1857, Mr.
Dean was married to Lora H. Gould, and she died
April 25, 1865. March 29, 1882, Mr. Dean was a
third time married, to' Nancy J. Gould, who is still
living. The family of Mr. Dean includes a son and
a daughter, who are both living in Dakota.

•*»

amos Gilbraith, a farmer on -section 30,
ft Alba Township, has been a resident of
Henry County since 1863. He was born
in "the County Down, in the north of Ire-
land, in July, 1837. He came to the United
States at the age of 22, and landed at New
York. He came with the purpose of trying what the
application of his firm health and manly vigor would
accomplish under the privileges of a free form of
government, where every man is the controller of his
own accumulations. After he landed at New York
he proceeded forthwith to the county of Rock Island
and there obtained a situation as an assistant on a
farm at $12.50 per month, hiring out to remain a
year. He continued in the same service three years,
meanwhile renting land one season. In 1863, as has
been stated, he came to the township of Alba and
bought 80 acres on the section where he has since
resided. The correctness of the judgment which he
exercised in coming to the United States is manifest
from the fact that he is now the possessor of 440
acres of land, and his estate is in excellent condition
for successful farming, fitted with all necessary
buildings for the successful prosecution of the busi-
ness of a first-class farmer. The fine dwelling on the
farm is 32 x 26 feet in dimensions and a story and a
half in height. The barn is 28 x 32 feet in size, with
a granary 30 x 32 feet. The stock consists of graded

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HENRY COUNTY.

Durham cattle, Poland-China swine and Norman
horses. The herds contain ioo head. Mr. Gil-
braith is the possessor of one two-year-old English
Draft horse of three-fourths blood.

His marriage to Sarah Morrison took place April
4, 1865. She was a native of the County Down, Ire-
land, born in 1832, and died March 28, 1879, leav-
ing five children — James, Joseph, Robert H., Sarah
J. and Elizabeth A. The second wife of Mr. Gil-
braith was Matilda Smith before her union with
him. Their marriage occurred Dec. 21, 1882. She
was born in Germany in 1848. Clarence E., born
May 29, 1885, is the name of their only child. The
heads of the household are members of the Congre-
gational Church. Mr. Gilbraith has served in the
capacities of Commissioner of Highways, as School
Director and Trustee. He is a Republican in his
political views.

-o*

i: obert D. Boiee, a citizen of prominence in
in business, social and religious relations
at Geneseo, has been a dealer in hardware

at that place since 1858. He was born Aug.

14, 1830, in the city of Pittsburg, Pa. His

parents, Eben and Nancy (De France) Boice,
were natives of Penn Manor, Franklin Co., Pa. The
father was a descendant from a family of Scotch-Irish
extraction, and the ancestry of the mother was of
French origin.

Mr. Boice was approaching manhood when, in
1848, his father made a transfer of his family and
business relations to Ashland, in the county of the
same name in Ohio. He there was first engaged in
the hardware trade, and there acquired a familiarity
with its details, and prosecuted his interests until, in
1858, he removed to Henry County, where he arrived
Jan. 25, of the year named.

The issues which resulted in the formation of the
Republican party were being agitated at the time Mr.
Boice arrived at the dignities of citizenship, and he
cast his first Presidential vote for John C. Fremont.
Since that time he has been an adherent of the
"grand old party" without shadow of change in prin-
ciple or acts. He has discharged the duties of sev-
eral minor official positions at Geneseo. He is
engaged in the prosecution of extensive farming in-

terests in Gage Co., Neb., and is in connection with
a banking enterprise at Cortland, in the same county.
He formed a matrimonial alliance with Lydia E.
Smith, at Geneseo, Jan 29, 1854, and they have one
child — Ollie S. Mrs. Boice is the daughter of John
and Rachel Smith and is a native of Ashland, Ohio.
With her husband, she is a member of the Congrega-
tional Church.

W. Howell, dealer in hardware and tin-
ware at Woodhull, this county, is a native
of New York, having been born in South-
ampton, Suffolk Co., that State, Sept. 3, 1810,
his parents being Obadiah and Beulah (White)
Howell, natives of New York. Mr. Howell
was an inmate of his parents' family until he was 16
years old, having received a good education in the
district schools.

On reaching his 16th year, with the consent of his
parents, he left home and for three years served as
apprentice at the carpenter's trade. In 1830 he
started on a whaling voyage on the good ship Felix,
H. Green, Captain. They sailed to the South Ameri-
can coast and landed at Falkland Island, where they
remained for two weeks, and during a voyage of ten
months and four days they were enabled to procure
2,413 barrels of oil, 160 of it being sperm oil, with
which they safely arrived home. After this voyage Mr.
Howell made several others, and was promoted Sec-
ond Mate and then Chief Mate. He followed the
sea for n years. He also visited the California gold
field, where he was engaged in mining for some five
months. In 1849 he came back to New York, but
again returned to California, where he remained for
four years, and then in 1854 came to this State and
purchased a farm of 170 acres in Andover Township,
Henry County, upon which he located|with his family
and entered actively and energetically upon the
task of its cultivation and improvement. He re-
mained on that farm for 15 years, then sold it and
went to Woodhull, where he erected a residence and
where he is at present residing. He engaged in the
hardware business at Woodhull in 1879 and is still
following the same at that place, meeting with suc-
cess by his straightforward and honest way of doing
business. In addition to his possessions at Wood-

"Sr

H?wmw>*r§r

224

HENRY COUNTY.

hull, together with his business at that place, Mr.
Howell has lands in Kansas and Iowa.

Mr. Howell was united in marriage with Miss
Susannah (Howell) Howell, a native of New York,
in 1854. They have seven living children — Emma
J., Sylvanus W., Edgar E., Leni Leoti, Charles C,
Allen S. and Martha A.

Politically, Mr. Howell is a believer in and sup-
porter of the principles of the Republican party.

***

|ajor Erastus G. Moderwell is an attor-
ney, and is engaged in the active pursuit
of his profession at Geneseo. He came
to Henry County in 1866. He brought
with him the prestige of an honorable record
in the service of his country, and the repute
of a leader in the arena of the law. His course
from first to last has eminently sustained the char-
acter he bore, and he has won a kindred distinction
in public affairs, and in the esteem of his compeers
in Henry County.

He was born at Bucyrus, Ohio, March 6, 1838.
His parents, John and Nessy (McCracken) Moder-
well, were natives of Pennsylvania, and were of
Scotch-Irish descent. They came from the Key-
stone Slate in an early day, and settled in Bucyrus.
Major Moderwell was educated primarily in the
schools of his native town, and entered the Fresh-
man Class of Jefferson College, in September, 1855.
He had been a boy of studious habits and proclivi-
ties, and had made good use of his time and advan-
tages in his early school days, and from the first he
took a fair rank among the leading students in his
college. He was skilled in mathematics, for which
he had a natural genius, and was a leader in the
classes in Latin. He was also gifted in the use of
language, and was pre-eminent as a speaker. His
scholarship gave him prominence, and at commence-
ment one of the positions of honor was accorded to
him. He represented his class in the delivery of
the English salutatory, and in one of the usual soci-
ety contests was made Philo-Orator. He had a
contestant of uncommon strength in debate, but he
won the honors of the contest. He was graduated
in the class of T859, and soon after went South to
teach. He was occupied in that capacity at Elkton,

Ky., one year, and at the expiration of that time he
went to Fairmont in West Virginia. There came an
eventful day in April, 1861, when his school came
to an unceremonious termination, and he hastened
to Washington, D. C, and he arrived there on the
same day on which the first shot of the Rebellion
was hurled at the walls of Fort Sumter. Major,
then plain Mr., Moderwell, enrolled in the Union
service on the day preceding that on which Presi-
dent Lincoln made the first call for troops. He
enlisted in the Cassius M. Clay Battalion, the first
volunteer company that enlisted for the War of the
Rebellion. The, enrollments were made on the
14th of April, i86r. For two months he was em-
ployed at the National Observatory in the city of
Washington, and in the summer of the same year he
returned to his native State. He was commissioned
Second Lieutenant in the 86th Ohio Vol. Inf., and
subsequently was made Captain of a company in the
same regiment. Later, he served as Captain in the
1 2th Ohio Cav., and was promoted to the rank of
Major. He was frequently in command of the regi-
ment which occupied that position, and on occasion
he commanded a brigade under Maj.-Gen. Upton.
His command was attached to the Cavalry Division
of General Stoneman during the last year of the
war. Major Moderwell distinguished himself in the
accomplishment of a special duty for which he was
detailed while in the division of General Stoneman,
in which he commanded an expedition to capture a
fort at Catawba in South Carolina. He was suc-
cessful in the undertaking, and captured the fort
with the garrison and stores. For this service he
was honorably mentioned in the report of Gen.
Thomas. The action is also mentioned in the his-
tory of the war by Lossing, in which that popular
and reliable historian states : " This expedition was
one of the most gallant little exploits of the war."

Major Moderwell sustained several injuries in the
course of his connection with the military service of
the United States. He was wounded three times ;
one minie-ball passed entirely through his body,
grazing the diaphragm and also touching the spine
in its passage. The surgeons pronounced the
wound mortal, and declared his chances of recovery
to be one in ten thousand. But the Major took the
one chance, and lives to give this account, although
he is frequently reminded of the experience by
lameness, difficult breathing, and the suffering inci

*■*

HENRY COUNTY.

4^^vife

225

dent to such a condition. He was mustered out
Nov. 24, 1865, after a service covering nearly the
entire period of the war — the most terrible experi-
ence that can be related in the history of our Re-
public.

On returning to civil life he located at Geneseo,
and interested himself in traffic in real estate, and
also entered upon a preparatory study for the pro-
fession of an attorney. He afterward became a
student of the Cincinnati Law School and was
graduated there with the class of 1869. The same
year he secured the privileges of the State Courts of
Illinois, and has since been engaged in the prosecu-
tion of the business of an attorney at Geneseo.

Major Moderwell's abilities are recognized and ap-
preciated by the community of which he is a mem-
ber, and he has been called to serve the interests of
the public in various capacities, which attests the
versatility of his powers. He has officiated several
times as City Attorney, and has occupied the posi-
tion of Mayor of that municipality. In 1874 he
was elected to the State Senate on the Republican
ticket, serving consecutively four years.

The characters of individuals in their relations to
their fellows become prominent, as a rule, more
through the discrimination of those with whom they
are connected in a common interest than through
their own acts. It is one of the safeguards of the
institutions of our form of Government that the intu-
itions of the people are trained to an understanding
of the characteristics required in their leaders, and
in such a multitude of instances are the right ones
put in the right places that the fact has come to be
regarded as somewhat marvelous. Hence it becomes
possible to place a man on record in a perfectly just
sense. He has a right to a fair representation to
the generations that are to follow and who will be
certain to investigate acts of which they are the
beneficiaries ; it also due to the justification of those
who select their representatives in the performance
of the world's work. In estimating the character of
Major Moderwell, no man can be aggrieved by the
statement that he is in the truest sense one of those
whose innate nobleness and worth honors not only
himself but his generation. What he was as a sol-
dier, his record proves. Meager as it is in statement
in this brief sketch, the facts of his course during
the war impart no uncertain significance. His sur-

roundings at the time of the initiation of active hos-
tilities, viewed in the light of his perceptions, " blown
crystal clear by Freedom's northern wind," brought
home to him with a terrible portent the full and dire
significance of all that Rebellion meant. He waited
not for the overt act; he made haste to meet the
emergency that he knew from long observation to be
imminent; he went to Washington and placed him-
self where the fanatics by whom he had been sur-
rounded had been arrayed for months and in some
nstances for years — in the van-guard. He knew
that there was no uncertainty in the matter ; he
foresaw that the end of the beginning that was so
close at hand would be reached only through a long
succession of events that would shake the founda-
tions of the Republic. The weary months that fol-
lowed proved the value of his judgment. The
strongest witness of his own part in the progress of
the war is the modesty of his own account of the
events in which he was a participant. In actual
service he came within one grade of the '' stars " of a
Major-General. If more need be said, he bears his
credentials in his shattered constitution and in the
suffering which will always remind him of the pang
of a more cruel need, — that of becoming a voluntary
target for a fratricidal bullet. Ages must roll away
before the memory fades that the Civil War was a
conflict between brothers. That is its enduring
sting !

In his career as an official, entrusted with the in-
terests of others, he has operated in accordance with
the obligation conferred in his selection and never
with an ulterior purpose. His course as a member
of the State Senate was one that reflected the same
credit on his manhood and fitness for the place.

As an attorney he ranks with the leaders in the
county and in adjacent communities.

Major Moderwell is as far removed as is possible
from the ranks of aggressive politicians, but he is one
of the most inflexible Republicans and has wielded
a telling influence on the local and general interests
of that political organization.

In addition to the regular business of his profes-
sion, Major Moderwell is conducting extended rela-
tions in the cattle interests of the Indian Territory,
and real estate in Kansas. He is President of the
" Geneseo Cattle Company," and he bears the same
relation to the " Eagle Chief Pool," one of the larg-

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226

HENRY

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est cattle companies in the West. He became in-
terested in the enterprise through the advice of his
physician, who recommended his passing as much
time as possible in the open air; and in order to
adapt business to the enforced change of base, he
entered into the relations named.

He was married in Fairmont, W. Va., March 22,
1866, to Fannie R., daughter of Thomas Watson,
a prominent Southern planter. She was born in
Monongalia Co., Va., a portion of territory now in-
cluded in West Virginia. After 17 years of cloud-
less union in the affairs of their married life, the
husband and wife were severed by death. The
latter passed to the mysteries of the land of un-
broken silence in October, 1883. Three daugh-
ters and a son mourn their irreparable loss, and in
their lives of promise preserve the wholesomeness of
her influence and training, and in them " she still
lives."

Tohn Henderson. This gentleman is largely
W identified with the farming interests of
Henry County. His home farm is on sec-
tion 15, of Oxford Township. He was born in
Y Indiana Co., Pa., Sept. 9, 1831. Brice and'

1 ' Anna (Thomas) Henderson, his parents, were
natives of the Keystone State and by occupation
farmers. They passed their lives in their native
State, and at the above mentioned vocation.

John received a good ordinary education at com-
mon schools, and at the age of 20 bid farewell to the
old home and embarked in life for himself. For five
years he engaged in farming on shares. In 1 856,^16
came to Illinois and soon made a location at Orion,
Henry County, where he worked out by the month
until i860. He then purchased the place where he
is now living, which consisted of 80 acres at that
time. To this he has added 160 acres, and has
erected a fine residence, built barn, set out orchards
and shade -trees, built fences and improved his farm
until it to-day ranks among the valuable estates of
county, being worth $15,000. Politically, Mr. H. is
a Republican, and is recognized as one of the repre-
sentative men of his community.

In 1861, Jan. 10, our subject was married to Miss
Eliza Cox, a native of this State. To them have
been born five children, who are living and bear the

following names: Frank, William, T. S., Jennie and
Fannie. Frank married Anna Costello, and Annie is
deceased.

St-S-

ohn O. Anderson, farmer on section 12,
Lynn Township, was born at Jensping
Lan, Sweden, March 25, 1830. His
parents were Andrew Jacobson and Anna
Swanson, both of whom died in their native
country, Sweden. Mr. Anderson is the young-
est but one of a family of ten children. After living
at home until nearly 23 years of age, namely, in
1854, he emigrated to this country, settling in An-
dover, where he was married Aug. 5, same year, to
Miss Anna Youngquist. (For a sketch of her par-
ents see the biography of Augest Youngquist.) She
was born near the place of nativity of her husband,
Oct. 29, 1831, and was nearly 22 years of age when
she came to America. Her children now are John
W., who is married, and resides on a farm in Osco
Township, this county; Anna, Alfred, Albert, Amanda
and Cordelia. After his marriage, Mr. Anderson
rented a farm for five years in Andover Township?
he then purchased where he now lives and where he
owns 400 acres of good and well improved land;
here he has a good barn, farm residence, etc. The
family belongs to the Swedish Lutheran Church,
where Mr. A. has been Trustee. He is also a
staunch Republican.

"^^C^— ^^^*"

tent.

,„enry Mussey, a grain merchant at Atkin-
son, was born in Rutland, Vt, June 1,
1828. He was reared to the age of man-
hood under the care of his parents. In 1857,
he came from Vermont lo Wheatland, 111.,
where he became a farmer of considerable ex-
He bought a farm of 290 acres, which he
placed in first-class agricultural condition, and con-
tinued its management until 1881, when he removed
to Atkinson. He sold his place in Will County, and
on his removal to Henry County he interested him-
self in the business which has since occupied his at-
tention. He is operating in grain of all kinds that

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HENRY COUNTY.

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are grown in the vicinity of the place where he is
prosecuting his business relations.

Nov. 9, 1852, Mr. Mussey was married to Charlotte
E. Moulthrop. She was born in the State of Ver-
mont, Sept. 3, 1829. They have been the parents
of three children : Henry E. died in early infancy ;
Jennie was born Dec. n, 1855 ; Alice O. was born
Oct. 23, 1862, and is the wife of Wilbur F. Arnold,
an engraver in Chicago : they reside at Oak Park, in
the vicinity of the city.

Mr. Mussey is the owner of a large amount of real
estate in the village of Atkinson. He is a Republi-
can in political sentiment, and is a member of the
Congregational Church. His wife is a member of
the Episcopal Church.

*£3-3

orrison Francis, deceased, a pioneer of
Henry County of 1840, and for 33 years
a farmer of extensive relations in the
township of Andover, was born June 5,
1816, in Westmoreland Co., Pa. He was of
Irish lineage in the paternal line, and on his
mother's side was connected to the Lee family of
Virginia.

On coming to Henry County, Mr. Francis at once
entered upon the relations to the community which
he held during the remainder of his life. He bought
land on his arrival and founded a wide scope of
agricultural connections, operating in all the branches
of general farming, and adding to his estate until he
accumulated nearly 1,000 acres of land. He was
one of the first to become interested in the reports
from California, and in the spring of 1849, in com-
pany with two brothers-in-law, John and Dan Moore,
he crossed the plains to the land of gold. He oper-
ated there with success for 16 months, and returned
to Andover in the fall of 1850. In 1851, he went
again to the Pacific coast, taking with him a consid-
erable party with horses and other equipments.

Mr. Francis died in Andover Township, Oct. 28,
1873. He was universally esteemed and his loss
was bitterly mourned. He was composed of the
right material for a pioneer. The spirit of en-
ergy and enterprise with which he was imbued was
strongly marked. His frank, manly, generous and
honorable character secured for him a general pop-

ularity. He was always foremost in promoting the
interests of education, and he made the school at
Andover one of the best in the county.

He was a most decided Democrat, and the quality
of his politics was of the same stamp as his other
controlling traits. He hesitated at no sacrifice in
promoting the interests of the local element of his
party. As an illustration, it may be stated that in
1869, when the Cambridge Democrat, had been
abandoned by James S. Roock, in connection with
R. H. Hinman, he assumed the burden of its man-
agement and ran the paper two years, losing several
thousand dollars before he succeeded in placing it
upon a permanent basis. His popularity is manifest
from his successive re-elections to the position of
Supervisor of Andover, notwithstanding the fact that
the town was overwhelmingly Republican. He al-
ways ran far ahead of his ticket when placed in
nomination for any office. He was pre-eminently a
social man, and the hospitalities of his home were
always dispensed with a liberal hand. None, friend
or foe, ever appealed vainly to him for aid. He was
the owner and manager of one of the most extensive
mills in the county. The establishment was de-
stroyed by fire in the late fall of 187 1, and its rebuild-
ing was a complete exponent of the enterprise of its
owner. On the day on which the fire occurred, he
said he would have the mill rebuilt and in complete
running order within 60 days, and he kept his word,
although the engine and heavy machinery had to be
transported overland a distance of 30 miles, and the
remainder of the material was brought in the same
way 16 miles. The feat was accomplished in the
winter and at a time when the weather was un-
usually stormy.

One of the best and most lasting mementoes left
by Mr. Francis, was in the liberal educations he be-
stowed on his children.

Mrs. Mary C. (Moore) Francis was born Sept. 13,
r82o, in Lisbon, N. H. She is of Irish extraction,
and her grandfather, John Moore, was a native of
New Hampshire. He also married a lady of New
Hampshire birth, and they reared seven children.
John J. Moore, the father of Mrs. Francis, was born
in Bedford, Merrimac Co., N. H. He was a farmer
and married Deborah, daughter of Reuben Sherman.
She was born in New Hampshire and came with her
husband in the spring of 1836 to Hickory Creek,

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Will Co., 111. In 1840 they came to Henry County
and located in the township of Andover, where they
died. Their children were named Priscilla W.,
Reuben S., Mary C, Electa S„ Eliza T., John and
Dan.

Mrs. Francis was 16 when her parents removed
to Illinois. She was married near Joliet, April 23,
1840, and not long after that event, came to Henry
County, where she was a faithful and efficient aid to
her husband in his labors as a pioneer and business
man.

The record of the children of Mr. and Mrs. Fran-
cis is as follows : Eveline is the wife of Capt. L. F.
Dimick, of whom a sketch is presented in this vol-
ume ; Lide A. married Thomas Keagy, of Cambridge ;
John F. was educated at Lombard University, Gales-
burg, 111., and studied law with his brother-in-law,
Jerome Carpenter: he was a talented young man,
and after he was admitted to the Bar of Illinois, he
established his practice at Cambridge, where he
died ; Emily, the oldest daughter, was noted for her
proficiency in music and for her vivacious, sprightly
character, which made her a prominent member of
society: she married Jerome Carpenter, an attorney
at Cambridge, and died Oct. 3, 1874; Frank F. is a
farmer in Grand Forks Co., D. T. ; Nellie A. resides
with her mother.

Mrs. Francis is the owner of 400 acres of land in
Andover Township. In the spring of 1882, she
fixed her permanent residence at Cambridge. She
is a member of the Christian -Church.

eorge F. Butzer, deceased, was a pioneer
of Henry County of 1838. He was born
K at Baden, Germany, in 1806, and in 1830
married Miss Louise Baltz. They had two
children, born in Germany. Jacob was born
Nov. 26, 1831, and died in the United States,
Nov. 26, 1883, leaving a widow and n children. The
daughter, Catherine C, is the wife of Dan'lHenney,
of whom a complete sketch is given on another page.
Mr. Butzer emigrated to the United States in 1835.
He passed three years in the city of Detroit, Mich.,
and in ^38 came to Henry County. He located in
what is now Phenix Township, and engaged in farm-
ing. He endured many privations and hardships

incident to pioneer life, but succeeded in founding a
good home for his family, which included 160 acres
of land. His death occurred March r2, r85o. Mr.
and Mrs. Butzer had four children after their re-
moval to this country. One son — Louis — was born
in Michigan and married Miss Clara Licht, and set-
tled in Kansas. Two sons and a daughter were
born in Henry County. Caroline is the wife of Val-
entine Sieben, a farmer of Phenix Township. Mar-
cilli is married to Joseph Arnett, of Loraine Township.
Adam married Margaret Licht, and is a farmer in
the township of Phenix. Mr. and Mrs. Butzer were
members of the Evangelical Association. Mr. But-
zer was a Republican in political connection. Mrs.
Butzer survived her husband and died July 2, 1881.

^jfHJKfces

r. J. Ii. Bryan, deceased, formerly of Cam-

.> bridge, was born in Monticello, Wayne

Co., Ky., not far from the Tennessee line.

He was the third child in a family of 15 sons
and daughters, of whom 1 1 grew to adult age.
His father, Dr. Edmund Bryan, was the son of
a Virginia farmer who settled in Southern Kentucky
at a very early day in its history, and whose name
and family history are unknown. Besides Dr. Ed-
mund, there were three other sons— William, John
and Albert, now deceased, who were physicians and
much esteemed as skillful and conscientious practi-
tioners. The youngest son, Algernon, went with
Bryant on his overland journey across the plains.
He afterwards went South and settled somewhere on
the Gulf coast. All traces of him are lost. Drs.
John and William died full of years in the neighbor-
hood of Louisville, Ky. Dr. Albert died in Indian-
apolis about 1877, and Dr. Edmund in Grayson Co.,
Ky., in 1863. Mrs. Lettice Bryan, mother of Dr. J.
L. Bryan, was a Pierce, of Monticello, Wayne Co.,
Ky. Her mother was a daughter of Walter Crow, a
wealthy land-owner of that section of the State. The
Crows were of Irish extraction ; the Pierces were of
French descent, but both families emigrated to Vir-
ginia long before the Revolutionary War. Mr.
Pierce had three children — Lettice, Sallie and Stan-
ton. The latter was a physician and a man of un-
usual culture and force of character. He was
connected by marriage with the Moores, well known
in Kentucky through the famous Perry Moore law-

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HENR Y COUNT Y.

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suit, a Tichborne case on a small scale. The Pierces
were characterized by great personal beauty and in-
tellectual force and ability. Mrs. Lettice Bryan was
a woman of an unusually fine presence, and well
educated for a day and land when the schoolmaster
was not " abroad." She was the writer of two works
on religious subjects, and the writer and publisher of
the " Kentucky Housewife," a book in great request
50 years ago, but now out of print. She died in the
winter of 1877, at the residence of her son-in-law,
Dr. C. F. Burnett, of Bunker Hill, Macoupin Co., 111.
Of the six sons that reached manhood, Stanton,
John L. and Anthony studied medicine. Stanton
resides in Florida and Anthony in Evansville, Ind.,
where he holds a professorship in the medical college.

John L. was a graduate of the University of Louis-
ville. At the beginning of the Civil War he was a
practicing physician of Washington Co., Ind., but
early answered the call for volunteers, enlisting at
Camp Morton, Indianapolis, in July, 1861. He had
gone there with a small company of young men ,warmly
attached friends of his, expecting that they would
form the nucleus of a company of which he would be
Captain, a position to which his education and stand-
ing would naturally entitle him; but, finding many
unfilled companies and skeleton regiments in camp,
and a call from the field most urgent, he immediate-
ly, with his young friends, joined a company whose
officers were already elected and only needed the
complement of men they furnished to go to|the front.
The regiment went at once to Jefferson City, Mo.,
held by the brave Col. Mulligan. Dr. Bryan was
connected with the army three and one-half years,
acting most of the time in a medical capacity, as As-
sistant Surgeon of Post Hospital at Jefferson City,
where he was placed by Gen. Fremont, then com-
manding the Department of Missouri. He after-
wards became Assistant Surgeon of the " 26th
Missouri," commanded by Col. Boomer, and for 18
months he officiated as Surgeon of one the eruptive
hospitals of the^department of Louisville.

At the close of the war, Dr. Bryan removed to Illi-
nois, settling first in Marshall County, and after-
wards at Buda, in Bureau County, living for the last
13 years of his life in Cambridge, where he died, on
the 22d of January, 1884. Dr. Bryan was much
esteemed, both as a man and a physician, for he was
kind, skillful and conscientious, and his heart was al-

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ways open to the cry of the unfortunate. He was
of exceptionally fine physique, weighing at his best
state 230 pounds, and so proportioned as to at-
tract notice as a fine sample of manly development.
The arduous labors of his profession told heavily
upon him during the latter portion of his life. He be-
came much broken in health and spirits ; and, at the
time of his death, was but a wreck of his former self.

In 185 1, Dr. Bryan was married to Hannah M.
Dietz, of Blue Lick, Clark Co., Ind. She resides at
Cambridge with four sons — Oscar D., William S.,
Edmund M. and John L. Charles E., third son,
lives in Dakota. The youngest, Bertram, died on
the 1 2th of April, 1883.

Mrs. Bryan is a lady of culture and uncommon in-
tellectual abilities. She is a poetess of signal merit,
and has won recognition as such in the arena of let-
ters. Her contributions to prominent periodicals
have given her genius a well-deserved celebrity, and
she has secured an enviable position in the estima-
tion of the reading public. In the spring of 1885
(current year), she acceded to the ownership by pur-
chase of the Local Reporter, a journal published at
Cambridge. She is assisted in its management by
her oldest son, O. D. Bryan, who acts as local editor.

(f ohn W. Goss", junior member of the firm
\ of John Goss & Co., lumber dealers at
Geneseo, was born in Lexington, Ky., July
24, 1847, and is the son of Charles and Mar-
garet Goss. On leaving his home to begin
the world on his own account, he went to the
State of Missouri, and there passed two years. At
the expiration of that time he came to Geneseo.
' The first important act after his arrival in that place
was his enlistment in the military service of the
United States. In January, 1865, he enrolled in
Co. I, 112th 111. Inf., and served in, the capacity of
a soldier as long as the war continued. On return-
ing to Geneseo, the existing partnership was formed
with his uncle, John Goss, the pioneer lumber mer-
chant at Geneseo, and their relations have been in
existence 20 years.

Mr. Goss is a member of the present City Council
(1885). In political preference, he is in sympathy
with the Republican party. Mr. Goss was married

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230

HENRY COUNTY.

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in the State of Maine, Sept. 3, 1876, to Miss Celeste,
daughter of Luther Chamberlain. She was born at
Fox Grove, in the Pine-Tree State, and was reared
in the Methodist faith. Three children have been
born to Mr. and Mrs. Goss, at Geneseo. They are
named William, John and Lutie.

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|imos Gould, retired merchant and grain-
|[ dealer, real-estate and loan agent at Cam-
bridge, came to Henry County in 1856.
He was born June 6, 1823, ln Piedmont,
Grafton Co., N. H. His father, Amos Gould,
was born April 1, 1790, in Warner, N. H. He
a tanner and shoemaker by occupation, and
married Nancy H. Bartlett, who was born Aug. 8,
1796, in Canaan, N. H. They had ten children, of
whom eight survive. They were born in the follow-
ing order: John M., Amos, Lyfe Y., Nathaniel B.,
Mrs. Nancy J. Dean, Dan W., George D. and Mrs.
Susie C. Burrows. The deaths of the parents
occurred respectively January, 1864, in Moline, 111.,
and November, 1884, at Cambridge, 111. The fam-
ily removed to Henry County in 1858.

Mr. Gould in early life acquired a thorough knowl-
edge of the vocations of his father, and was in-
structed in the details of shoemaking by his uncle,
A. P. Gould. He followed the latter business 20
successive years. In 1854 he engaged in the prose-
cution of mercantile transactions and interests, in
which he continued to operate two years. March,
1856, he removed to Cambridge, where, associated
with his brother, N. B. Gould, he conducted the
affairs of the Cambridge House. He discharged
the duties of " mine host " until November, 1 860,
when he was elected Circuit Clerk, in which incum-
bency he served eight years. He became interested
in securing the advantages of a line of railroad
through Cambridge, and devoted his entire attention
for the three years succeeding his release from
official duties to the purpose of obtaining the pas-
sage of the line of the Rock Island & Peoria Rail-
road, and had the satisfaction of witnessing the
success of his efforts. In 1871 he became associated
with J. B. Hagin in traffic in grain, and subsequently
with W. B. Fee. The approximate period of time
which he passed in that enterprise was ten years.

Since 1881 he has engaged in the business relations
already named.

The political views of Mr. Gould were shaped by
the period in which he grew up and the circum
stances by which he was surrounded, and he was,
on arriving at the privileges of citizenship,. an adhe- >^
rent of the Whig party, but with such decided prin-
ciples concerning slavery that, on the formation of
the Republican party in 1856, he fell into its ranks,
and has since been one of its most consistent adhe-
rents. In religious views he cherishes opinions of
his own, but is tolerant of those of others. He is
a member of Lodge No. 49, A. F. & A. M., at Cam-
bridge.

Aug. 3r, 1845, he was united in marriage in
Thetford, Vt, to Harriet N. Burnap. She was born
in that place April 10, 1826, and is the daughter of
Luther and Susan (Huston) Burnap, both natives
of Vermont. The children of Mr. and Mrs. Gould,
two in number, are both deceased. The first-born
died in infancy; Mary L., the younger, was born s
April 28, 1849. She married J. E. Ay res, and died ^
July 3, r874, having given birth to two children, — ^
Mary L. and Amos E. Ayres. &*

()

--■<■&=

red Thompson, station agent at Lynn, this
county, also dealer in grain, etc., was born
in New York, Jan. 29, 1838. His par-
ents both died in his infancy, and he was
reared by foster parents, whose name he took.
At the age of nine, the breaking up of this
family through the death of his endeared foster
mother, left him practically without a home, though '
under the supervision of the father until the age of
17, when, not securing the educational advantages
he craved, even at that age, he started out for him-
self, determined to obtain an education as rapidly
as possible by his own unaided efforts. He retains
a vivid impression of his first engagement, at the
munificent stipend of $5 per month !

His success was such that he advanced from the
simple rudiments gained at a loving mother's knee 1
to the first classes in the High Schools of Princeton
and Dover, Bureau Co., 111., teaching in the common
schools winters to aid him in his object.

When the war became earnest and our martyred ,

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HENRY COUNTY.

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233

President made his first call for brave hearts and
strong arms to enlist for three years, Fred Thomp-
son, the subject of this sketch, enlisted in Co. K,
51st 111. Inf., Col. L. P. Bradley, and served in the
campaign against Island No. 10 and New Madrid,
Mo., in the move on Corinth, Miss., after the battle
of Shiloh, and in the Army of the Cumberland, in
the Division of Gen. Sheridan, under Rosecrans at
Stone River and Chickamauga, Ga., where, on Sept.
19, 1863, he was incapacitated from further active
service in the ranks by a minie ball through the
right elbow. Three months in a Government hos-
pital at Nashville resulted in the saving of a crip-
pled right arm by a skillful German surgeon and
the first furlough home.

While there, upon the advice of an old army sur-
geon, the study of telegraphy was undertaken, for
which purpose a scholarship in Bryant & Stratton's
Commercial College, of Chicago, was procured, but
after a short attendance it was abandoned, as a
journey South became necessary to procure a proper
discharge from the army. His regiment being at
this time engaged with Sherman in the move on At-
lanta, papers could not be obtained ; and, not to be
unoccupied, he sought a detail in the telegraph ser-
vice, which he obtained, and thus gained the prac-
tice necessary to perfect him in his future profession.
He was finally^discharged, in February, 1865, at
Springfield, 111., under a general order. The recog-
nition of his service, of which he is justifiably proud,
is the fact of his standing at the head of the list
chosen by his company by vote to constitute a " Roll
of Honor " for meritorious service, ordered by Gen.
Rosecrans in June, 1863.

At the time of his discharge, places were not plen-
tiful in the line he had chosen, and, not willing to
be idle, he rented land and raised a crop of corn ;
but, finding himself unable to harvest the fruits of
his labor, he gave that up, and in the winter secured
labor as an operator, first on the Chicago, Burlington
& Quincy in Illinois, then on the Michigan Central
Railroad in Michigan.

Mr. Thompson was united in marriage, in Berrien
Co., Mich., Nov. 28, 1866, to Marinda A., daughter
of William and Samantha Soule. She was born in
Truxton, De Ruyter Co., N. Y., Sept. 19, 1841.
Her parents were natives of that State, of New Eng-
land parentage, and came to Aurora, 111., in 1848.

Her father died there two years later. Mrs. T. was
reared by a neighboring family till the year 1858,
when she went to the family of her elder sister in
Chicago, staying there two years and following them
to Michigan. Two years later, in April, 1863, she
was married to C. H. Topping, a member of the 42d
111. Inf., who died in January, 1865, of disease con-
tracted in the army, or at least greatly aggravated
by exposure in his country's service. A little son of
this union sopn followed his father.

In January, 187 1, Mr. Thompson came to Lynn,
where he has since been employed as station and
express agent and operator, being also a dealer in
grain and produce generally. He has filled the
offices of Township Clerk and School Director, and
is politically a liberal Republican.

Of the marriage union have been born four chil-
dren, as follows: Charles F., May 2, 1869; Alice
W., May 18, 1872; George Wm., July 26. 1874;
and Minnie Belle, March 9, 1877.

Mr. T. owns his substantial and comfortably furn-
ished residence, and has made some investment in
Nebraska land.

* -«- *

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&^[lfred P. Foster, a retired farmer and sur-

f veyor, residing in the village of Woodhull,

Hillsboro Co.

(!)

was born in Hillsboro Co., N. H., in 1818..
He remained with his parents, Aaron and
Theodate (Chase) Foster, until one year after
he had attained his majority. After leaving
his parental homestead, Mr. Foster became a pioneer
in Wisconsin, then a Territory, settling in Racine
County, and was there engaged in the hydrographic
survey of the western coast of Lake Michigan, under
the late Col. T. J. Cram. Mr. Foster was engaged
to survey an 80-acre tract as an addition to the vil-
lage, now city, of Racine, and known as " Sage's Ad-
dition." In 1852 he removed to the (then) village of
Winona, a mere hamlet, in the sparsely settled Terri-
tory of Minnesota. He became interested in the
growth of his new place of residence, and was princi-
pal owner of the Winona Republican, a newspaper now
widely known. He was one of the first stockholders
and advocates of the Winona & St. Peters Railroad,
and labored, in his quiet way, in procuring a charter
for that road. While here, he was given the office of

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HENRY COUNTY.

Probate Judge, but, as a rule, was too retiring to
mingle much in politics.

From this place he removed with his family to a
small farm near the city of Rochester, N. Y., where
he lived 1 1 years, improving, ornamenting and beau-
tifying his farm; and thence he removed, in 1868, to
Clover Township, in this county, adjacent to the vil-
lage of Woodhull, and purchased a small farm ; and
as usual, he made it blossom and smile, and now he
has retired within the village to spend the winter of
a long frontier life.

He was raised a Quaker, and his early instruction
has greatly aided in guiding his footsteps. Emphati-
cally a pioneer of the West, he has always been
ready with his labor and means to assist any and all
good works, and is respected for his honest and
square dealings with his fellow-man.

He has been married three times. By his first
wife two children were born to them — the eldest, a
daughter, now living in St. Paul, Minn., and a son,
at Berrien Springs, Mich.

Not only does Mr. Foster deserve the fullest rep-
resentation in this Album, but the public also will
naturally expect a likeness of his features to be pre-
sented in connection with the foregoing brief sketch.

lfred Stiekney, one of the energetic farm-
•j ers of Oxford Township, residing on section
25, was born in Windsor Co., Vt, July 3,
1840, and is a son of Henry and Mary A.
(Wood) Stiekney, natives of Vermont and New
Hampshire respectively. They came West in
the year 1853, locating in Clover Township, Henry
County, on section 27, and purchased 1,000 acres of
land in the vicinity. Here he remained until his
death, which occurred in 1866.

Alfred, of whom we write, attended the district
schools in his township in the acquisition of an edu-
cation, and assisted his father on the farm in his
leisure moments, remaining under parental influence
until he attained the age of 30 years. He is the
possessor and owner of 380 acres of land in Clover
Township, and seven in Oxford, on which he resides.
He rents his farms, which are all in excellent condi-
tion.

Mr. Stiekney was married in 1870, to Miss M. E.

Simmons, a native of Ohio, and they have become
the parents of one child, a daughter, Carrie A. Mr.
S. is a Republican in his political sentiments, and is
considered one of the representative and worthy
gentlemen of Henry County.

-S3=f=

A A

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illiam K. Wight, general farmer and pro-
prietor of the Groveland Creamery, resid-
siding on section 13, Andover Township,
was born in Lake Co., Ohio, Feb. 25, 1833.
^ His father, John Wight, a native of Canada

J and of New England ancestry, was a mechanic
and builder, and came to Ohio at an early day,
where he married Sarah A. Ballard, who was born
in the State of New York, of New England parent-
age. They came West in 1855, settling in Cam-
bridge Township, where William had come a year
previous. His mother died some years ago, in this
township, in February, 1875 and his father is yet
living, residing in Cambridge, aged 76 years.

Mr. Wight, our subject, was educated in Lake
Co., Ohio, and. came West when he arrived at the
age of majority, purchasing land at once in Lynn
Township, this county, and began to make improve-
ments. Subsequently, he returned to Ohio and
entered the Kingsville Academy, where he completed
his education in 1858. Returning to this State, he
began teaching and farming, which occupation he
followed for some time.

He enlisted in the United States volunteer army,
Aug. 22, 1862, in Co. H, 112th Regt. 111. Vol. Inf.,
being under the command of Col. Henderson, and
Gens. Burnside and Scofield. He therefore partici-
pated in the battle of Franklin, Tenn., and siege of
Knoxville, and was wounded at Kelly's Ford, Jan.
28, 1864, by a gunshot from the enemy, the ball
striking the shin of his left leg. After lying in the
hospital at Knoxville for some time, and visiting
home and friends on a furlough, he went to the hos-
pital at Quincy, where he was honorably discharged,
June 22, 1865.

He then returned home, but, being unable to fol-
low any business requiring heavy manual labor, he
taught school about 20 terms. In 1868, he pur-
chased the farm where he now lives, consisting at
one time of 225 acres. He afterward sold 125, and

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HENRY COUNTY.

235

fa.

bought in Buffalo Co., Neb., a half section of im-
proved land, and 800 acres of good unimproved land
in Keith County, same State. His home in this
county is well improved. In 1880 he established a
creamery, with a capacity of 1,000 pounds of butter
per day. In this line he is now operating exten-
sively and with characteristic success. He is also a
skillful fafmer, taking great interest in every point of
excellence in his methods of management. He has
been honored by his fellow citizens with the offices
of Road Commissioner and Township Collector. He
is a Republican, a member of the G. A. R., and also
of the Congregational Church, in which he holds the
offices of Deacon and Sunday-school Superintendent.
Mr. Wight was united in the bonds of matrimony,
Oct. 13, 1858, in Livingston Co., N. Y., with Miss
Sophia, daughter of Elias H. and Elizabeth (Gay-
lord) Eastman, natives of the States of New York
and Connecticut respectively. Her mother died in
New York State when she (Mrs. W.) was but a
small child, and her father, after residing with his
children a number of years, finally died in this State.
Mrs. W. was born in Livingston Co., N. Y.. Dec. 3,
1841, and has become the mother of eight children,
six of whom are living, namely: Louis A., born
Oct. 4, i860; Lucien E., March 5, 1862; May A.,
May 4, 1865, and died April 26, 1883; Guy V.,
born June 29, 1870; A. Earl, Nov. 14, i87r; Clar-
ence C, Dec. 30, 1876; W. Herald, Aug. 2, 1878;
and Edward E., who died when 13 months old.
Mis. W. attended school at the academy of Kings-
ville, Ashtabula Co., Ohio, and is a member of the
Congregational Church.

-*~-K

penry Hand, of Hanna Township, is a pio-
neer of Henry County of 1840. He was
born in the State of NewIYork, June 20,
1817. His parents were pioneers of Livingston
County, in that State, where his father bought a
considerable tract of timber land, and, after
clearing about 60 acres, found that no clear title
could be obtained, and, in 1825, when the son was
eight years of age, the parents with n children
started for Ohio, which was then the frontier of
civilization. They traveled to the " Far West," as
it was called, in a wagon drawn by two yokes of
oxen, taking with them all their household belong-

ings and maintaining the regular routine of their
domestic arrangements on the way, cooking and
living the lives of "' campers " while on their long
journey. In those days time was a smaller consid-
eration than money, and, besides, there were no
facilities for public travel. " Times change, and
men change with them."

They settled in Huron County, in the Buckeye
State, where the father bought a farm and erected a
frame house, and proceeded to improve a home-
stead. There he died, about six years later, his
demise occurring Dec. 6, 1831, at the age of 52. An
older son assumed the management of the farm, and
Mr. Hand was an inmate of the parental home until
he reached his 21st year, when he came to Illinois,
and bought land in McDonough County, where he
arrived in 1837. Moses T. Hand, his brother, had
preceded him, and he made his home with him on
his farm, which was situated on the line of Warren
County. He erected fencing around 40 acres, and
after he had broken up 25 acres he sold his claim.
That was accomplished in 1859, and in the year
ensuing he came to the county where he has since
lived, and at once located on what was then re-
corded as town 18 in range 2, and is now Hanna
Township. In the fall of the same year he was
married to Valeria Brittain, who was born in White
Co., 111.

Mr. Hand has obtained from the Legislature of
the State the right to establish and operate a ferry
across Rock River from Cleveland, and he was en-
gaged in its management for a year. In the spring
of 1841 he commenced farming on land which he
rented on section 20 of the township named. As
soon as the land lying north of the Indian boundary
came into market Mr. Hand, entered 97 acres situ-
ated on sections 28 and 33 of what is now Hanna
Township, and he also bought a tract lying adjoin-
ing that had been entered previously and on which
there had been built a double log cabin. This was
the home of his family nine years, and he then
bought a farm on section 32 of Hanna Township.
The new estate was wholly unimproved, and the
proprietor at once commenced to build a brick house
and a frame barn, and as soon as the place had
been put in suitable condition for occupancy the
family took possession of it, and it has since been
the homestead. The location is very attractive,
there being a natural grove in the immediate vicinity

&<?xmM&+&

<-jHH8nii&Y

236

HENRY COUNTY

of the house. Mr. hand was then in a position to
pursue his agricultural purposes according to his
inclinations, and he entered with vigor into the work
of reclaiming the prairie, using a breaking plow
©/ which cut 30 inches, and was drawn through the
obdurate soil by seven yokes of oxen, and the work
of placing the broad acres in a condition of ad-
vanced improvement was soon accomplished.

Mrs. Hand died March 2, 1849, leaving two chil-
dren : Sarah J. married Henry C. Brown, and they
reside at Kidder, Mo.; Olive is the wife of P. O.
Miles, residing four miles from Wyanet, Bureau Co.,
111. Mr. Hand was a second time married, in 1850,
to Mary, daughter of John P. and Nancy (Dockery)
Hanna. She died Jan. 9, 1881, and left two chil-
dren. The Hon. John P. Hand, of Cambridge, who
is present Judge of Henry County, and of whom a
personal sketch is given on another page of this
work, is her oldest son. Henry Hand is the mana-
ger of the home estate. The latter was born Oct.
16, 1863, and married Maggie, daughter of John
and Agnes (Owen) Searl. They have one child,
who is named Mary A.

Mr. Hand, the father, has been a member of the
Methodist Episcopal Church since 1841. Mrs. H.
was a member of the same religious denomination.

E. Loyd, who is prominently identified
with the farming interests of Oxford
Township, residing on section 19, is a
native of Washington Co., Va. His parents,
John F. and Elizabeth (Robinson) Loyd, were
also natives of Virginia, and were living in
that State at the time of the birth of their son, of
whom we write, which occurred April 28, 1835. In
1852, his parents came West to Indiana, where they
purchased a farm, upon which his father lived until
his death, which occurred in 1869. Mrs. Loyd at
present resides with her son, Samuel C, in Missouri.
The subject of this narrative remained at home
until 19 years of age, assisting his parents on the
farm and attending the schools of his neighborhood.
The four years following his departure from home
were spent in working out by the month. In 1857,
having accumulated a little means, he bought a
team and rented a farm in Indiana, which he worked
.i-r for some time. Upon the breaking out of the Re-

bellion, he joined Co. B, 30th Ind. Vol. Inf., and
was engaged in his first battle at Pulaski, Tenn.,
and while participating in his fourth battle, he re-
ceived a shot which took off the first and second
fingers of his right hand. He, however, remained in
the service until the close of the war, when he was
honorably discharged. He soon found his way to
Illinois, where, in 1865, in -Mercer County, he pur-
chased 40 acres of land. He subsequently added
to this 105 acres, and remained there for seven
years. He then disposed of his property there and
came into Oxford Township, this county, and lo-
cated on a 159-acre farm, on section 19. To this
he has since added 130 acres adjoining. Politically,
he is a member of the Democratic party.

Mr. Loyd was married to Miss Harriet Dubre in
1859. She was a native of Indiana. The seven
children who have been born to them bear the fol-
lowing names . Eva J., Frances F. (deceased), Mary
A., Oscar C, Emma M., Maud B. and James A.

j^^^^-^^M

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oh.11 F. Mowers, banker at Atkinson, was
born in the State of New York, Jan. 20,
1837. He is the son of Thomas Nowers,of
whom an account is presented with the sketch
of Thomas Nowers, Jr., which may be found
elsewhere in this work. The family came West
in 1 849 and he accompanied the other members. They
made a location at Pre-emption in Mercer County and
there he was occupied as an assistant to his father
on the farm. His first independent employment was
in the capacity of agent for the agricultural machin-
ery of Cyrus H. McCormick, in whose interest he
was employed three years. In 1857 he came to this
county, where he has since been identified with its
prominent business interests. In 1881 the banking
enterprise in which he is now interested was estab-
lished.

Mr. Nowers formed a matrimonial alliance with
Lurena A. Wright, Feb. 3, T863. She was born in
the State of New York in 1839. They have no chil-
dren. H. E. Wright, the father of Mrs. Nowers, was
a native of the State of New York. Her mother was
born in Massachusetts. They were born respectively
in 1815 and 1818, and are still living, in Mercer Co-
lli. Their marriage took place in 1836, in the Empire

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HENRY COUNTY.

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State, and they are the parents of five daughters and
a son. They were born in the following order: Mary
M., Lorena A., Abbie G., George A., Harriet and
Ella. The son is the only one who remains unmar-
ried.

Mrs. Nowers is a member of the Congregational
Church. The political preferences of Mr. Nowers
are in accordance with the Republican party.

ansom Harrington, real- estate and loan
agent at Geneseo, has been a resident of
Henry County since September, 1856. He
came here in the previous autumn and made
purchases of. land. He was born at Hogans-
burg, Franklin Co., N. Y., Feb. 18, 1822, and
is the son of Amariah B. and Rebecca (Manning)
Harrington. His mother was a native of Alburgh,
Vt, and his father was born in Stanstead, Canada.

In 1837, the Patriot or McKenzie's War broke out
in Canada, and the troops of the United States sta-
tioned at Sackett's Harbor were ordered to Fort Cov-
ington on the border line between the Dominion and
Franklin County, to aid in preserving the neutrality
laws. At Ogdensburg they were fired on by the
English soldiery on the supposition that they were
reinforcements for the Patriots, and they were obliged
to change their course and make their way to the
fort across the land. This brought them to Hogans-
burg. The sight of men in uniform awakened an
enthusiasm in the mind of Mr. Harrington and the
day after they left his native town he followed them,
going on foot to Fort Covington. Arrived there, he
attempted to enlist, but was told by the Captain that
he must bring a certificate of permission from his
parents, and he returned to his home where he went
vigorously to work to secure the necessary document.
With a boy's persistency and a small mixture of boy's
strategy, he succeeded and went back in triumph.
Oct. 13, 1837, he enlisted in the Regular Army, en-
rolling in Co. K, English Regiment, U. S. I., under
the command of Colonel, afterwards General Worth.
The captain was W. R. Montgomery, of Reading,
Pa., and he at once took an interest in the young re-
cruit, which established friendship that never knew
change or diminution.
Soon after his enlistment the regiment was sent

$€$$-

back to Sackett's Harbor and the command remained
there until the spring of 1839. In the winter of
1838-9, Captain Montgomery and Mr. Harrington
went to Canandaigua, N. Y., where they passed the
winter in recruiting, and secured 102 men. In the
spring they resumed duty at Sackett's Harbor, whence
: the command was ordered to Green Bay, Wis., and
i and the route thithe? was made by Buffalo and the
,- Lakes. Soon after they went to Port Winnebago
I (now Portage) and participated in the removal of
j the Winnebago Indians to Iowa. The regiment pro-
ceeded thence to Rock Island, where it remained
! through the excitement of the " payment " to the In-
dians by the Government of the United States, and
went thence to St. Louis.

' The stay there was short, the command going next
to New Orleans and crossing thence to Tampa Bay
across the Gulf of Mexico. One incident during the
stay at Tampa Bay illustrates the varieties that
broke the monotony of events. The Seminole War
was in progress and detailed duty was proportionately
dangerous. On one occasion two attempts had been
made to communicate with Fort King, a military
: post 100 miles distant, and had been frustrated by
the Indians who had in each instance murdered
: three men. At dress parade, volunteers had been
called for and Mr. Harrington and two others re-
sponded. There was a reward of $500 for those
who would accomplish the duty, which was to carry
the mail to the Government employes at Fort King.
As was afterwards learned the mail bags contained
$27,000 to pay the men there. The party were de-
layed by the death of the horse that Mr. Harrington
rode, and a band of skirmishers, who found the ani-
mal torn by buzzards, reported the whole party as
murdered, and accordingly Captain Montgomery sent
the tidings of the death of Mr. Harrington to his
home. Later, the officer sent out scouts to seek for
their remains and they met the successful volunteers
on their return. The scouts had sacrificed several
horses in their search. The regiment remained at
Tampa Bay until 1842. Mr. Harrington was dis-
charged after a service of five years, just in time to
escape the Mexican War which followed soon after.
He had gone into the military service for the money
he could obtain in order to be able to aid his parents,
and he returned to his home to find that his mother
and a sister had died during his absence, and that
only his father and two sisters were left., One brother

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238

HENRY COUNTY.

■§*@5§*@Y|j

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had died previously. Jane A., his oldest sister, is
now deceased, and Mary M. (Mrs. Luce), is liv-
ing in the city of Lowell, Mass.

On his return, his first move was to buy a farm in
the town of Bombay, in his native county, to which
he removed "his father's family. The winter of 1843-4
he went to school.

The next event of importance* in his life was his
marriage to Martha E. Campbell, at Massena, St.
Lawrence Co., N. Y., Feb. 22, 1845. Mrs. Harring-
ton was born March 7, 1827, in Rockingham, Vt.,
and she is the daughter of Hiram and Alvira (Low-
ell) Campbell. After his marriage, Mr. Harrington
engaged in farming in Bombay for a few years and
then sold out. He removed to Moira in the same
county, where he became interested in hotel-keeping.
In 1852 he built a hotel in the same town, which he
sold in the year he removed to Henry County.

When the Civil War convulsed the nation he be-
came interested in its issues and enlisted. He en-
rolled in Co. B, Ninth 111. Cav., Sept. 19, 1861. On
the organization of the company he was commis-
sioned Second Lieutenant. Eight days later he was
made First Lieutenant. He was promoted to rank
of Captain on the field during the action at Helena,
Ark., in the fall of 1862. The regiment left Chicago
for the front, Feb. 18, 1862. It was assigned to the
brigade of General Steele and to the 14th Army
Corps, under General Curtis. The command was
involved in the campaigns in Missouri, Arkansas,
Mississippi and Tennessee. Mr. Harrington was in
'the most of the cavalry service in those regions dur-
ing the time he was in the army. He resigned in
May, T863, on account of myopia, or nearness of
sight, which rendered military service almost im-
practicable.

On his return to Geneseo, he was appointed a
special agent by the Provost Marshal of his Congres-
sional District, and discharged the duties of the posi-
tion until the close of the war.

In political faith, Mr. Harrington is a Republican,
and has been since the organization of the party.
Although he has been active in the conduct of local
politics, he has never been an aspirant for official
honors. He has acted as a delegate to Senatorial
and Congressional Conventions and was an alternate
to the National Republican Convention at Chicago
in T884.

In 1883 the feasibility of establishing the Normal

School at Geneseo was broached, and Mr. Harring-
ton took an earnest interest in the question from the
stand-point of a public-spirited citizen who saw., in a
wholesome educational project, a permanent advant-
age to the general interests. He was one of the
most active in securing subscriptions for the repairs
necessary to be made to the building, in which it was
proposed to operate, and through his efforts, in addi-
tion to those of others equally interested in the proj-
ect, the needed funds were raised and the school
made a certainty. He is one of the Trustees of the
institution. .

The interests of Mr. Harrington in real estate are
extensive and include about 400 acres in Iowa, 2,700
in Kansas and 500 in Colorado. His business as a
loan agent is also heavy. The Harrington residence
at Geneseo is one of the finest structures in Henry
County.

The record of the children of Mr. and Mrs. Har-
rington is as follows: Clara P., born March 20,
1852, died Jan. 8, r865 ; Wm. H., bom Feb. 26,
1846, died Oct. r, 1868; Henry G., born Feb. 18,
1848; Frank R., born Aug. 25, 1850; Fred A., born
Jan. 8, 1866.

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••o4o«*

Henderson, a farmer and stock-raiser of
section 28, Clover Township, was born in
!?* Fayette Co., Pa., April n, 1859, and his
parents were Stewart and Eliza A. (Rumsey)
Henderson, natives also of the Keystone State,
who came to Illinois in 1874, settling on the
present homestead of our subject. His father pur-
chased r4o acres here and resided upon it until his
death, which occurred on the 19th of September,
1881. He also bought 80 acres of land in Mercer
County, this State, and a house and six lots in the
village of Woodhull.

Mr. T. S. Henderson has always been an occu-
pant of the family homestead. He received a com-
mercial education, and graduated in penmanship and
book-keeping at Burlington, Iowa, in r88o. He now
owns half the homestead, and has the whole of it
under his judicious and successful management.
He also has half the 80 acres in Mercer Co., 111., and v
90 acres in Nebraska. As a farmer he carries on } \
what is called " mixed husbandry," and he also deals
in thoroughbred cattle. He is a Republican in his

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HENRY COUNTY.

$^%$T\A$$'

239

political views, is now acting as Path Master of his
township, and is counted as one of the solid men of
the county.

He was married Feb. 22, i88i,to\Miss Maggie

, Sesslar, a native of Ottawa, La Salle Co., 111., and

they have two children — Delia Luella and Gracie

Jane. Mr. Henderson's mother also makes her

home with him.

eft

ames Glenn, of Colona Township, is a resi-
dent on the same farm on which he settled
a half century ago, which is situated on
section 20 of what was then town 17. He is
the oldest of the earliest settlers now living in
the county, and he was the second man who
took up his permanent abode within the limits of
Henry County. Dr. Thomas Baker preceded him
by a few days, and at the time of the arrival of Mr.
Glenn he was living in the wagon in which he had
traveled. Mr. Glenn arrived in May, and within
the same month he built a house, the very first
which was erected for living purposes in the county.
It was of the most primitive character, being con-
structed entirely without nails or other means com-
mon to the builder's art. It was constructed of
poles and the roof was of clapboards. It had no
floor of any kind save the earth. Mr. Glenn was
the first man who turned the prairie soil of Henry
County with a plow. The date of this event, as
near as can be determined, was May 20, 1835, on
the southeast quarter of section 17, in Colona Town-
ship. His labors and trials were shared by his
brother Thomas, who came with him, and they lived
in their house without a door, as they had no facil-
ities for making one; and the aperture by which
they found ingress and egress in and out of their
place of shelter was barred with rails to keep out
cattle and the wild animals which were prowling
about. They had frequent calls from travelers, who
found welcome and entertainment at the humble
abode. Their house may therefore be considered
the pioneer tavern of Henry County. They occupied
it but a year, as in the next spring they built a
hewed-log house, 45 x 20 feet in dimensions; and as
soon as the stages began to run their place was made
a stage station. In the fall of the same year,

Thomas Glenn returned to Ohio and came back
with the parents and two younger brothers, — John
and Payton R., — and they brought a pair of horses,
whose value at that time can be estimated.

Mr. Glenn was born in Fayette Co., Ky., July 17,
1812, on the farm of Henry Clay at "Ashland," as
the country place of the statesman was called. At
the time of the birth of Mr. Glenn, his father was
the manager of the estate. The latter, James Glenn,
was born in Virginia, and he married Sarah Shoap-
stall, who was a native of Pennsylvania. In 18 16,
the elder Glenn removed his family to Washington
Co., Ky., where they lived four years. They then
went«to Ohio and resided some years in Clinton
County. There the sons attained to mature life,
and with it the ambition to make their way to a
legitimate claim to the advantages rightfully belong-
ing to the efforts and plans of manhood. Accord-
ingly, Mr. Glenn set out from home in October,
1834, and operated for a few months on a trading
boat on the Mississippi River. In the spring follow-
ing he came to Henry County, as has been stated.

The second house which has been mentioned was
the stage station of the Frink & Walker stages while
they continued to run. Mr. Glenn was a single
man when he came to Henry County. His father's
death occurred in 1849. The demise of his mother
occurred in 185 1. Thomas died in 1841, of con-
sumption; John died in 1852; Payton died in 1861;
another brother — Jacob — died in 1882.

Mr. Glenn was married to Nancy Kincaid, Jan.
16, 1837. She was born in Green Co., 111., and is
the daugter of James and Polly (Saunders) Kincaid.
Her parents were natives of Kentucky and came
thence to Rock Island Co., 111., in 1836. On the
day of their arrival in Rock Island the only store in
the place was destroyed by fire. After a residence
of a few years in that county they went ito Mercer
County in this State. The father of Mrs. Glenn
died at the residence of his son in Colona Township.

At the time of their marriage, Mr. and Mrs. Glenn
settled on the farm on section 20, and they have
lived on the place 48 years (1885). They have six
children: William resides on section 31 of Colona
Township ; Mary A. is the wife of George Burke, of
Western Township; John is deceased; Eliza mar-
ried Charles Hugh, and they are living in Dakota ;
Ellen is the wife of Warren H. Stearns, who is a

s®

^^'

-2^K gV&ll n@D P&'/c) ;a<g»Kr

HENRY COUNTY.

citizen of Leadville, Col. ; Lucinda married Isaac
Hanna, and they are living in Poweshiek Co., Iowa.
In 1877, Mr. Glenn built the elegant house in
which his family now live, and it is, as it should be,
one of the finest farm residences in the county. His
farm is ranked as one of the best stock farms in the
county. It contains 330 acres, and is in the best
agricultural condition.

* -«- *

L. Clay. One of the prosperous and well-
to-do farmers in Oxford Township Ts W.
L. Clay, whose place of residence is on
section 35. He was born 1 831, in Chester,
^ Windsor Co., Vt., and is a son of John L.
and Louisa M. (Balch) Clay, who were natives
of Vermont, and brought their family West, locating
in Galesburg in 1840. At this place he resided on
some land which the father had purchased three
years previous to their coming West, and where he
resided all the remaining years of his life, with the
exception of eight years, which were spent in the
city of Galesburg. He died on his farm in the year
1876; his widow still survives, living in Galesburg, at
the advanced age of 82 years

W. L. Clay, our subject, received a high-school
education, and assisted in the labors of the farm
while at home, where he remained until he reached
his 2 2d year, when he left home and came to Oxford
Township in 1854. Here he purchased a tract of
land of 320 acres, and entered upon its improve-
ment, remaining here until i860; then went back to
the old homestead and took charge of it until 1867,
when he next went to Galesburg and remained
there until 1869. He again returned to Oxford
Township, where he has since been a resident, carry-
ing on a stock and grain farm, in which he has been
eminently successful. Mr. C. is the owner of 240
acres in Knox County, 160 in Warren County, and
520 acres in Nebraska.

Harriet M. Davison was united in marriage with
Mr. W. L. Clay in 1854, and of this union were born
three children — Seth H., Mary and Harrold S. Mrs.
Clay died in i860, and Mr. C. formed another mat-
rimonial alliance, this time the lady being Anna M.
Johnson. They have become the parents of three

children — Fanny M., Warren L. and Eugenia M.
Mr. Clay is a Democrat in his political opinions, and
is one of the leading and worthy men of Oxford
Township.

-« : :<oc>c . <-

; erry W. Beckwith, a merchant at Briar
Bluff, in Colona Township, is the present

flUP^ Postmaster at that place (1885). He was
mj born in the city of Rock Island, May 28, i860.
•fir He is the son of Chauncey J. and Ann (Ver-
narsdalle) Beckwith, who were born respect-
ively in Vermont and in the State of New York.
They were among the pioneer settlers in Rock Island.
In 1868 they removed to Carbon Cliff, in the same
county, and there their son obtained his education in
the public schools. When he was 15 he was em-
ployed in the pottery, and he remained there until
he had acquired a thorough knowledge of the busi-
ness. He worked there three years, and at the -end
of that time engaged as a clerk with M. G. Mills in
Rock Island. At a later date he entered the services
of C. Corbin & W. E. Chamberlain, at Carbon Cliff.
In 1879, he went to Colorado, and officiated as a
hotel clerk in the " Mountain View House " at Den-
ver, and went thence after three months to Hot Sul-
phur Springs, where he obtained a position in a store
as general clerk. He operated there two years and
returned to Illinois. In 1882 he purchased the
stock and interests of M. F. Wolcott, at Briar Bluff,
and has since continued the prosecution of his busi-
ness as a merchant in that place. His stock in-
cludes the lines of goods demanded in a country
trade.

Mr. Beckwith was appointed Postmaster in 1882.

-amuel Arnett, Supervisor of the township
of Loraine (r885), has been a resident of
Henry County from the period of infancy,
as he was in the first year of his life when his
parents joined the pioneer element of this sec-
tion of the State. He was born in Warren Co.,
Pa., July 6, 1836, and is the ninth son of Lewis and'
Mary Clara Arnett. The family were among the
earliest settlers in the township and the son was reared
on the farm on which his parents located. He was

<®

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■^gy Q/^H1 H@HH<^A^ — s^^-

-»§>@S5

HENRY COUNTY.

241

p
&

mtu

educated in the pioneer log school-house, with its
benches made of slabs, and the educational facili-
ties were of the same stamp — such as the lime and
circumstances afforded.

In the spring of 1858 he' bought four pairs of oxen
and engaged in the work of breaking prairie, which
was then as profitable as any employment that could
be obtained in an unsettled locality, and passed one
season in that line of business. In the spring en-
suing he started with an ox team for Pike's Peak,
setting out in April. He reached his destination
June 20 following, and operated there in the capacity
of a teamster, packing goods into the mountains with
a mule train. He followed that method two years,
and passed six months in the transportation business
with wagons.

He then returned to the State of Illinois and en-
gaged in threshing, which he followed three seasons.
Meanwhile he rented a farm on which he passed the
intervals when his services as a thresher were not in
demand. In 1865 he bought 147 acres of land on
section 5 of the township where he was brought up.
He built a small frame house, which was the abode
of his household until 1883, when the commodious
residence they now occupy was erected. Mr. Arnett
is the owner now of 186 acres of land, which is all in
good agricultural condition. He has served nearly
r8 years as Road Commissioner.

The marriage of Mr. Arnett and Catherine Urick
took place Nov. 15, 1863. She was born in Henry
County and is the daughter of Rudolph and Cath-
erine (Rapp) Urick. Annie C, David W., S. Edwin,
Libbie L. and George W. are the names of the chil-
dren that are now included in the household of Mr.
and Mrs. Arnett.

A. Fraser, a dealer in grain and broom-
corn at Woodhull, was born Feb. 12, 1837,
in New Haven, Conn., was brought up on
x> a farm and attended the district school until
r,> he reached the age of majority. His par-
ents were William and Dolly (Russell) Fraser,
natives respectively of Scotland and Connecticut;
her father died in 1841 and her mother in 1849.

Mr. Fraser went to Ashtabula County; Ohio, at
the age of 13 years and lived there with an uncle

until he was 2r years old, and then came to Knox
Co., this State, in 1858, where he worked 0:1 a farm
for two years ; and then, until some time in 1861, he
was in Kansas and Missouri, most of the time as a,
clerk in mercantile establishments. In the fall of
1 861 he went into the 42d 111. Vol. Inf. as sutler and •
photographer, and continued in that relation until
1865; then for one year he was engaged in a mer-
cantile business for himself in Alabama ; selling out,
he returned to the North and for a year was engaged
in grain business at Chenoa, McLean Co., 111.; in
1868 he was employed on a farm in Knox Co., Ilf;
then, in r86q, he came to Woodhull, where he has
since been engaged in the grain and broom-corn
trade. He is a successful manager, and a man with
whom it is a satisfaction to deal. He built a good
residence in Woodhull in 1875, and has a farm of 480
acres in Kansa&i He is a Republican, a Freemason
and Odd-fellow, and is a leading citizen of the com-
munity which he has selected for his place of resid-
ence.

Mr. Fraser and Miss Anna Kingdon were married
Dec. 29, 1869, and they have three children : George
H, born Feb. 20, 187 1; Nellie E., born Dec. 30,
1873; and Eva I., born Sept. 30, 1878.

-S3-

-£*-

A. Gamble. Among those prominently
jl|l|L identified with the agricultural interests of
Oxford Township, we note the subject of
this sketch, Mr. S. A. Gamble. His residence
is upon section 24, and, besides giving his at-
tention to general farming, he is engaged in
stock-raising. He was born in Franklin Co., Pa.,
July 2r, 1838. His parents were also natives of
the Keystone State, and were Samuel and Isabella
B. (Wilson) Gamble. They came to Illinois as early
as 1857, and located upon the above mentioned sec-
tion, where they lived until called to their eternal
homes. Mrs. Gamble died Oct. 16, 1862, and the
elder Gamble, Feb. 10, 1870.

Our subject remained under the guidance and
counsel of his parents until 1865. During the days
of his boyhood and youth he not only had the ad-
vantages' of the common schools, but received an
academical education. Upon leaving home his first
business enterprise was the renting of a farm. He

s^2 — ^A^DD

HENRY COUNTY.

-f^^f

0 continued farming, renting land for five years, when,
in 1870, he purchased the property where he now
lives, which at the time consisted of 80 acres, to
which he subsequently added 120 acres. Politically,
Mr. G. is a Republican, and, with his wife and four
■eldest'children, he is a member of the Presbyterian
Church.

It was in 1865, April 13, that Mr. "Gamble and
Miss Anna E. Widney were united in marriage. Of
this union four children were born, who are living:
These are Fannie, Fred E., William M. and Nonnie.
In the spring of 1876, the husband and children
were called upon to mourn the loss of the wife and
mother. Mr. Gamble was subsequently married to
Mollie Rolofson, a native of Illinois. Of this union
three children have been born — Eddie, Samuel B.
and Edna. Of the former children, Fannie is the
wife of L. E.'Pritchard.

4*fr

-S—

Robert W. Milar, a mechanic of ! Atkinson,
has been a citizen of Henry County since
1855. He was born July 29, 1824, in
Somerset Co., Pa. His father"John Milar,
was lost to his family by death in 1833. The
latter was a native of Maryland and married
Isabella Fulton in 1812. Their births occurred re-
spectively in 1790 and in 1793. The mother was a
native of Pennsylvania.

In 1836 Mr. Milar came to the State of Ohio and
passed two years in acquiring a knowledge of the
business of a carpenter, which he has followed ever
since. He served an apprenticeship of two years;
and, in October, 1855, came to Henry County, set-
tling at Geneseo. He pursued his trade there only
about six months, when he came [to Atkinson. He
has been a continuous resident of that place about
30 years. He has managed his affairs with pru-
dence and good judgment, and is the owner of a
well improved farm of 80 acres in the township of
Atkinson, and owns the property which he occupies
in the village. He is also the proprietor of 80 acres
in Kansas, situated less than 20 miles from the city
of Topeka.

Mr. Milar is a Republican and has discharged the
duties of his citizenship in several official positions
in the place where he is a resident. He was Deputy

Sheriff of the county four years, and has acted in the
capacity of Justice of the Peace eight years. He has
also been "Constable 17 years.

The marriage of Mr. Milar to Rebecca Kinsley
took place July 8, 1849, in the State of Ohio. The
ceremony was performed by Joshua Pepper, then a
magistrate, and who is still living, near Taylorsville,
111. Mrs. Milar was born Sept, 25, 1831, in New
Philadelphia, Tuscarawas Co., Ohio. Three of four
children born of this marriage are still living : Theo-
dore was born March 24, 1850; Leroy, Oct. 9, 1852 ;
Clara, Jan. 5, 1854; J. Kniseley, March 25, 1857.
The latter died Sept. n, 1883. The surviving chil-
dren are married. Mrs. Milar is a member of the
Congregational Church.

£aeob Frank, harness-maker at Geneseo,
and an extensive farmer of Henry County,
has been a business man of Geneseo
since Jan. 1, 1856. He was bom May 8,
1829, in Germany, near the city of Worms,
which will be celebrated throughout the ages
of the world as the place where the " Morning-Star''
of the Reformation arose — Martin Luther. He is
the son of Leonard and Margaret (Boas) Frank, and
he was 21 years of age when he left his native land
to test fate in the New World. He landed in Amer-
ica in 1849, and settled in Hayes ville, Ashland Co.,
Ohio. He at once entered into the work of prepa-
ration for the business which he has since pursued,
and served an apprenticeship of four years with a
harness-maker. He began to operate in that line in
his own behalf at Lucas, in that State, and remained
there three years. At the expiration of that time he
came to Geneseo, and established his business as
soon as he arrived. He has operated with success,
and in addition to his widespread relations as a
harness-maker, dealer in trunks and all goods com-
mon to the traffic, he is the owner of a fine estate of
ioo acres of land in the township of Cornwall. He
is also the proprietor of valuable city property.

The marriage of Mr. Frank to Delilah Bowman
took place in Ohio, Sept. 5, 1854, and they have had
five children, three sons and two daughters : Leon-
ard D. was born in Ohio, and after he was married
he went to Oregon, where he died, in July, 1884,
aged 30 ; Alice is the wife of David McLaughlin, of

■^^ ©A^iB 0@DDf^A^ — -$$$&-

"6v^u n® ii n&^ — ?jt&hr

HENRY COUNTY.

243

<5\

•! *

Chicago ; Charles died at 1 2 years of age ; William
and Minnie are living. Mrs. Frank was born in
Ashland Co., Ohio. She died at her home in Gen-
eseo, on Thanksgiving Day, 1883. She was a mem-
ber of the Baptist Church.

Mr. Frank is connected by membership with the
German Lutheran Church, and is a member of the
Society of Odd Fellows. In political belief and con-
nection he is an adherent of the Democratic party.

James Duncan, of Geneseo,came to Henry
County in 1838, and has been a resident
of the State since 1837. He has been
prominent in the development of the resources
] £ of the county from the beginning of his active

I and independent management of his own
affairs, and is at present the senior partner of the
firm of Duncan & White, hardware merchants, and
of the business house of Duncan & Martin.

He was born March 1, 1827, in Erie Co., Pa., and
is the son of William and Mary (Thomas) Duncan.
His father was of unmixed Scotch origin, his ances-
tors having been among the dissenters from the
Scottish "Kirk," who left their native land in 1619
to escape the persecutions of King James. They
encountered difficulties there which were scarcely
less perplexing and quite as hard to bear. From
the latter fact the purity of the race known as
Scotch-Irish was retained throughout a period of
exactly 100 years. In 17 19 the emigration of their
descendants to the United States commenced, and
from the settlement of Dunbarton, N. H., they
have scattered to all parts of this land, and every-
where form one of the best elements on which the
social, moral and religious structure of the country
is founded. The father of Mr. Duncan was the son
of a pioneer of the State of Pennsylvania, and there
several of their children were born, among them
their son William. The Thomas family, to which
the mother belonged, was of English extraction, and
were pioneers of the Dominion of Canada. Her
father's family went to the State of New York just
prior to her birth, and she was born in the Empire
State.

The parents removed to Crawford Co., Pa., when

1837 they came to Illinois. _They lived a year in
Knoxville, and in the spring of the following year
they made a final transfer of their affairs and inter-
ests to Henry County, where they arrived April
15th. The father became a farmer in the Township
of Phenix, and the children were there reared to
maturity.

The first event of marked importance in the life
of Mr. Duncan, of this sketch, was his marriage
to Sarah C. Browning, of Phenix, April 10, 1855.
Mrs. Duncan is the daughter of Joshua Browning,
and she is a native of Phenix Township, in Henry
County. Mr. Duncan continued the business in
which he had been reared after his marriage until
the spring of 1865. That was the date of his re-
moval to Geneseo, where he has since resided con-
tinuously. He at first interested himself in traffic
in grain and stock, and also made purchases and
shipments of horses. In 1870 he entered into a
partnership with E. M. Way, and they transacted a
business in the manufacture of soap and in render-
ing fats, under the style of Way & Duncan, which
was in operation until 1880 — a period of ten years.
At the expiration of that time Mr. Duncan bought
the claim of his partner, and within the same year
formed an association with Charles H. Martin, and
they have since managed their business affairs
jointly. In 1883 Messrs. Duncan & Martin have
been engaged solely in the line of rendering. In
some years they transact business in that avenue
amounting on an average to $12,000. In 1882 the
hardware house of Duncan & White was established,
and the firm have since done a prosperous business
in the lines of trade common to similar concerns,
dealing in stoves, tinware, general hardware steam-
fitting, metal-plate work, etc. The firm opened
their business April 5th of the year named.

In 1850 Mr. Duncan went to California. He set
out for that distant region on the 1st day of March,
traveling across the plains. He passed nearly three
years in the Golden Gate, and was engaged in min-
ing at various points. He returned by way of the
Isthmus to New York. At the time he was opera-
ting as a fanner the agricultural affairs of Henry
County were in their most primitive condition. He
found a market for his crops at no nearer point than
Chicago, and he hauled his grain there in a wagon
drawn by three yokes of oxen, being accustomed to

their son was seven years old, and in the spring of

!&>-

^WlWi^S — ^&k

HENRY COUNTY.

**■ pass 21 days on the journey there and return. He
sold his wheat for 45 or 50 cents a bushel, and was
obliged from the small returns from his sales to
travel and camp in gypsy fashion. The distance he

(Oi was in the habit of traversing was 160 miles, or 320
miles going and coming.

Mr. Duncan is a Republican in political faith and
connections, and both himself and his wife are mem-
bers of the Methodist Episcopal Church.

*§fH-

S. Douglas, farmer and stock-raiser, re-
siding on section 34 of Oxford Township.
y> ^ and one of the large land-owners of the
county, is a native of Kentucky. He was
born in Greene County, that State, June 18,
1820, and is a son of Charles and Polly
(Smith) Douglas, natives of Virginia, where they
were farmers. They came into Lawrence Co., 111.,
in 1834, where the elder Douglas bought 40 acres of
land, upon which he lived until his death, which oc-
curred in 1842. His wife survived for 40 years,
dying in Sangamon Co., 111., in T882.

Young Douglas came to Illinois with his parents
and remained with them, putting in his time at work
on the home farm and attending the district schools
a few months in a year, until he attained the age of
21 years. Immediately after reaching this impor-
tant period in the life of every young man, he moved
to Crawford Co., Ind., where he remained two years,
living on and working a rented farm. He then re-
turned to Illinois and located in Sangamon County,
where he remained until 1852; he next came into
Oxford Township, this county, and purchased 320
acres of land. Besides his property in this county,
he owns 400 acres in Iowa. Politically, he is a
Democrat, and is regarded as one of the solid and
representative men of Oxford Township.

Mr. Douglas was united in marriage with Mary A.
Bullock, who bore him one child — John. She died
in 1842, and for his second wife Mr. Douglas was
married to Anna Glennan. By this marriage he had
nine children, the following seven of whom are liv-
ing: Jane, Cornelia, Martha, Samuel, Fannie, Elvia
and Susan. In 1866, Mr. Douglas was left a widower,
by the death of Mrs. Douglas. He subsequently
married Margaret C. Warner.

. 000

eonard C. Campbell, City Clerk of Geneseo
and Justice of the Peace, has been a resi-
dent of the county since i860. He was
born Oct. 6, 1816, in Malone, Franklin Co.
N. Y. His father, the Hon. James Campbell,
was a native of Bellows Falls, Vt., being born
June 3, 1784, and died when within four months of
his 1 ooth birthday. He was of Scotch lineage, and
ireached distinction in military life and as an official
jin. prominent positions. He was an officer in the
jWar of 181 2, and served through the entire course
of that contest, becoming in his later life a pensioner
on account of the services he rendered. He was for-
a considerable number of years the Sheriff of Frank-
lin County, and was afterwards made Judge. He was
a prominent member of the New York Legislature in
the session of the winter of 1828-9. Politically, he
was a Whig until the days of Van Buren, and after
that period he was in sympathy with the Demo-
cratic element. In his habits he was a man of re-
markable simplicity, and his vigor was preserved
nearly to the close of his long life. He married
Maria Chapman, who was of Scotch-Irish origin.

Mr. CampbelJ was educated in his native county,
and one of his school-mates was the man who after-
ward became the Vice-President of the United
States, — Wm. A. Wheeler. On entering business
life he engaged in mercantile pursuits at Ogdensburg,
N. Y.,and operated there from 183410 1855. While
there he was married, June 20, 1841, to Sarah,
daughter of Isaac and Sally Wright. She was born
in Ogdensburg, Feb. 19, 18:9. Mr. and Mrs. Camp-
bell had two children, born in the city where the
birth of the mother occurred. Leonard W. is the
general traveling freight agent of the Chicago, Mil-
waukee & St. Paul Railroad; he married Frank E..
Adams, and is a resident of Chicago ; James C. is in
the employment of the Northern Pacific Railroad.

In 1855 Mr. Campbell removed to Chicago, where
he was interested in the transportation and commis-
sion business about five years. In April, i860, he
came to Geneseo, in the interests of the Chicago
& Rock Island Railroad, and he acted in the capa-
city of agent for that corporation. He also operated
as a purchaser and shipper of grain, and continued

z^f£ ^A^fDII@Bll9A@ *^tz-

$@&3

HENRY COUNTY.

* St

his connection with both lines of business six years.
Meanwhile, the affairs at the jrailroad office at Joliet
had fallen into a perplexing tangle through the dis-
honest management of an agent, and he was sent
there as an adjuster and remained until he had
placed everything in good order. His next relation
was with the Chicago Stock-Yards as cashier and
disbursing agent during their construction ; and while
connected with the enterprise over a million dollars
passed through his hands. He was occupied there
about one year, and returned to Geneseo, where he
again operated as a dealer in grain. In the begin-
ning of his connection with politics Mr. Campbell
was what was then termed a " Silver-Grey Whig,"
but through the evolutions of che political questions
from which the Republican party was evolved he be-
came an adherent of the new organization, amd has
since continued its devoted and constant ally.

In 1867 he was elected Police Magistrate at Gene-
seo, a position to which he was again elected until
he had discharged its duties, — an aggregate of nine
years. Since that time he has held the position of
Justice of the Peace nine years. In 1884 he was
elected City Clerk, and is the present incumbent.

One daughter was born after the removal of the
family to the West. She is the wife of George New-
land, a farmer of Osco Township. Mrs. Campbell is
a communicant in the Episcopal Church.

-J3-

-£$-

*r. J. H. Sale, physician and surgeon, resi-
&. dent at Cleveland, in Hanna Township,
of whom a portrait appears on the opposite
page, was born April 10, 1838, in La Porte,
Ind. He is the second son of John F. and
Jane G. (Sanford) Sale. His father was
born in Xenia, Greene Co., Ohio, June 14, 1814, and
was the son of John Sale, a preacher in the Method-
ist Church. The latter went to Ohio in the year
1803, and was one of the pioneers of the ministry in
the State. He organized and established the first
local body of the denomination to which he belonged
that was instituted in the city of Cincinnati. He
died at the house of a friend while he was still in
that place on the errand which he went there to ac-
complish. His death occurred in 1827.

The family of the mother of Dr. Sale were origin-

ally from Baltimore, Md. Hector Sanford, his grand-
father, was a pioneer of Chillicothe, in Ross Co.,
Ohio, and he was also a Methodist preacher, oper-
ating in the method known in those days as " circuit-
riding." The scattered condition of the Methodist
societies, which sometimes consisted only of the
members of a single family, necessitated a traveling
minister, and to this state of affairs is due the prom-
inence of some of the most worthy characters in the
pioneer history of the country. Mr. Sanford retired
from the ministry some years before his death and
became interested in secular matters. He built a
mill at Chillicothe for the manufacture of cotton, and
was there engaged in business during the remainder
of his life. The parents of Dr. Sale were married in
Ohio, and went afterwards to La Porte, Ind. They
went in 1840 to Rock Co., Wis., and the father made
a purchase of land in Union Township. A portion
of the tract is now included in Evansville.

There the Doctor grew to manhood, and was a
pupil in the pioneer log school-house, which was
constructed in the common way with a puncheon
floor. The abode of the family was built in a similar
manner. The structure became historic from the
fact that in it was held the first meeting of the
Methodist society of Evansville, and it was also the
scene of the organization of that body.

The education of Dr. Sale was materially im
proved by several terms' attendance at the celebrated
seminary at Evansville, but his plans were tempor-
arily interrupted by the, advent of the struggle be-
tween the two sections of the United States, which
for a time seemed to threaten the destruction of all
that constituted the basis of all prosperity in the
land.

The temperament of Dr. Sale, the heritage of two
races of pioneers, could poorly brook the danger to
that which the generation of his ancestors had strug-
gled and suffered to create, and within the first year
of the war he entered the army. He enlisted Sept.
13, 1 86 1, in Co. H, r3th Wis. Vol. Inf. Before the
regiment went to the field he was transferred to the
band, and was in that connection as long as he re-
mained in the 13th regiment. He was discharged
Aug. 18, 1862, by special order of the War Depart-
ment, which terminated the duties of all regimental
bands. However, just previous to the promulgation
of the order, he was seized with illness, returned
home and was confined to his bed ir weeks; and

^^x^ — %f<*M®W&*r§ **$^

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-^&k — 6V<&H H&ll Hf>vrc) j^hsr

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HENRY COUNTY.

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after his recovery, Dec. 18, 1862, he enlisted in the
organization known as the Iron Brigade Band, and
remained a member of it as long as the war con-
tinued. He was discharged June 12, 1865, and
again returned to Evansville.

In August following, he came to Dayton, and
commenced the study of medicine with his brother,
Dr. R. R. Sale. After reading thoroughly under his
preceptorship, he attended lectures at Rush Medical
College in Chicago, and on leaving college he com-
menced his practice with his brother at Dayton.
Their joint operations continued until 187 1, at which
date the Doctor came to Cleveland. He has estab-
lished a popular and prosperous business in his pro-
fession, and is also conducting a drug-store, which
he established in r88o. In 1878 he was appointed
Postmaster, and has discharged the duties of the
position ever since.

Dr. Sale was married to Miss A. Eliza Fiedler,
Dec. 22, 187 1. She is a native of Baltimore, Fair-
field Co., Ohio, and is the daughter of Casper and
Sarah (Miles) Fiedler. Her father died in Rock
Island, in February, 1854. Her mother is still liv-
ing, at Peabody, Kan. They were among the pio-
neers of the county of Rock Island. The children
that have been added to the household of Dr. and
Mrs. Sale are named Freddie Fletcher and Francis
Joseph. The former was born May 12, 1873, and
the latter June ir, 1875. The father of Mrs. Sale
was a native of Germany. Her was born in Newark,
Licking Co., Ohio. Dr. Sale's father died Feb. 1,
1845, and his mother is still a resident of Evansville,
Wis.

^aniel Henney, farmer, section i6,Geneseo
Township, has a farm of 150 acres in the
township in which he is a resident, and is
JvVr, also the owner of 263 acres in the township
of Phenix. He was born in Wayne Co., Ohio,
May 17, 1832, and is the son of Peter and Chris-
tina (Strayer) Henney, of whom a personal account
is given on another page. The father removed his
family to Henry County in the spring of 1853. Mr.
Henney was then 2 1 and he located with his parents
in the township of Phenix. He became himself the
head of a family in the following year, and then be-
gan actual contact with the question of making his

way in the world. When he was 22 his father gave
him every fourth bushel of the crop which he had
helped to raise, for his share, and with this, and a
colt of which he was the owner, he and his wife com-
menced their hand-to-hand contest with fate and
fortune. He had besides, as capital, a sound con-
stitution, and habits of frugality and industry. He
purchased 80 acres of land at $15 per acre, upon
which he could make only a small payment. The
method of operation pursued by Mr. Henney is of
great interest, and an account of it is n6t only perti-
nent to the purpose of these records, but may serve
to aid another to take heart when necessity seems
overpowering, and discouragement is likely to ob-
struct effort. In the first place he had no team, and
was without the means to purchase that most needed
auxiliary to a successful struggle with " Nature's
forces ;" but Mrs. Henney was the owner of an old
mare, with which her husband contrived to plow the
corn which he had planted. He had done his break-
ing with ox teams, which he had hired for the pur-
pose at a dollar an acre. While doing this, he was
in the habit of getting to the field to break prairie at
the hour of three in the morning, and would plow
until about six, when he " turned out " for breakfast.
At seven, he and the oxen resumed their labors, and,
with the exception of a short nooning, the work was
kept up until five o'clock in the afternoon. After
supper'he resumed work and did not quit until about
ten in the evening. This was the program through
the season, and at the end of the season for plowing
corn he had about 65 acres under tillage.

He continued to buy land, for which he went in
debt, until he was the proprietor of 263 acres. His
first crop of wheat comprised 1,400 bushels, and he
realized 1,700 bushels from the second, which he
harvested on his farm. When he made the last pay-
ment on his land, he sold wheat at 35 cents an acre
and corn at eight cents. He offered 1,000 bushels
of corn for a wagon. These statements are given as
affording a complete picture of the actual state of
affairs at the period referred to, from which it will be
an easy matter to gain an idea of the quantity and
quality of the perseverance and industry required to
make not only existence possible, but to accomplish
what was actually done — the achievement of success
in making progress in the acquirement of this world's
goods. In the case of Mr. Henney, release from
debt, the acquisition of farm-fixtures of a superior

■^y o/&nn®pn<»^§ — »€^

»*K

HENRY COUNTY.

-«§»§£%

(i)

character, and a position among the leading farmers
in the county are the results of his labors and the
exercise of good judgment. Subsequently, Mr. Hen-
ney purchased 150 acres of land in the township of
Geneseo, and he removed from the place in Phenix
Township to the beautiful residence now occupied
by his family in the vicinity of the city of Geneseo,
and in which they took possession in January, 1875.

The marriage of Daniel Henney and Catherine
Butzer took place Dec. 28, 1854. She was born in
Germany, and is the daughter of George F. and
Louise (Baltz) Butzer. She was but two years old
when her parents removed from the " continent " to
the United States. She has borne five children :
Melvina M. is the widow of J. H. Drekmer; Peter
A. married Catherine West, and they live in Phenix
Township, where he is a farmer; Elma M. is mar-
ried to Edward Wilson, a farmer in the State of
Iowa; Grant A. married Jane Rapp, and is a citizen
of Geneseo; Alice M. lives with her parents. The
first-born child — George Albert — was killed when 17
by the kick of a horse. He was a young man of ex-
cellent character and was at the threshold of a prom-
ising- manhood.

Mr. Henney is an adherent of the Republican
party in political faith and acts. He has been con-
spicuous in his interest in educational matters, and
has been the incumbent of the various school offices.
He has also served in other local positions. He and
Mrs. Henney are members of the Evangelical Asso-
ciation.

F. Bell, a member of the firm of Bell,
Derby & Lagergren, merchants of Wood-
hull, was born in New Albany, Ind., Nov.
23, 1844. His parents were John and Sarah
C \ (Durnell) Bell, natives respectively of Eng-
land and Tennessee. He remained at home
until he attained the age of legal majority, receiving
1 a common-school education. In 1864 he came to
Illinois, and became a clerk and salesman in a gen-
' eral store for his brother, at Swedona, Mercer Co.,
1 111., remaining there two years. He then engaged
,in mercantile business for himself in Blairstown,
Iowa. Seven years afterward he sold out his inter-
ests there, and in March, 1874, he came to Wood-

hull and clerked for a brother, J. D. Bell, four years;
then, in company with J. F. Derby and A. Lager-
gren, he bought out his brother, and the firm above
mentioned conducted the business until the death
of A. Lagergren, which occurred July 13, 1885.
The business then passed into the hands of Bell &
Derby. Besides his residence in Woodhull, Mr.
Bell is the owner of 160 acres of land in Kansas.
He is a Republican in his political views, and has
held the office of Town Councilman. He is one of
the leading business men of Woodhull and a repre-
sentative man of this cpunty.

He was married Nov. 9, 187 1, to Miss Eunice E.
Mayhew, a native of Iowa. Their two children are
Fred H., born Aug. 4, 1876, and Isola, born Dec. 22,
i88r.

-°—$-

-6>-«-

JC&.-.-gT.

aalvin S. Graves, druggist at Geneseo, was
born June 28, 1824, in Herkimer Co., N.
Y., and is the son of Ora and Polly (Fen-
r) Graves. ' All his immediate ancestors in
both lines of descent were natives of the State
of New York. His paternal grandfather was
a soldier of the Revolution and served through the
entire course of the struggle.. He was married while
it was in^ progress.

The parents of Mr. Graves removed to Penfield,
Monroe Co., N. Y., when he was but two "years of
age. They remained there until he was seven, when
they made another transfer of their home to Chau-
tauqua-County, in the same State. He there passed
the remaining years of his minority, and was married
in May, 1845,10 Miss Martha Kingsley. They have
a daughter and a son. Grace is the wife of J. -M.
Sweeney, of whom an account is given elsewhere in
this work ; Emery C. is the present City Attorney of
Geneseo. Mrs. Graves was born in Ellington, Chau-
tauqua Co., N. Y., and is the daughter of Orrin
Kingsley.

In April, 1853, Mr. Graves came to Illinois, and
to Henry County in November of the same year. He
took possession of a farm in Yorktown and was in-
terested in agriculture until 1866, when he sold out
his farming relations and removed to Geneseo. He
passed his time in various business connections until

v|2

* to
I'

&®fa-

-a^Ki—^T^nn^niii^A^ — ^^ "**

^®-

-'■9

■eV£l»ll!If>^

HENRY COUNTY.

1874, when he embarked in the business he has
since prosecuted.

In the days when he commenced his interest in
and connection with political issues, he was a Whig;
but on the formation of the Republican party he fell
into line with its adherents and has honored his col-
ors with consistency.

Mr. and Mrs. Graves are members of the Congre-
gational Church.

•teae7@i@»

$r~ >*^a/zf3a»*

1 illiam C. Stickney, engaged as a farmer
in Clover Township, where he resides on
section 27, was born Sept. 6, 1846, in
Cambridgeport, Mass. His parents were
Henry and Mary A. (Wood) Stickney, na-
tives respectively of Vermont and New Hamp-
shire, and settled with their family — Henry, Jr.,
Alfred and William C. — in April, T853, on the place
now occupied by William C, whose father was acci-
dentally killed Nov. 16, 1866. His mother still
survives.

The subject of this sketch received a common-
school education in his early boyhood, and on the
13th day of April, 1870, was married to Miss Ida A.
Clark, a native of Connecticut. Of their union have
been born two children, viz. : William W. and M.
Grace. Mr. Stickney is one of the prosperous and
energetic men of Henry County, owning a farm of
260 acres, which is all improved and under excel-
lent cultivation. He is also a member of the firm
of Howell, Woods & Co., bankers, at Woodhull.

ohn McDermott. One of the energetic,
industrious and prosperous men of Oxford
Township, is Mr. John McDermott. He
is engaged in farming on section 26, and was
born in Ireland in 1831. Having enjoyed the
educational advantages of the schools of that
early day, besides assisting his parents in the farm
duties, in the year 1853 he emigrated to America,
and in New York city located and worked for some
months. From there he went into Monroe County,
same State, and engaged working there for about

two years, when he rented a farm and began work
for himself. He followed the latter for about a year ;
and, thinking that he could ameliorate his condition
by operating further West, he finally concluded to
try, which he did by coming into Illinois, where he
located in Oxford Township, and worked a year by
the month. In the year 1864 he made a purchase
of a team, then rented the land he is now residing
upon, being 80 acres, and remained as a renter of
the same for about six years. Buying the place at
the expiration of that time, he has since added to it,
until he now owns 320 acres in this township, and
\\d acres in Knox County. On his farm in Henry
County he carries on general farming and stock-
raising, doing a successful and constantly increasing
business. The land he has under excellent cultiva-
tion and improvement, which is all attributable to
his own hard labor and the assistance of his good
helpmeet.

In 1853 Mr. McDermott was married to Miss
Mary A. Paul, also a native of Ireland, and they «;
have become the parents of four children, — Peter, /»
Mary A., Ellen and John ; the eldest married Miss «
Nora Moran ; Mary A. has become the wife of John #fc
Murphy, and John is deceased. =

In political opinions Mr. McDermott affiliates
with the Democratic party, and, with his wife, be
longs to the Catholic Church of Woodhull. He is
considered one of the solid and representative men
of Henry County.

:SK©>@i*§

*&<•>-

klias Curtiss Gilbert, a farmer on section 31,
Geneseo Township, was born in the town
of Richmond, Ontario Co., N. Y., Jan. 27,
1836. His father, Horace Gilbert, was the son
of Deacon Elias Gilbert, who settled in Rich-
mond, in Ontario County, in 1803. The latter
was a farmer, a tanner and a shoemaker. He made
each of his business interests successful, and was a
resident on his farm for a period of 50 years. About fp)
1853, he went to Iowa and located at Gilbertstown,
situated three miles from Davenport. He died «
there at the age of 95 years, and was, at the time of
his death, the senior member of the Order of Ma-
sonry in the United States. Horace Gilbert was
born in Richmond, in March, 1802, and was all his J

(Si

« SB

HENRY COUNTY.

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§*i^

life a farmer. In his youth he connected himself in
membership with the Congregational Church, and
was for many years a Deacon. He married Ann E.
Carpenter. He died on the homestead in Rich-
mond, May 4, 1862. His widow still survives and
resides with her daughter in the State of New York.

Mr. Gilbert was brought up on the homestead of
the Gilbert family in Richmond, and was sent in his
boyhood to the common schools. He afterwards
went to the Genesee Wesleyan Collegiate Institute
at Lima, Livingston Co., N. Y., one year. He en-
gaged in teaching in the winter seasons and worked
on the farm alternately until 1857, when he started
for the West. He made his first settlement on the
farm which he now owns, and on which he has been
a continuous resident, in Henry County. At the
time of his purchase of the place, a few acres had
been broken and a small frame house built. The
entire place, containing 240 acres, is in a high state
of cultivation and is supplied with excellent frame
buildings. Mr. Gilbert has planted a variety of all
kinds of trees common to the locality. He is the
owner of valuable live stock, including horses, cattle
and swine: also makes a specialty of raising full-
blood Merino sheep, from the celebrated flocks of
Bissel; also the flock of Atwood, of Vermont.

He was married Feb. 23, 1857, to Florinda Beach,
and they have had six children. Four are living,
who are named Elon B., Horace S., Anna E. and
Laura C. The oldest son married Cora M. Thomas
and is a resident of Geneseo. Horace married Can-
dace Powell, and is a citizen of the same place. A
pair of twin daughters died at the age of six months.
They were named Mory and Mary. Mrs. Gilbert
was born in Bristol, Ontario Co., N. Y. and is the
daughter of Stephen and Sally (Clark) Beach.

=J ^ir^ — ^

F. Derby, of the firm of Bell, Derby &
Lagergren, merchants, of VVoodhull, was
born in Cambridge, Henry Co., 111., Jan.
13, 1854. His parents were Benjamin and
Lydia J. (Pinckney) Derby, who were natives
of the State of New York, and came to the
Prairie State in pioneer times, settling at Cambridge,
this county. Mr. J. F. Derby, our subject, received
a fair education, having attended Hedding College,
at Abingdon, 111., for three years. In 1867 he com-

menced to make his home with J. D. Bell, his
brother-in-law, at Woodhull, and remained with him
until he was of age; then entered his employ as a
clerk, which position he filled until 1878, when he
became a partner in the business and the firm
named Bell, Derby & Lagergren. This relation he
now sustains. He is one of the leading business
men of Woodhull, a representative man of Henry
County, and is prosperous in his business. He
owns a half section of land in Kansas, besides his
residence here. He is a member of the Methodist
Episcopal Church, one of the Village Trustees, and
in politics is a Republican.

Mr. Derby and Miss F. E. Black, a native of In-
diana, were joined in matrimony Sept. 2, 1877, and
they have two children, — Frances L., born Nov. 7,
1878, and Ernest F., born Nov. 25, 1880.

V©

-S3

A A

1~~T

A A

i,romwell K. Bartlett, deceased, was a
member of the Geneseo colony who set-
H?»u tied in Henry County in 1836. The col-
$ fo ony was organized in Western New York and
^* consisted of seven members. Mr. Bartlett,
with Jghn C. Ward and Roderick R. Stewart,
came to Henry County on behalf of the association
to select land. They accomplished the duty and
secured that now included in the site of the city of
Geneseo. They returned to New York, and on
making their report the members of the organiza-
tion formed a resolution to come to Illinois the same
fall ; and five families did so. The party set out in
their own wagons, and, traveling across Canada,
Southern Michigan and Northern Indiana, arrived,
after a journey of seven weeks, at their destination.
The incidents of the route were such as might be
expected at that season of the year, over a country
which was itself in the earliest days of settlement,
and when the thoroughfares were in the same con-
dition.

Mr. Bartlett was the builder of the first hou%e that
was erected on the site where Geneseo now stands.
It was constructed of logs, and stood a little north
and east of the brewery, and across the creek. He
also built a saw-mill and a grist-mill. The date of
the arrival of the party, of which he and his family
were a part, was Nov. 4, 1836.

&<m<®im*<s — ^^^

HENRY COUNTY.

(!)

Mr. Bartlett was born in Ames, Montgomery Co.,
N. Y., Nov. 29, 1793. He was a farmer, and was
also a tanner and currier.

He was married Sept. 28, 1 817, to Miss Catherine
Hess. The name of her father was George Hess,
and she was born in the township of Rush, in Mont-
gomery Co., N. Y., July 14, 1799. She bore nine
children, — four sons and five daughters : The first-
born was a son and died in childhood, as did Nor-
man, the second] in order' "of birth; William was
drowned in the Fraser River, in British America;
Hiram lives in Iowa; George died in 1854, in Gen-
eseo; Mary E. is the wife of Hiram J. Cady, of
Geneseo; Amanda married C. M. Taylor, of Nevada;
Lucinda was the wife of William Austin, of Edford
Township : she died in 1868 ; Julia married Silas
M. Cady, of Brooklyn, Iowa; Martha A. is Mrs. L.
Hicks, of Janesville, Cal.

Mr. Bartlett passed his life in the occupations of
of a miller and farmer. He operated in both these
lines of business from the date of his removal to
Henry County, and in 1837 and 1838 he was the
owner of an extensive dairy for that period, as it
comprised 30 cows. The herd was bought in Knox
County, and the milk was utilized in the manufac-
ture of butter and cheese. The former sold readily
at 38^ cents per pound, and the latter at 25 cents.
Mr. Bartlett died at Palestine, 111., March 4, 1844.
His widow still survives him, and for ten years has
been a member of the family of Mrs. Cady, at Gen-
eseo. She is 86 years of age.

eorge Brown, merchant in the township of
Colona, is the present Treasurer of the
? K township, in which he has been a resident
since 1856. He was born in Durham, Eng-
land, and is the son of George and Ann
(Teasdale) Brown, who were both natives of
the shire of Durham, in the same country. He was
sent in his earliest childhood to the public schools,
and at the age of nine years was put to work in the
mines. Those who have investigated the manner of
conducting the English collieries can understand
what is required of the children who perform a
species of labor which cannot be done by those who
have attained to the size of adults. But it is, per-

haps, a wise regulation, as it enables the heads of
families to support their children in much greater
comfort than would otherwise be possible. The place
in which Mr. Brown worked necessitated his rising at
four o'clock in the morning, and he passed 12 hours
daily in a mine which was hundreds of feet below
the surface of the earth. With the exception of about
r8 months, which he passed at school, Mr. Brown
worked in the colliery until he was 2r years of age.
He had meanwhile obtained a fair education in the
evening schools, which were established for the bene-
fit of the children who were obliged to pass their
days in labor. He had a natural liking for books,
and he availed himself of the privilege the schools
afforded to indulge his tastes.

On attaining his majority he commenced the full
work of a miner, and continued the pursuit as a voca-
tion until 1854. In that year he left his native
land to test the promise of the New World. He came
to America in a sail vessel and landed at the port of
New York after a voyage of six weeks. He went to
Johnstown, Penn., and there sought employment at
the business to which he had been trained in his na-
tive land. He operated as a miner there for the
space of six weeks, and then went thence to West
Columbia, on the Ohio River, in West Virginia. He
passed six months in the mines at that place, and in
August, 1855, he made his way to Coaltown,in Rock
Island County. He was occupied in mining there a
year and came to Henry County. He again engaged
in mining at Minersville, in the township of Colona,
and was engaged in that business about six months.
At the end of that time he went to the city of Pitts-
burg, Pa. ; entered the mines at that place and soon
afterward sustained severe injuries from being burned
while at work in them. He was disabled until the
month of November, in the same year, and as soon
as he had sufficiently recovered he returned to Coal-
town, whither he had come in 1854. He there re-
sumed mining and operated until 1858, when he
came again to Minersville, and was employed in the
capacity of a miner three and a half years. At that
time he obtained the position of check weighman and
officiated therein three years. In 1865 he formed a
partnership with a man named Jacob Smith, and
opened a store for the sale of general merchandise in
Colona. They conducted their business jointly n
years, and since their dissolution in 1876 Mr. Brown
built a store and commenced in business himself,

iS)

■^^ — e^raiif^^

^V&MM&v^e) j&k-

°m^®\jM

(!)

(3*

HENRY COUNTY.

with gratifying results. His stock of merchandise in-
cludes all lines of goods necessary to supply the de-
mands on a country store.

Mr. Brown has been elected to fill various official
positions in the local affairs of the township, among
which are those ,of Justice of the Peace and Clerk.

His marriage to Margaret Bell took place Sept. 20,
187 1. She was born in Durham, England, and died
at her home in Co'ona, July 3, 1881. She left no
children. An adopted daughter married John Allen,
and they live at Angus, Boone Co., Iowa.

ustaf Lindquist, who is engaged i»> farm-
ing upon section n, Lynn Township, is an
illustration of what many men of his nativ-
ity have accomplished in a few short years in
this country, and especially in Henry County,
which contains a large and respectable Swede
element. Mr. Lindquist was born in Kalmar Lan,
Sweden, Oct. 11,1832. His father, Jonas P. Jonson,
was a farmer in the same section of Sweden, and
there met and married Christina Johanson, who was
also born in Kalmar Lan. The elder Jonson was an
active, hard-working man, and died in his native land
in 1876, at about the age of 76 years. His widow,
now 81 years of age, lives in Sweden with one of her
children. Accompanying Gustaf to this country was
a sister, Louisa, and the two located in Jamestown,
N. Y., where his sister remained for about 14 years,
when she was married and with her husband moved
to Minnesota. His brother, Charles J., came to the
land of freedom in i860 ; and, ere he had been under
the flag of the stars and stripes a year, a herculean
effort was made by rebel hands to trail it in the dust.
The love for his adopted country so early enkindled
in his breast prompted him to go to its defense.
While at Vicksburg he died from exposure, as many
of the brave boys in blue also did.

In 1854, our subject came to Andover, this county,
where he engaged as a general laborer. On his ar-
rival here he had but $1 in his pocket. In 1857, he
embarked in a farming enterprise for himstlf. He
rented a farm, but owing to the bad crop he was left
in a worse condition financially than when he first
began. He was not, however, to be baffled, or to
abandon agricultural pursuits. He secured 20 acres

of wild land, and began its improvement, determin-
ing to make a home for himself. When one looks
upon the well improved and cultivated farm where
he now lives, the story of his success is told.

About the time he began farming for himself, he
and Miss Caroline Morse determined to unite their
fortunes and fight the battle of life together. This
union was consummated Dec. 28, 1857. The wife
was born July 8, 1840, in Sweden, and was brought
to America by her mother, who settled in the city of
Chicago, where the mother shortly afterward died.
Her father, who was a soldier, did not come across
the Atlantic to America until the following year.
He died at the home of his daughter, Mrs. L., in
1870, aged 57 years. After the death of her mother,
Mrs. L. came further West and lived with a stranger
until her father came, with whom she lived until her
marriage. The record of the children, who number
six, that have been born to Mr. and Mrs. L., is as
follows: Thomas T.,^born Sept. 23, 1867 ; Edward,
Feb. 23, 1870; Amanda, June 23, 1873, and three
who are dead. The three former are living at home
and attending the district school. The family are
connected with the Lutheran Church. Politically,
Mr. L. is a Republican, and has for many years
served as School Director.

ohn Wight, a citizen of Cambridge, has been
a resident of Henry County since 1854, a
* period of over 30 years. He was born
July 14, 1809, near Montreal, Canada, of
American parentage, they being natives of
Massachusetts, is the son of William W. and
Polly (Griswold) Wight. They were the parents of
nine children, and came to Henry County to spend
the closing years of their lives. Both are now de-
ceased. Mr. Wight was brought up and educated
in Ohio. He acquired a knowledge of the business
of carpenter and millwright in Lake County, in that
State, and followed it there 18 years, or from 1836
to 1854.

He was married March 1, 1832, in Lake County,
to Sarah A. Ballard, and they had five children —
William K., Lucien T., Charles Day (deceased) and
Reuben E. The mother died Feb. 5, 1875, in Cam-
bridge. The second marriage of Mr. Wight, to Mrs.

^^^ Q/'&ngffiDiif^A^ — ^$^

HENRY COUNTY.

-4*^

V
&

Nancy E. (Ballard) Stickney, took place in Mus-
kegon Co., Mich. She had seven children by her
husband.

Mr. Wight reached Cambridge with his family
April ir, 1854. He spent the season ensuing in
breaking prairie, and then turned his attention to the
business in which he spent ij2 years, and which he
prosecuted with success. In the course of the time
named he moved 1,033 buildings and raised 147
others.

In early life Mr. Wight was actively interested in
political affairs. On becoming a voter he adopted
the principles of the Whig party. Succeeding events,
including the agitation of the slavery question, made
him an adherent of the Free-Soil element, and since
the organization of the Republican party he has been
its unswerving adherent. He has been a life-long
abstainer from the use of intoxicants, and has been
consistent in his advocacy of temperance principles.
Although he is 76 years of age, he is in firm, sound
health, and able to work if necessity required. He
reads without the aid of glasses.

He has spent three winters in Natchez, Miss., and
New Orleans, La., to avoid a pulmonary difficulty
which threatened. Mrs. Wight is a member of the
Methodist Episcopal Church.

-~3-

-e~-

acob W. Winana, general farmer of An-
dover Township, residing on section 13,
was born in Union Co., N. J., July 16, 1857 .
His father, Nathan Winans, was the grandson
of one of three brothers who came to America
from Holland prior to the American Revolu-
tion. His grandfather, Aaron, as well as his own
father, was a farmer. Mr. Winans' parents are still
residents of New Jersey, in Union County.

Mr. Winans, the youngest of a family of seven
children, was brought up and educated in his native
State, residing at home until about 1881, when he
came to this State, and commenced working for his
uncle, E. M. Crane After his marriage, in 1884,
he purchased 127 acres of land on section 13, An-
dover Township, where he is now resident. He is a
breeder of thoroughbred cattle, making a specialty of
. Herefords. The bull is registered and called " Peace

Maker." Mr. Winans is a Republican in political
views, and both himself and wife are members of the
Presbyterian Church.

Feb. T3, 1884, is the date of Mr. Winans' marriage
to Sally M. Williamson (see sketch of R. William-
son). Mrs. W. was born in Mercer Co., N. J., Dec.
1, 1856, and was five months old when her parents
came to this county, settling in Munson Township,
where she was reared and educated in the public
schools.

rank G. Welton, County Clerk of Henry
County (1885), resident at Cambridge,
was born April 14, 1843, near Waterbury,
New Haven Co., Conn. His earliest progen-
itors in America were John and Mary (Upson)
Welton, who emigrated hither from England
about the year r667- Twelve years later, in 1679,
they settled in Waterbury. Mr. Welton belongs to
the seventh generation of their descendants, and the
following is the line of his succession : Richard,
Eliakim, Richard (2d), Noah, Miles and Albert.
Albert married Susan E. Bidwell and their children
were Frank G, Mary E., George W. and Clarence
W. In early life Mr. Albert Welton acquired a
knowledge of wood-turning and passed many years
in the pursuit of that vocation. He became a citi-
zen of Cambridge in r85r, and was principally en-
gaged in farming until 1879, when he removed to
Lancaster Co., Neb.

Frank G. Welton was eight years of age when his
parents removed to Illinois, and he has been since
1 85 1 a resident of the place where he is now dis-
charging the duties pertaining to the position of a
prominent county official. Two months after he
reached the age of 18 years, he entered the military
service of his cauntry, enlisting in July, 186 1, in Co.
B, 42d 111. Vol. Inf. His regiment was first com-
manded by Col. Wm. A. Webb, and was attached to
the Western Army. After the evacuation of Colum-
bus, Ky., the " 42d " was assigned to service con-
nected with the United States Squadron under the
command of Commodore Foote, and participated in
the siege of Island No. 10. After the capture of
that rebel stronghold, the regiment again became an
auxiliary of the army, in front of Corinth. Mr. Wei-

'1111$ \9 >$&*■

HENRY COUNTY.

•«^B»(<

ton was a participant in the campaign under Sher-
man until the battle of New Hope Church, Ga., on
May 29, 1864, m which he received five bullet
wounds. One struck the knee of his right leg, and
he afterwards underwent amputation. Jan. 1, 1865,
he was made Sergeant, and March 4 of the same
year he was honorably discharged.

He returned to Cambridge and obtained employ-
ment for a time in a drug-store. In 1868, he es-
tablished the same business in his own interest, at
Swedona, Mercer Co., 111. He was obliged to bring
his business to a close on account of the difficulties
attendant upon the loss of his leg, and he returned
to Cambiidge. He obtained a situation in the office
of the Circuit Clerk, which position he held a little
over one year. In November, 1 869, he was elected
County Clerk of Henry County as a Republican, and
has been his own successor at every recurring elec-
tion since.

April 30, 1866, Mr. Welton was married to Ella
M., daughter of Dr. Dexter G. Clark. Their mar-
riage occurred at Wheaton, Du Page Co., 111. Mrs.
Welton was born Dec. 13, 1849, in Rockford, 111.
The children now included in the household are five
in number : Albert D., Clarence W., Kate C, Ma-
bel E. and Susan B.

Mr. Welton belongs to the Masonic fraternity and
to Post No. 436, G. A. R.

-S-

illiam A. Mussey, a grain dealer at Atkin-
son, was born in Rutland, Vt., Jan. 22,
1839. He was brought up in his native
county, and had just passed his minority

ti ■+

when the Civil War made its unwelcome ap-
pearance, and in September, 1862, he en-
listed in the 12th Regt. Vt. Vol. Inf. He was in
the service but nine months, when his term of en-
rollment expired.

He returned to Rutland, and was there engaged
in business until his removal to Illinois, which oc-
curred in the fall of 1868. He located at Atkinson,
where he entered upon the prosecution of the enter-
prise in which he has since been engaged. He is
rated as among the most reliable and responsible
business men of ,the gounty. He is the owner of

160 acres of excellent land on section 23, in the
township of Atkinson, and he is considered one of
the model farmers, as is commonly the case when
the principles of the agriculture of the New England
States are put into practice on the fruitful acres of
the prairie. The grain business of the Brothers
Mussey is of extensive relations, and the elevator
which they own and operate has a capacity of 50,-
000 bushels.

Mr. Mussey was married to Louisa Nowers, March
31, 1868. She is a native of Oneida Co., N. Y.,
and is the daughter of Thomas and Decima (Foster)
Nowers, who are natives of England and are resi-
dents of Atkinson! An extended sketch of the par-
ents of Mrs. Mussey is to be found elsewhere in this
work. Mrs. Mussey was born May 2, 1845. Mr.
and Mrs. Mussey have two children : Clara F. was
born Nov. 6, 1874. The birth of Henry-R. occurred
Dec. 7, 1875.

Mrs. Mussey is a member of the Congregational
Church. Mr. Mussey is a Republican in political
sentiment.

-* #*•# *~

illiam Whitney, engaged as a farmer on
section 26, Clover Township, was born
May r3, 1823, in Washington Co., Ohio.
His parents, John and Sarah (Chapman)
Whitney, natives of Massachusetts, came to
Ohio in a very early day, where they engaged
in farming. The father died in 1849.

The subject of this sketch remained at home until
he attained the age of legal majority, receiving a dis-
trict-school education. He then worked as a com-
mon laborer, and rented a farm for a time, and in
1847 he purchased 40 acres of timber land, and
occupied it for six years, improving it and bending
all his energies toward making a good home. He
then sold out and came to DeKalb County, this
State ; and, after spending a winter there, he resided
two years in Winnebago Co., 111., upon a rented farm ;
likewise for three years he was a renter in Boone
Co., 111.; and in i860 he removed into this county
and purchased 40 acres on section 16, Clover Town-
ship; after remaining on the same for five years, he
sold it and bought 80 acres on section 17, and lived
there until 1882, when he purchased 120 acres on

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HENRY COUNTY.

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sections 26 and 27, Clover Township, where he now
resides. Mr. W. is a successful agriculturist, is a
Greenbacker, a member of the Christian Church and
of the Masonic Order, and has served one term as
School Director, and one as Path Master.

Feb. 15, 1844, is the date of Mr. Whitney's mar-
riage to Miss Jane Cheffy, a native of Virginia.
They have had six children, as follows : George W.,
who married Hattie Osborn, has five children — Anna
J., William S., Luella, Harvey S. and John ; Sarah
who married James Woodworth, has three children
— William H., Flora B. and Sarah M.; Charles E.,
united in marriage to Lura Mosher; the other three
are deceased. Mrs. Whitney died* Aug. 28, 1885.

eorge Washington Bowe, a farmer in
Phenix Township, has been a resident of
Henry County since 1851. He was born
May 20, T825, in Bath, Steuben Co., N. Y.,
and is the son of John Smith and Rachel
(Shearer) Rowe. In 1836 the family started from
Steuben County for Illinois. They traveled with
their own teams to Erie, Pa., where they took pass-
age on a steamboat on Lake Erie for Detroit. At the
time, the family included the father, mother and five
children. They started with three horses and a
wagon, and after leaving the boat at Detroit they re-
sumed their journey with their team. They were on
the road six weeks and settled in Whiteside County,
to which place the father had come the previous
year and had made a claim in the township of Port-
land. He had stayed long enough to build a log
house, and the househould found it a welcome re-
treat after the tedious journey in the wagon. The
stay of the father at the time he secured his claim
extended from the fall of 1835 until June, 1836. In
addition to the erection of a shelter for his family, he
broke a considerable portion of prairie and put in a
crop.

The house was covered with clapboards, which
were retained in their places by poles. The struc-
ture was 16 x 16 feet in dimensions. A barn of logs
was also built on the place, both of which were de-
stroyed in the tornado of June 5, 1844. The build-
ings were entirely demolished and the family were
the severest sufferers in the county. Two sons were

killed, and a daughter was so seriously injured that
she suffered all her after life from the consequences.
The father was also badly inured. A large
number of cattle belonging to the farm were de-
stroyed, and one cow was transported a half-mile
and set down on the top of a hot cook-stove ! The
animal had sufficient vitality left to administer a
severe kick to a son of the owner of the cook-stove.
The senior Rowe died in Portland, Dec. 9, 1852.
The mother is also now deceased. The names of
the sons who lost their lives in the tornado were
Delanson and William. The whole number of the
children were seven. George W., of this sketch, is
the oldest. Lavinia is the wife of La Fayette Cran-
dall, of Erie, Whiteside County. Eliza Ann married
Henry Kempster, of Portland Township, in the same
county. Mary is the wife of James Corkings, of
Whiteside Co., 111.

Mr. Rowe passed the remaining years of his min-
ority in the township of Portland, working on the
farm and attending the public schools, which were
of the pioneer variety. At the age of 25 years he be-
came the head of a family of his own. In 1850 he
was married to Julia, daughter of John and Lydia
(Hall) Kempster. Her parents were among the
pioneer settlers of Whiteside County. She was born
Aug. 25, 1826, in Oneida Co., N. Y. About the
time of his marriage, Mr. Rowe bought 40 acres of
land, and also made a Government claim of a simi-
lar amount in addition. He built a frame house and
improved his place in the best manner, fencing it in
good shape and setting out fruit, shade and other
trees, and small fruit in considerable variety. He
continued to own the place until 1851, when he sold
it preparatory to a removal to Henry County. He
here again set out in life in pioneer style, building a
log house on 160 acres of land, which he secured in
Phenix Township. After erecting the cabin of the
pioneer he set about the work of making improve-
ments, and soon after he built a good frame house.
He reaped the reward of the faithful and diligent
husbandman, and made further purchases until he
was the possessor of an aggregate of 700 acres. He
has since deeded a portion of the estate to his chil-
dren. Mr. and Mrs. Rowe have been the parents of
four children. The oldest and youngest, Ann Eliza
and Arthur, are deceased. The daughter died at the
age of three years, and the demise of the son took
place when he was three years and eight months old.

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HENRY COUNTY.

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Viola, the second in order of birth, is the wife of
John Guild, and lives in Gage Co., Neb. Edith, the
third in order of birth, is the wife of John Walker, of
Phenix.

— -*

sr*-

enry L. Kiner, editor and proprietor of the
Henry County News, published at Geneseo,
was born Feb. i, 1851, in Perry Co., Pa.,
at the foot of the celebrated Mt. Nemo, in
Shafer's Valley. He comes of German stock
in the paternal line of descent, and is a mem-
ber of a'family who have been known in the literary
circles of the continent for many generations. The
well known German poet, Theodore Koerner, came of
the same race-tree, and the original orthography of
the patronymic, and that still preserved in Germany,
is what is made familiar by the distinguished relative
of Mr. Kiner. The latter is the son of William
Kiner. The father's ancestors came to the Western
Continent in the early days of its history, and they
came with the purpose of founding a permanent
home, which they fulfilled in every particular. They
helped bear the burden of the Revolutionary period,
and in that contest the grandfather of Mr. Kiner
served as a Captain. He was also a commissioned
officer of the War of 181 2. The mother of Mr.
Kiner, whose name before her marriage was Mar-
garet A. Calhoun, is a member of the same family to
which John C. Calhoun belonged.

While he was in early childhood, the parents of
Mr. Kiner removed their family and interests to
Illinois. »They settled in Ottawa, La Salle County,
and he there passed the days of later boyhood and
early youth. The greater part of his education he
obtained at Farm-Ridge Seminary in La Salle
County. He completed a full course of study, and
was graduated at the age of 17.

He came to Geneseo in the fall of 1869, and
entered the drug-store of Moderwell & Co. He re-
mained in that position one year, and on the ter-
mination of his relations with that firm he went to
Prophetstown, in Whiteside County, and bought a
drug-store there, in company with Dr. R. E. Barnes.
They continued its management jointly about a year.
The proclivities and tastes of Mr. Kiner were of an
entirely different character from those required by

the routine of business drudgery, and at the expira-
tien of the time named he relinquished his project of
winning fame and fortune in mercantile avenues,
and returned to Geneseo.

He at once entered upon the fulfillment of a long
cherished project to pass his life in a journalistic
pursuit, and established the newspaper to which he
is still devoting his energies and abilities. The
initial number of the News was issued in January,
1874, and was received from the outset with general
favor, which has never abated. On the contrary,
the journal has continued to increase in favor and
popularity, and has won a substantial recognition in
journalistic circles as a reliable, enterprising, wide-
awake sample of the modern newspaper. The lit-
erary style of Mr. Kiner is such as to ensure the
approval of the general class of readers, being of the
breezy, cheery character that should mark the
paper designed to meet the requirements of the
classes who are generally its patrons in a rural dis-
trict, and who depend almost wholly on the weekly
paper for their connection with the world at large.
The News has been in existence about 12 years, and
during that time has never missed an issue. In
political tendency it is independent. In size it is
attractive and seems to promise the subscriber a full
return for his investment, being a nine-column folio.

Mr. Kiner has won a modest fame as a poet, and
is the possessor of an autograph letter of Henry W.
Longfellow, expressing the kindest and heartiest ap-
preciation of the efforts of his namesake. The latter
was a contributor to the public prints before he had
reached the age of 17. In addition to his abilities,
he possesses the pluck and energy to push a project
to a successful issue. When he started the News
at Geneseo, he did so under the most discouraging
circumstances and with the prestige of assured fail-
ure. He was still a very young man, and there
were already on record the failures of a half-dozen
of similar enterprises. But he has made a different
showing, and has achieved a substantial success.
At the date of starting his paper he was in posses-
sion of a cash capital of $1,500, which has swelled
through his industry and perseverance to a property
of respectable dimensions.

The marriage of Mr. Kiner to June Howard took
place at St. Louis, Mo., June 7, 1882. She was
born in Mendota, 111., and is the daughter of A. and

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HENRY COUNTY.

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Ella M. (Hopple) Howard. In the opinion of Mr.
and Mrs. Kiner, their son, Henry Clyde Kiner, is
the finest sample of a boy in America.

* -^- *

illiam S. Woolsey, a pioneer of Henry
County of 1835, living a retired life at
Cambridge, was born Feb. 4, 1807, at
Half Hollow Hills, Suffolk Co., L. I., N. Y.
The earliest recorded ancestor in the paternal
line came from England to the New World and
^ located in Connecticut. He reared five children, all
of whom became heads of families in the States, with
one exception, in the case of a daughter who went
to St. Johns, Nova Scotia, as the wife of a British
officer. John Woolsey, one of the sons, father of Mr.
Woolsey of this personal narration, became a soldier
of the Revolution. He removed to Long Island, in
company with his brother Israel. He there married
Phebe Rogers, who was born on the island, of Eng-
lish parentage. She died there, after having given
birth to 12 sons: Gilbert, John, Jesse, Woodhull,
Zebulon, Daniel, Jarvis, Henry, Abel, Israel, Moses
and William S. ;

The latter is the only survivor. He came to Illi-
nois in company with his brothers, Jesse and Abel,
and the trio were the. only ones of the brotherhood
who came to the State. Mr. Woolsey made a short
stay at St. Louis, while Jesse Woolsey, with three
others, representing the interests of an incorporated
company styled the " New York Association," came
in June, 1835, to Henry County, to select a site for
the location of a colony. They had expected to set-
tle near the present site of the city of Galesburg, but
earlier prospectors had been there and they sought
another location. The names- of the committee were
Pillsbury, Slaughter and Pike, and they founded a
city on sections 8 and 17, of town 15 north, ranges 1
and 2 east, and named it Andover, that it might
have the prestige of the scholarly culture and learn-
^ ing that had made the name prominent in the East.
Jesse and William S. Woolsey settled on land now
included in the site of Andover village. They were
stockholders in the association, and each was the
owner of 20 acres of timber, a village lot of two and
a half acres and a quarter section of farming land.
Jesse Woolsey was the first hotel-keeper at Andover,

and his brother worked at his trade as carpenter.
About the year 1842 he sold the land he held by
virtue of hk connection with the stock company, and
bought a quarter of section 15, which he placed in
profitable agricultural condition. In 1881 he re-
moved to Cambridge, where he has since been a
resident. He sold his farm in Andover, after his re-
moval thence. He is now the owner of 80 acres in
the same township.

After a residence of two years in Henry County, he
returned to Huntington, L. I., where, March 13,
1838, he was married to Sarah C. Piatt. She was
born at Huntington, Aug. 25, 1814, and is the
daughter of Gilbert and Maria (Conklin) Piatt. Both
her parents were natives of Long Island. Following
is the record of the children of Mr. and Mrs. Wool-
sey: William H. resides in Webster Co., Iowa.
The others who are living are : John Piatt, Sarah
M. and Ida N. Three older children died while
young. The parents and children are all, except
one, members of the Congregational Church. Mr.
Woolsey is a dyed-in-the-wool Republican.

John Piatt Woolsey was born June 29, 1839, in
the township of Andover, and he obtained his edu-
cation in the common schools. He engaged in
farming on arriving at independent manhood, in which
he was interested until November, 1883, when he
sold his farm and engaged in the sale of hardware
and agricultural implements at Cambridge, associ-
ated with A. B. Lafferty.

He was married Dec. 30, r87S, t0 Eliza Hammar,
a native of Westmoreland Co., Pa. Three of their
children are living — Sarah F., Carrie and Edward.

eorge Pomeroy, a farmer of Colona Town-
ship, was born Feb. 27, i82r, in Fairfieldi
s Herkimer Co., N. Y. He is the son of

Pliny and Lavina (Mann) Pomeroy, and his
parents were born respectively in Northampton,
Conn., and in Fairfield, where the son was
born. In 1829 they removed to Leyden Hill, Lewis
Co., N. Y. The son was brought up to the business
of a farmer, and he obtained a fair education in the
common schools. When Mr. Pomeroy, of this sketch,
attained the age of legal freedom he entered into a
partnership with a man named Henry Winslow, and
they conducted a joint business in the manufacture

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HENRY COUNTY

261

of cement cisterns, which they prosecuted about 10
years, in the vicinity of Brockville.

In 1857 Mr. Pomeroy removed to Henry County
and bought a farm in Western Township, «It was all
wild land, and he gave his entire attention td the
labor of improving a homestead, erecting a good class
of buildings and planting an orchard. He was the
occupant of the place until his removal 14 years
later to Iowa, where he settled two miles from Kel-
logg, in Jasper County. He bought an improved
farm, and also invested in wild land. Between three
and four years later he sold out there and came, in
1870, to the township in which he has since resided.
He built the residence his family occupies in Colon a.
In 1842, Mr. Pomeroy was married to Nellie Sher-
man, a native of Brockville, Canada, and they have
six children — Lavina, wife of T. W. Beese; Ella, wife
of Perry Hanna; Amasa, Emery, Colonel Edward
and Charles A.

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trank E. Kemmis, a farmer on section 10,
Loraine Township, was born on the same
section on which he is now living, June 9,
1862. He is the only son now living of Cor-
nelius and Adeline (Adams) Kemmis. His
father, of whom a portrait is presented on the
opposite page, was a pioneer settler of the county in
1836, and made his claim in Loraine Township be-
fore the land came into market.

The latter was born in the town of Cambridge,
Washington Co., N. Y., Feb. 15, 1808. He was
reared on the farm of his father, who died when he
was 18. He had two older brothers, who .were away
from home, and he remained with his mother and
sister and devoted himself to their care and support.
He had obtained his education as he could in the in-
tervals of farm labor, in which he was obliged to
assist while his father was still living, and he made a
business of studying evenings until he was the pos-
sessor of a fair education.

He was 28 when, in 1836, he came West to seek
a better opportunity to get on in the world, as the
East was already too full of hangers-on, and he was
hot of a temperament that could sit down tamely to
a life of small effort and results of corresponding size.

He came to Galena and passed a summer in the lead
mines.

In the fall ensuing he came to Henry County,
secured his claim on section 10, Loraine Township,
and prepared for the reception of his mother and sis-
ter, who joined him as soon as he was ready for them.
They took possession of a small log cabin, and Mr.
Kemmis proceeded with the work of putting his
property in profitable condition. As soon as the
land sales came on he purchased his claim, obtain-
ing the deed from the Government. In 1839 he
built a more suitable log house, which was 16 x 30
feet on the ground and a story and a half in height.
1 his constituted the family residence until 1868,
when he built a convenient and commodious frame
house. He pushed his business plans with success,
and improved 200 acres of land. At the time of his
death he was the owner of about 400 acres.

His marriage to Adeline Adams took place Nov.
27, 1854. She was a native of the township of
Aurora, in Erie Co., N. Y., and her parents, Luther
and Ruby Adams, were born respectively in Massa-
chusetts and Vermont. They were members of the
pioneer class in the western part of the State of New
York. The son whose name leads this personal nar-
ration is the youngest child and only son now living;
Addie E. is the wife of Harry Roberts, a farmer of
Sumner Co., Kan.; Quincy A., the oldest son, was
born in Loraine Township, Oct. 31, 1855, and died
in the same place Feb. 9, 1880. He was a finely
educated man, and was a popular teacher in the
public schools. He also served in the capacity of
Justice of the Peace. Sarah, the third child, was
born Dec. 12, 1858, and died April 23, 1862.

Cornelius H. Kemmis was a man in whom dwelt
the proper spirit for a genuine pioneer. He had the
sagacity to understand that the public weal was the
true foundation of the welfare of the individual, and
he had the generous nature that felt its best reward
in the well-being of those around him. He was
never unmindful of the relations he occupied to the
development of the municipality of which he was one
of the earliest founders, and he was ever ready to
lend the hand of assistance to promote the general
good. He donated land for the building of the
school-house and for the cemetery. He was a model
man in his personal habits, and in all his life was
never addicted to ihe use of spirituous liquors or
tobacco. He was the stanch friend of morality and

2®$$fi£ — ^a^d n®nflf^§ — s^n

HENRY COUNTY.

(«)

good order in society. He served several years in
various township offices, among which were those of
Assessor, Collector of Taxes and Justice of the
Peace. He died Jan. 26, 1876, after having been for
many years a consistent member of the Methodist
Episcopal Church.

Frank E. Kemmis was brought up on the home-
stead in Loraine Township, and acquired a fair
knowledge of the fundamental branches of an Eng-
lish education at the district school. He is the
owner and occupant of the farm on which his father
and mother settled and expended the best energies
of their lives. His mother is passing a calm and
serene old age under his care.

Mr. Kemmis was married July 16, 1884, to Emma
Reynolds. She was born July 8, 1866, in the town-
ship where she has passed the entiie course of her
life thus far. Mr. Kemmis is engaged in the prose-
cution of mixed husbandry.

— s6>-

^dward Anderson, Postmaster at Lynn
Center and dealer in general merchandise,
was born in Andover Township, this county,
Mj*. June 3, 1852. His parents were E. P. and
j. Catherine (Munson) Anderson, natives of
Sweden and farmers, who came from their
native country to the United States with their first
five children in 1846, resided in Buffalo, N. Y., two
years, and then settled in Lynn Township, this
county, after a short residence at Andover. The
senior Anderson died in Andover, July 20, 1854, dur-
ing the cholera epidemic, leaving a widow with five
children, some of whom were old enough to help
support her and the remaining chddren. She died
at her home in Lynn Township, Sept. 2, 1879.

After her death Mr. Anderson and his two sisters,
Laura and Louisa, came into possession of the home-
stead, and have since resided there. Their home
adjoins the village of Lynn Center. In 1880, Mr-
Anderson established a general merchandise store,
with stock of first quality, and the same time received
the appointment as Postmaster at that place. March
1, 1884, he formed a partnership with Aug. Ander-
son, of Andover, 111., and the firm are now carrying
on a prosperous trade.

Mr. Anderson is a member of the Swedish

-E3-

"ion. Bradbury H. Thomas, of the town-
ship of Munson, came to Henry County in
1870. He was born in Mt. Vernon, Ken-
nebec Co., Me., Oct. 17, 1812. His father, Na-
than Thomas, was born in Marshfield, Mass.,
Aug. 2, 1787. The latter was the son of Na-
than Thomas, who was a native of the State of
Massachusetts, and was of English descent. The
family settled in that part of the Bay State which
was afterward called Maine, and were among the
pioneer element of Kennebec County. The grand-
father referred to bought and improved a farm in
the township of Mt. Vernon.

The Pine-Tree State was in its most primitive
condition, and of the experiences and hardships to
which the pioneers were subjected through the natu-

Methodist Church at Andover, and is a reliable Re- V[>
publican. Neither he nor any of his sisters men- fk
tioned is yet married except one sister, who is married
to A. Butgeson.

> lisha Cone, deceased, was one of the origi-
nal members of the Geneseo Colony, one
of the five who brought their families to
-?§*■ the county in 1836. A full account of the
operations of the little band are given in an-
3 other department of this work, and so far as
has been possible personal sketches of the other
members have been obtained and appear elsewhere.
Mr. Cone was born Jan. 1, 1803, in Wallingford,
Conn. In his early manhood he removed to West-
ern New York, and there, on the 1st of January,
1826, he was married to Eliza A. Hill. She was
born in West Bloomfield, Ontario County. Their
family included five children : Harriet M. married
William Miller ; Clarissa P. is the wife of E. M.
Stewart, of Kansas; Francis F. married Gabriella
Gilmore, and they live in Florida ; Ellen A. is the
wife of Peter Hill, M. D., of Florida ; Charles E.
was a soldier of the Eighth Kan. Vol. Inf., and died
in the hospital at Nashville, Tenn., March 29, 1863.
The death of Mr. Cone transpired in 1846. His
widow still survives.

ffe

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HENRY COUNTY.

263

«!)•

*•*

ral conditions of things, the first settlers in a prairie
country have no means of forming anything like an
adequate idea. Supplies were remote, and it was
necessary to traverse long distances on horseback
through a forest so dense that their darkness and
the difficulty of making way through them has be-
come typical of hardship. The closing days of the
ancestor of Mr. Thomas were passed in the city of
Augusta. He was a preacher in the Baptist Church,
and did pioneer duty in his profession in the State in
which he first located. The mother of Mr. Thomas,
of this narration, was born in Litchfield, Kennebec
Co., Jan. 3, 1789. Her parentage and descent were
of the same locality and nationality as those of her
husband, and they were also pioneers of the county
in which she was born. Nathan Thomas (2d) was
born and reared to manhood in Kennebec County,
on the farm of his father. He passed his entire life
in argicultural pursuits. Late in life he went to
New Portland in his native State, where his earthly
career terminated, Aug. 1, 1849. His wife died Jan.
24, 1871. They were the parents of ten children,
eight of whom are yet living : Seth is a resident of
Manchester, Me. ; Sarah is the widow of Rawson
Soper, and lives in the East with her children ; Wil-
liam lives in Manchester, in the same State where
be was born; Hannah is the widow of Benjamin
Morton, and is a resident of Phillips, Franklin Co.,
Me. ; Martha survives her husband, Orrin Pitts, and
lives in Portland, Me. ; Mahala is the wife of Abra-
ham Morton, of the town of Phillips, already men-
tioned; Mary J. lives in Manchester, where the
other members of the family have located.

Mr. Thomas was brought up on the farm of his
father in Maine, and was a member of the household
until he was 18. At that age he became an appren-
tice to the trade of tanner, and also learned boot and
shoe making, as in those days both went together.
He remained in service until he was 21, when he
began to operate as a journeyman. May 29, 1838,
he was married to Sophia, daughter of Benjamin
and Eliza (Sargent) Melvin. She was born in Read-
field, Me., Feb. 13, 1813. Her parents were from
the State of New Hampshire. On preparing to set-
tle in life Mr. Thomas bought a farm in the town-
ship of New Portland, in Somerset Co., Me., and
carried on farming operations there for a period of
six years. He then sold out and took possession of
the homestead estate of the father of his wife. They

lived there until the death of the old people trans-
pired, when Mr. Thomas became by purchase the
proprietor of the well-known property of ex-Governor
Hubbard, in Readfield Township, which he owned
and occupied 12 years. He sold it in the year in
which he removed to Henry County. On removal
to this county he bought the farm on section 4 on
which he has since prosecuted the business of gen-
eral farmer. The place is pleasantly located three
miles south of the city of Geneseo, and is in good
condition for profitable farming. The residence is
finely located on a slight rise of ground and com-
mands a pleasant view.

Mr. Thomas was prominent in his connection with
public affairs in the State of which he is a native, and
represented his township in the State Assembly in
1868. He has been a valuable citizen in the town-
ship in which he has been a resident for 15 years,
and is much respected. Both himself and his wife
are members of the Methodist Church, and have
been a long time connected with that communion.

They have had six children, as follows: Charles
died in infancy; Henry C. lives in Minneapolis;
Helen married Gustavus Sanborn ; she and her hus-
band are both deceased, and left three children;
Augusta is the wife of William Rideout, who is a
citizen of Ottumwa, Iowa ; Eva J. married Frank
Melvin, and they live on the Thomas homestead;
and Melvin died in Maine, at the age of seven years.

avid

C been

He came hither in

Tj*V the fall of that year and settled in Annawan
Township, where he vigorously prosecuted the
duties ot his profession for a period of 17 years
without intermission, coming, at the expiration of
that time, to Geneseo, where he has established his
business and reputation.

He was born in Greensburg, Westmoreland Co.,
Pa., Jan. 10, 1827, and is the son of Andrew and
Mary (Henderson) Machesney. He obtained a
thorough elementary education and later became a
student at Jefferson College at Canonsburg, Wash-
ington Co., Pa., where h'e was graduated in 1850.
He attended medical lectures at the Jefferson Medical
College at Philadelphia, and afterward matriculated

L. Machesney, A. M., M. D., has

a medical practitioner of Henry
County since 1853.

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HENRY COUNTY.

at the medical college at Castleton, Vt., and was
graduated from that institution in 1852. He began
the practice of his profession at Middlebury, Summit
Co., Ohio, and was in business at that place one
year.

He came thence to Annawan Township, as has
been stated, and in 187 1 he removed to Geneseo.
Dr. Machesney is one of the leading physicians of
Henry County in point of culture and also in expe-
rience. He is a thorough student of human nature
and is adapted by nature for the responsible position
he occupies. His course as a man and in his busi-
ness relations have been such as to secure the confi-
dence and esteem of the communities where he has
lived, and he is the possessor of a corresponding de-
gree of influence. He has kept pace'with the prog-
ress in the medical profession, and in i860 the
degree of M. A. was conferred upon him by his alma
mater, Jefferson College.

He was united in marriage at Geneseo, 111., May
28, 1862, to Martha E., daughter of Alfred Taylor.
Mrs. Machesney was born in Wardsboro, Windham
Co., Vt. Dr. and Mrs. Machesney have had two
sons : Andrew Grant has just arrived at man's es-
tate ; he was 21 years of age in 1885 ; Elmer D. died
when he was between four and five years old. The
parents are members of the Methodist Episcopal
Church. The Doctor is. an inflexible Republican.

1 IE rank F. Johnson, a general farmer, resid-
p ing on section ir, Lynn Township, is a
Y» son of John F. and Margaret (Herman-
son) Johnson, having been born in Lynn
•^, Township, Feb. 14, 1859. His father was a
native of Sweden, where he was born on the
31st of August, 1 82 1, and a son of a farmer of that
country, in which place his father died. In the year
1853 our subject's father emigrated to America, and
located in Ontario, Knox Co., 111., where the year
following he was united in the bonds of matrimony
with Miss Margaret Helmanson. She was born in
Sweden in 1828, and emigrated to the New World in
1849 with a sister, locating in Knox County, where
she remained until her marriage. Some few years
after their marriage they came to Andover, Henry
County, where they remained for a while, afterward,

in 1858, moving to Lynn Township, where the father
was the owner of 240 acres of well improved land at
the time of his death, which occurred at his home in
Lynn Township June 11,1876. Since then Frank F.,
our subject, has had the superintendency of the
homestead.

Mr. and Mrs. Johnson had a family consisting of
six children: Ida, who is married and resides in
Nebraska ; Louisa, also married, and a resident of
Osco Township; our -subject; Andrew J., Emma,
and Amanda, who lives at home with her mother.
The family are members of the Swedish Lutheran
Church in Andover, and in politics the gentlemen of
the family are stanch Republicans, as was their
father.

^<3fr4KI)*$e>&

,enry A. White is the junior member of the
firm of Duncan & White at Geneseo. He
was bora in the city of New York, March
l^ 18, 1853. His parents, Henry and Jemima
(Barnhart) White, removed to Geneseo in 1856,
when he was but little more than an infant.
After he had passed the period of extreme youth
and obtained a fair education, he learned the trade
of tinner, and in April, 1882, he entered into his
present business relation with Mr. Duncan. (A full
account of their affairs as a business house may be
found in connection with the biographical sketch of
Mr. Duncan on other pages.)

Mr. White was married Jan. 21, 1875, to M.
Frances Foster. She is a native of Henry County,
and is the daughter of John P. Foster. The political
connections of Mr. White are with the Republican
party.

onas Westerlund, engaged as a general
farmer and stock-grower, on section 3,
Lynn Township, where is also his resi-
dence, was born in Gefleborg Lan, Sweden,
March 31, 1830. His father was Eric A.
Westerlund. (See sketch of Peter Wester-
lund.)

Jonas, whose name heads this notice, was the eld-
est but two of a family of nine children. He lived
at home and had but very little time to acquire

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HENRY COUNTY.

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265

I!)

an education, assisting in the maintenance of the
family. At the age of 2 1 years, he came with his
parents to the United States, and located at Ando-
ver. Here our subject at once endeavored to earn
his own livelihood, by which he secured a position to
work in saw-mills up in the State of Minnesota, after
having remained for about eight or nine months in
Henry County. For about seven years he was en-
gaged in the lumber business and mills in the re-
gions of Minnesota.

He was married Aug. 29, 1 85 6, in Taylor Falls,
Minn., to Miss Ellen Nelson, daughter of Nelson
Oleson and Mary (Mangasson), both natives of Swe-
den. Mrs. Westerlund was born in Sweden, Dec.
23, 1835, and came with her brother when 18 years
of age to America. They located at Stillwater,
Minn., and after a short period she began to earn
her own livelihood. She lost her parents in the old
country, their deaths occurring there some time ago.
Mr. and Mrs. Westerlund have become the parents
of nine children, two having died in infancy. Lizzie
married J. W. Anderson, and resides in Osco Town-
ship; N. Henning, John E., Charlie E., Jonas N.,
Joseph E. and Gilbert L. reside at home.

In the fall of 1856 Mr. W. came to Illinois, locat-
ing on an 80-acre farm in Lynn Township, on sec-
tion 2, which was his first purchase. By subsequent
purchases he is now the owner and proprietor of 382
acres of well improved land, all in one large farm.
Mr. Westerlund is one of the heaviest stock-breed-
ers in his township, besides being a .progressive and
respected farmer. Religiously, the family are con-
nected with the Swedish Lutheran Church, of which
Mr. W. has been both Trustee and Deacon. Of his
township he has held the position of Road Commis-
sioner. Politically, he affiliates with the Republican
party.

fob Gibson, a farmer of Atkinson Township,
||- operating on section 15, was born in the
State of New York, Feb. 6, 1826. He was
a resident of the State of his nativity until
1856, when he came to Davenport, Iowa. He
passed three years there operating as a carpen-
ter, and in i860 he removed to Morristown in Henry
County, where he pursued the vocation of a farmer
six years ; he then went to Colona and operated as a

carpenter. In 1867 he bought 80 acres of land. It
was wh6lly uncultivated, and the owner has im-
proved it all in the best possible method.

Mr. Gibson was united in marriage with Margery
Kelley, in 1849. She was born in the State of New
York, June 24, 1828. The only child of Mr. and
Mrs. Gibson, Amanda H., was born June 3, 1854,
in the State of New York, and married L. D. Man-
kins, and died at Villisca, Iowa, May 25, 1882, leav-
ing two children: Allyn Lester was born in 1875,
and Mabel Clare was born in March, 1881.

In political views and connection Mr. Gibson is a
Republican.

evi Waterman, President of the Farmers'
National Bank atGeneseo, has been a busi-
ness man at that place since 1857, when
the firm of Herman and Waterman was estab-
lished. The house has conducted its transac-
tions under the same style 28 consecutive
years, and is the oldest mercantile firm in Henry
County. They maintain a fine trade in clothing and
in furnishing goods, and their business requires an
investment of about $10,000.

Mr. Waterman was born in Wurtemberg, Ger-
many, March 5, 1836, and is the son of Felix and
Sarah (Neuberger) Waterman. He came to the
United States in 1853, when he was 17 years of age,
and joined his brother in Charlesville, Ky. He re-
mained there until the spring of 1857, when he came
toGeneseo, and Mr. Herman founded their business
as already stated.

He was one of the founders of the Farmers' Na-
tional Bank in 1876, and was its first President. He
has held the position of chief official of the institu-
tion without intermission since.

In 1866 Messrs. Waterman and Herman bought
a third interest in the Geneseo Brewing Company,
and are now the owners of two-thirds of the stock.
The concern was incorporated in 1884, and Mr.
Waterman was elected its President. Since the be-
ginning of their operations the firm have been ex-
tensive dealers in wool.

Mr. Waterman has officiated six years as Supervi-
sor of the township of Geneseo, and as to political
affairs he advocates Democratic principles.

He was united in marriage Jan. 26, 1868, in the

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266

•&%&*: — ^v&Hiis»>r

*ZT

"^i%S^^

HENRY COUNTY.

city of New York to Matilda, daughter of Solomon
Dreyfus. She was bom in Wurtemberg, ahd came
from her native land to the United States in 1852.
Mr. and Mrs. Waterman have three children living.
They have lost two by death. The record is as fol-
lows: Felix, born Jan. 7, r86<j; Jennie, born Nov. 9,
1870, died July 12, 1876; Henry, born Sept. 1,
1872; Samuel, bom Sept. 29, 1875 ; and Sydney, born
April 1, 1877, died July 29 following.

■&—°-

ared C. Kinsey, grocer at Cambridge, came

a- to Henry Co., 111., from Coshocton Co.,

Ohio, in March, 1863. His family is from

Bucks Co., Pa., which is as far back as he has

fany knowledge. Ulysses Kinsey, grandfather
of Jared C, moved from Bucks County to
Coshocton Co., Ohio, about the year 1820. Uriah
Kinsey, son of Ulysses and father of Jared C, es-
tablished a woolen mill on Paddy's Fork of Lomica
shortly after moving to Ohio, the motive power of
which was a tread-wheel propelled by oxen.

He was married Aug. 17, 1824, to Margaret Chal-
fant, daughter of Mordecai and Mary Chalfant, the
latter being a sister of Jacob Strawn, for years the
famous Illinois cattle king. By this union seven
children were born, — four sons and three daughters.
Three of the children died in their infancy. Phoebe
died at the age of 82, unmarried. Lydia was mar-
ried twice. Her first husband ]was Wm. Smith, by
whom she had two children, named Phebe Francis
and George F. Her second husband was Isaac
Camp, by whom she had one child, Andrew D. She
died Dec. 27, r86r, aged 33 years. Jacob S. Kinsey
studied medicine under Dr. Benj. F. Lemert, of
Dresden, Ohio; graduated at the Ohio Medical Col-
lege in r8s9~6o; entered the volunteer service as
Surgeon of the gun-boat " Cincinnati ; " was in their
first engagement at Fort Donelson ; resigned on ac-
count of sickness in 1862 ; came to Cambridge and
commenced the practice of medicine in March, 1863.
He so continued filling a prominent place in the
medical fraternity till the time of his death, which
occurred May 3, T874, when he was 37 years of age.
The subject of this sketch, Jared C. Kinsey, was
born July T2, T834; was educated after leaving the

district school at West Bedford Academy, in Coshoc-
ton Co., Ohio. He read law with Judge Simmons,
of Coshocton, and was admitted to the Bar in June,
1859; removed with the family to Henry Co., 111., in
March, 1863. The war demoralizing the values of
almost everything, he tried his hand at farming for
three years, two and one-half miles west of Cam-
bridge. In December, 1866, he opened up a drug
and book store in Cambridge, which he continued
till July 17, T882, when he disposed of his stock and
entered upon a new field of labor, that of selling
goods on the road for a Chicago firm. Tiring of
this, he opened a grocery store in January, 1885, in
which he is now prosperously engaged.

Oct. 2, 1855, he was married to Miss Catherine
E. Keefer, of West Carlisle, Ohio, by whom he has
had six children, named respectively Addie H.,
Osman Leigh, Alice May, Florence, Carroll B. and
Effie. His wife, Catherine E., having died in Jan-
uary, 1869, he married Miss Sarah A. Hawley, of
Mt. Vernon, Ohio, Oct. 18, 1869, by whom he has
had five children, viz. : Infant, dead-born; Kate,
Earl S., Emma Louise and Edith Clare, all of whom,
by both wives, are living at this writing (1885) ex-
cept the infant above noted.

Mr. Kinsey has been a believer in the Jefferson
school of politics, — that all powers not expressly
delegated to the general Government are reserved to
the States.

~£--*/\/v\,£

rof. Norbury W. Thornton, A. M., Princi-
pal of the Collegiate Institute at Geneseo, ,
E3^ became the incumbent of the position '
|~J which he is still occupying (1885) at the open-
ly ing of the institution. He was born Nov. 20,
1852, in Mercer Co., 111., and is the son of
Hiram W. and Elizabeth (Norbury) Thornton. His
father is of English lineage and a native of the State
of Pennsylvania. He was a pioneer of Mercer
County of 1838. His mother was born in the same
State and was of the same nationality.

Prof. Thornton obtained his literary education at
Monmouth College, in his native State, and was
graduated in the classical course in 1876, receiving
the degree of Bachelor of Arts. He prepared for the
ministry at the Presbyterian Theological Seminary at

(!)

HENRY COUNTY.

-•»#

267

Princeton, N. J., where he was graduated in 1879.
He entered upon his first pastorate in West Liberty,
Iowa, and officiated there five years. On the com-
pletion of the arrangements for the establishment of
the educational institution with which he is con-
nected he was called to take the chief position, and
assumed its charge, entering upon his duties Aug. 7,
1884. The initiatory term opened Sept. 16 follow-
ing.

Prof. Thornton was married in Monmouth, Aug.
14, 1879, to Elizabeth Garvin, who was born in
Wheeling, W. Va., and is the daughter of James
Garvin. She is the mother of two children — Eliza-
beth and Willett.

-*-

',.wan P. Johnson, residing on section 12,
Lynn Township, where he follows the oc-
cupation of farmer and stock-raiser, is one
of the progressive and energetic farmers as
well as respected citizens of Lynn Township.
He was born in Kalmar Lan, Sweden, March
24, 1832. His father, Jonas Swanson Johnson, was
a native of the same country in which our subject
was born, and a farmer by occupation. He married
the daughter of a Swedish farmer, Mary Peterson,"
and they were the parents of four children. Swan
P. was the eldest; Martha C. resides in Sweden;
Charles C. is a fanner in Lynn Township, this
County ; Anna S. (Olson) resides in Andover.

Swan P. Johnson, whose name heads this bio-
graphical notice, was not quite eight years of age
when his father died. He then resided with his
mother in his native country until her death, which
occurred about 1848. From the time he was ten
years of age, he worked as- a laborer in his native
country until he had attained the age of 21 years,
when, hoping to better his financial condition in life,
he emigrated to this, the land of progress. Soon af-
ter his arrival in this country, he came to Andover,
this county, which place he reached on Sept. 8,
1853, with the exceedingly large capital of 50 cents
in cash ! After spending the night at Andover, he
was compelled to pay the last cent he had in the
world for his lodging, and was left entirely penniless.
That same day he succeeded in getting work from a
Mr. Graham of that place, at a salary of $10 per

month, which to him at that time and under the
circumstances seemed a blessing. He had worked
for Mr. Graham only about 20 days when he was
taken sick, and after convalescing he worked at
threshing for- 35 cents per day. His next labor was
for the Chicago, Burlington & Quincy Railroad, with
whom he remained for some time, when he again
took sick. After recovery he went to Galesburg,
where he worked on the railroad for a while, when he
for a third time became ill, and spent all the savings
of his former labor, and placed his trust in Provi-
dence. Friends came to his aid and gave, him
credit, which enabled him to receive good medical
attention, and recover from his illness. He after-
wards procured work, and' paid back the last dollar
advanced to him in his time of need.

Mr. Johnson was united in marriage Dec. 14,
1856, at Andover, with Miss Christina Peterson. She
was born in Jonkoping Lan, Sweden, March 25,
1832, and was the daughter of a Swedish farmer.
Her parents both died when she was but a few
months old, and she afterward lived with relatives
until her marriage to Mr. Johnson,, having emi-
grated with them to this country in 1854, and re-
sided with them in Geneseo and Andover. Mrs.
Johnson has become the mother of eight children,
three of whom are deceased: George W. has a
biographical sketch in this book; John A; was united
in marriage to Ida Johnson and resides on a farm in
Andover Township; Ida M. married Frank Bank-
ston, who resides in Andover; Frank L. is living
with his parents, as likewise is Herbert J. The de-
ceased all died in infancy.

After marriage, Mr. Johnson settled oh a farm of
30 acres in Andover Township, located on section
33, which he had purchased in March, 1855, and a
few years later increased his farm to rto acres, but
which he sold in the year 1863. He then made a
purchase of 80 acres on section 12, Lynn Township,
which was partly improved, and since has put it un-
der excellent cultivation, being his permanent home.
Mr. Johnson is now the possessor and owner of 776
acres of land in this county, all under the plow. He
has it separated into six well improved and well
planned farms. He is one of the most extensive
broom-corn growers in the county and State, besides
being one of the most successful and progressive
stock-growers.

The family are members of the Lutheran Church,

*
&

wx&^gr

HENRY COUNTY.

of which Mr. J. is Trustee; and he has also held
several minor offices in his township. Mr. Johnson
is identified with the Republican party, being a first-
class and enthusiastic Republican.

■o-H"

■H-o-

larles Smith, a farmer on section 4, Mun-
son Township, is a pioneer of Henry
County of 1851. Mr. Smith is a descendant
of^ families that were connected with the Colo-
nial history of this country, and his grandsires
on both sides were in the wars in the earliest
period of the nation's existence. The father of his
father was a native of Beverly, Essex Co., Mass.,
and was a pioneer of New Gloucester, in the same
State. He was a soldier in the French and Indian
War, and died in Paris, Me. The father of the
mother of Mr. Smith was a Captain of a company of
militia under the command of General Washington
in the War of the Revolution. He was a native of
the State of Maine.

Mr. Smith of this personal account was born in
Paris, Oxford Co., Me., Aug. 2, 1806, and is the son
of Josiah and Deborah (Haskell) Smith. He was
reared on the farm of his father and was educated in
the public schools. He had for a classmate the dis-
tinguished Hannibal Hamlin. He remained in the
place of his nativity until the age of 22. He went
then to Penobscot County, and there became by pur-
chase the owner of a tract of timber land in the
township of Lincoln. He lived there to clear the
farm in part of the dense growth of timber with
which it was covered, and a few years later sold it.
He took up his abode in the place known as Lincoln
Center, and was there variously occupied until the
spring of 1845. He went next to Dexter, Me., where
he was the manager of the farm of his father-in-law
until 1851. That was the year in which he came to
Illinois. He entered a claim of land on section 4 in
the township of Munson, and bought a house which
he moved to his farm. In the spring of 1852 the
family removed to Geneseo, and were there resident
until the month of November following, when the
house on the farm was ready for their use. Mr.
Smith had secured a quarter section ; but, being with-
out money to stock the place profitably, he sold 80

acres, and with the proceeds bought a team and
stock. He did the first breaking on the place in the
spring of 1853. The farm is all under the best class
of improvements, and the good frame buildings, the
trim hedges and the trees speak volumes for the
thrift and enterprise of the owner. There are on the
place 50 black-walnut trees. In 1868, Mr. Smith
bought a residence in Geneseo Township, on which
his family resided four years. At the end of that
time they returned to the homestead, where they
have since continued to reside.

The first marriage of Mr. Smith occurred in 1837,
when Ellice F. Adams became his wife. She was
the daughter of Joseph Adams, who was a drummer
in the immediate command of General Washington,
and afterwards became a Baptist clergyman. She
died June 6, 1840, leaving one child — Charles E.
June 26, 1848, Mr. Smith was again married to
Annah Jordan. She was born Feb. 17, 181 1, at
Cape Elizabeth, Cumberland Co.^Me., and was the
daughter of Nathaniel and Catherine Jordan. Both
her grandsires were in the War of the Revolution.
Her paternal grandfather was a Lieutenant, and the
father of her mother was the Captain under whom he
served. They were both from Cape Ann, Mass. Of
the second marriage one child was the issue, who is
named Eveline C. She is still an inmate of the pa-
ternal home. The son was born at Lincoln Center,
Me., Aug. 2, 1838. He married Emma Peters, and
resides in Ida Co., Iowa, where he is engaged in
farming.

Mr. Smith is a liberalist in his religious convic-
tions, and is of the independent class in his political
views.

-13-

-es-

arroll A. Shinn. Of the few active busi-
ness men one meets in Henry County,
""** who are natives of the county, one is
Mr. C. A. Shinn. He is a prominent young
farmer residing on section 22, of Oxford
Township. Here he was born, Sept. 23,
1859, and is a son of Moses H. and Paulina H.
(Pease) Shinn, the former a native of West Virginia
and the latter of Vermont. Moses H. Shinn came
West and located in Illinois as early as 1 834, and
the lady who was destined to be his wife came two

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« *

HENRY COUNTY.

years later. On Jan. 9, 1848, they were united in
marriage, and settled in Knbx County. For 14 years
the elder Shinn followed the trade of blacksmithing,
when he moved into Henry County and purchased
240 acres of land on section 22 of Oxford Township.
Here, in the quiet pursuit of a farmer's life, he re-
mained until his death, which occurred May 15,
1883. The result of his marriage to Miss Pease
was a family of six children, four of whom are still
living, — Sylvia A., Jennette _E., Carroll A. and Ber-
tha P.

Carroll A., after he had arrived at the age of 2 1
years, went further West and began life as a farmer.
Prior to that time, however, his parents had given
him excellent advantages for an education, closing
with sending him to a college located at Abingdon,
111. The farm referred to as a place of his first la-
bors after arriving at man's estate, was located in
Kansas, and consisted of 80 acres. His father also
presented him with 160 acres. He remained on
this place for three and a half years, but on the de-
mise of his father he came back to take charge of
the old homestead in Oxford Township. Here his
mother still resides.

Mr. Shinn is engaged in general farming and^
stock-raising, making a specialty of Duroc or Jersey
Red hogs, and is one of the prominent, representa-
tive young men of Henry County, and is a strong
- advocate of reform in all the departments of social,
religious and political life.

Mr. Shinn and Miss Retta Kennedy were married
Nov. 2, 1881. Mrs. Shinn was born in Pike Co., 111.
Edith M., Theodore A. and Grace comprise their
family of children.

m . igt ■ 1 -f-^— — ^*» — » ft. 1 1 1

^enry Pritchard, a farmer on section 19,

Alba Township, was born in the County

^** Down, Ireland, March 21, 1843. He is the

ff son of Henry and Mary (VVarnock) Pritchard,
who removed with their family to the United
States in 1865. He passed the period of his
minority in the manner common to the sons of farm-
ers and obtained a fair education and a full and
comprehensive knowledge of the arts of farming. He
was married to Eliza Irvin, Dec. 25, 1868, and they
had five children — Sarah, Henry, John, Mary and

William. The mother died in February, 1878. Mr.
Pritchard was again married, Nov. 23, 1880, to
Catherine Moore. Their children are as follows :
Hugh, Samuel and Walter.

Mr. Pritchard is a successful farmer and is the
owner of a fine estate, including 520 acres of well
cultivated land. He is giving much attention to the
improvement of his stock, and owns a fine herd of
valuable grades, of which he is raising the standard
every year. He owns one thoroughbred Hereford,
and a full-blooded English Draft horse, for which he
paid $2,000.

In his political preference he is a Republican and
has filled the several school offices of his district.

sa Crook, of the township of Atkinson, is a
pioneer of the section of the State of Illi-
nois in which Henry County is located. He
settled in the county of Whiteside in 1854.
He was there a resident until the date of his
removal to the township where he has since been a
citizen.

He was born Jan. 27, 1827, in the town of Hol-
land, Erie Co., N. Y. His father, Asa Crook, was
born in the State of Vermont, in the year 1799. The
latter emigrated from the Green Mountain State
when he was 19 and settled in Erie County. He
was a resident there 24 years, and became prominent
in the local affairs. He served many years as Jus-
tice of the Peace, and was elected Supervisor in the
same year and held the offices while he continued a
resident there. The family removed to Whiteside
County in 1834 and settled in Prophetstown Town-
ship. The father died Oct. 22, 1853. The mother,
whose maiden name was Mary L. Dustin, was born
April 23, 1791, and died July 5, i88r. She was 90
years old, and lived to see the fourth generation of
her descendants. She bore 1 1 children. They were
born in the order given : Lydia, Mary, Theron W.,
Timothy D., Charles, Cynthia, Lucy, Sarah, Asa,
James and Caroline. The mother saw before her
death 7 1 grandchildren, 64 great-grandchildren, and
two great-great-grandchildren !

The fathers of both Mr. and Mrs. Crook were sol-
diers in the War of 181 2.

Mr. Crook was married Jan. 1, 1852, at Portland,

(!)

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HENRY COUNTY.

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in Whiteside County, tc Lucy Cole. She was born
in the town of Wales, in Erie Co., N. Y., and is the
daughter of John Cole. Her father was a. native of
New Hampshire, and was born July 12, 1783, in the
town of Alexander. He was married in 18 13 to
Hannah Fones, and they became the parents of ten
children, named Harry, Nelson H, William, Ma-
linda, Lucy A., Sarah, Dorcas, May, Cordelia and
Almon. The two oldest sons were soldiers in the
Union service during the Civil War, and the second
died in the stockade prison at Andersonville.

Mr. and Mrs. Crook have had seven children,
whose births are, recorded as follows : Nathat M.,
Sept. 23, 1852; Julius, Oct. ir, 1855 ; Lilla L., Dec.
18, 1859; Albert B., Oct. n, i86r ; Asa S., Sept. 14,
1864; Eva L., March 18, 1867; John S., Jan. 24,
1869. Lilla L. died Nov. 9, 1863.

Mr. Crook is a prosperous farmer and owns 215
acres of excellent land in advanced cultivation. He
is engaged in the branches of farming common to
the locality. In his political relations he is an un-
mistakable Republican. Mrs. Crook is a member of
the United Brethren Church.

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eter Henney, a pioneer settler of Henry

Jj| County, was born in Center Co., Pa., Sept.

Ep^v 4) 1790, and was the son of Adam Henney.

,-ij He was married in Pennsylvania, to Christina
jj^ Strayer, and in T817 moved to Ashland
County, and subsequently to Wayne Co., Ohio.
He made a claim on the Muddy Fork Creek, the
tract being in the midst of the dense, uncut wilder-
ness, and inhabited only by Indians and wild ani-
mals. The location was six miles from a settlement
and Mr. Henney made a clearing and built a log
cabin. He owned 240 acres and he cleared 140
acres and placed that acreage under the best quality
of cultivation. In the work of reclamation he had
only the assistance of his sons. Being desirous to
secure plenty of land for his children he removed, in
1853, to Henry County. He purchased an estate in
the township of Phenix. His family then included
his wife and three youngest sons. Daniel married
Catherine Butzer and is a resident of the city of
Geneseo. Joseph married Hannah Fuller, and is a
prominent farmer and stockman of Brown Co., Kan.

Jesse married Matilda Clouse. He is "a citizen of
the portion of Kansas last named. He is engaged
in the same occupation 'as his brother, and is wealthy
and influential.

Mr. Henney officiated in various local offices while
a resident of Ohio, and was for many years acting
Justice of the Peace, and is a member of the School
Board. He was a man of upright character, de-
voted to his family, and was generally held in high
esteem by a large circle of friends. He and his
family were all members of the Evangelical Associa-
tion. All the male members of the family were Re-
publicans of decided type.

Mr. Henney died Feb. 23, 1873, at the advanced
age of 83 years. His wife, who was a lady of most
estimable character, died Feb. 4, 1868.

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j u ODan ss . iiaima is a
j£ Township, and is the son of the pioneer
whose name and his own is perpetuated in
that of the township of which he has been a
resident since his birth. John P. Hanna, his.
father, was born Nov. 12, 1800, in Kentucky)
and he married Nancy Dockrey, who was a native of
North Carolina. The senior Hanna came to Henry
County in 1835 and entered a claim of land in what,
is now Hanna Township. He then returned to
White Co., 111., where he was a resident, and whence
he brought his family to Knox County. They passed
the winter there, and in the spring of 1836 made a
final removal to the land which Mr. Hanna had en-
tered on his first coming to the county. The father
was a participant in all the details of the organiza-
tion of the township, which was called after the name
he bore, and was a leader in the first religious so-
ciety that was instituted within the limits of Henry
County. He died Jan. 13, 1858.

To him and his wife 12 children were born; four
are now living: Elizabeth is the wife of James
Southvvorth and they are living in Todd Co., Kan.;
Rachel D. married J. H. Paddelford, a citizen of
Hanna Township ; Hobart N. is the next in order of
birth of those who are living; Harriet is the wife of
R. A. Smith and they live in Moline.

Hobart N. Hanna was born Jan. 7, 184 1. He is.
the youngest son of his parents and was reared and

obart N. Hanna is a farmer of Hanna -

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HENRY COUNTY.

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received his education in the common schools of the
town in which he was botn. He was married Oct.
24, 1861, to Miss E. J. Hill, who was born in Wil-
liams Co., Ohio, and is the daughter of Thomas and
Elizabeth (Bender) Hill. The only child of Mr. and
Mrs. Hanna is Lillian, wife of Lloyd Kirkland, of
Chicago.

After his marriage Mr. Hanna settled on the
homestead of his father and there began farming.
Not long after he engaged, to a considerable extent,
in the purchase and shipment of stock to the Chi-
cago market, and placed his farm in the hands of
parties hired to attend to that business.

April 17, 1883, the farm-house on the estate was
destroyed by fire, and in the year following the owner
erected one of the most beautiful and valuable resi-
dences in the county. His farm contains 160 acres
of finely improved land. Mr. Hanna is a Republi-
can of most decided type.

He was joined in marriage to Mrs. Amelia How-
ard, at Rock Island, March 27, 1862. She was born
in Mercer Co., Pa., and is the daughter of John Mc-
Cord. She was the widow of L. P. Howard. Mr.
and Mrs. Garnett have three sons : Eugene A. mar-
ried Emma Young, and they live in the State of
Kansas ; Edwin L. married Stella Harrington, and
is the manager of the homestead estate ; and Albert
is still living with his parents. Mrs. Garnett is con-
nected with the Presbyterian Church in membership.

•«Cfir©^»

*®^a/ZOT»>»

obert Garnett, a retired farmer, living at
Geneseo, has been a citizen of the State of
"■ Illinois since 1838. He came to Henry
County in 1866. Mr. G. was born in Castle-
moor, Lincolnshire, England, April 1, 1814.
He is the son of Joseph and Alice (Fitten)
Garnett. The father emigrated to America with his
family in 18 18. They made a location in Chester
Co., Pa., where the son remained until 1838, when
he came to Illinois. He located in Quincy, where
he formed a business connection with James Blythe
in the manufacture of carriages. Their connection
was in existence until 1841. On its dissolution Mr.
Blythe came to Rock Island, where he is still in
business, and the subject of this sketch went to Wis-
consin, and passed eight years in the prosecution of
his lumber interest in that State.

In 1849 he came to Illinois and became interested
in farming in Rock Island County. In 1866 he
bought 225 acres of land in the vicinity of Geneseo,
and was there occupied in the prosecution of his
agricultural relations until 1884, when he removed
to the city, and where it is his intention to pass his
remaining years in the quiet enjoyment of the re-
sults of his years of effort. Mr. Garnett is a Demo-
crat in his political connection.

braham Countryman, a farmer on section
i 19, Yorktown Township, has owned the
farm on which he is a resident since 1854.
In that year he came to the county to pros-
pect, but did not take possession of the prop-
erty until 1867. He was born in Little Falls,
Herkimer Co., N. Y., Nov. 30, 1830, and he is the
eldest son of Henry and Catherine (Doxtater) Coun-
tryman. His father was a native of Montgomery
Co., in the Empire State, and his mother was a native
of the same county in which he was born. When the
latter was 14 his parents removed to the State of
Illinois. They came via the Erie Canal to Buffalo,
and from there by the lake route to Chicago. From
that city they went to Wheeling in Cook County.
They were among the pioneers of that region, and
there the father rented land and engaged in farming.
The son operated as the assistant of his father until
he was 19, when he entered upon an apprenticeship
to learn the business of a carpenter and joiner. He
served but three months as an apprentice, and then
commenced to operate as a " jour." He passed six
months in that capacity, and then began to take con-
tracts and carry on the business of a builder. He
continued to operate in that manner until 1865, when
he rented land in the township of Wheeling, and
passed the time until 1867. In that year he took
possession of 80 acres of land in the township where
he has since lived, and of which he became the
owner in 1854. The place had no improvements of
any character, and Mr. Countryman built a smMl
frame house and at once began to push the work of
placing the farm in a good and comfortable agricul-
tural condition. He has bought land on section 20,
adjoining his original purchase, and his estate now

-s^r: *f*^f

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272

HENRY COUNTY.

includes 160 acres, all inclosed and in excellent con-
dition. He has erected good farm buildings and set
out a great number of trees of several varieties.

Mr. Countryman has been a Republican since the
formation of the party. He was married May 25,
1855, to Magdalena Miller, who is a native of Ba-
varia, Germany, and she is now the mother of five
children, — Mary A., Frank W., Edwin, William, Ad-
laid and George. The eldest daughter is the wife of
William Landwehr, of Yorktown Township.

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genjamin I. Stafford, Supervisor of Colona
Township, was born in Wallingford, Vt.,
Dec. 6, 1822. He is the son of Palmer
and Betsey (Paddock) Stafford, and the par-
ents were natives of the same State. The
family are of Puritan origin and date their
coming to America to the Mayflower period.

Mr. Stafford was raised on his father's farm in his
native State, and was educated in the district
schools. The knowledge he acquired of methods of
farming under the direction of his father has been of
the utmost value to him on the prairies, and Mr.
Stafford has the repute of being one of the leading
agriculturists in the county. After he attained to a
suitable age, he was,employed in the winter seasons
in Vermont, in teaming to Boston, a distance of 144
miles. There were then no railroads, and the trips
consumed about ten days on an average.

He was joined in marriage March 4, 1844, to
Cornelia, daughter of Jonas and Olive (Lee) Holden.
Her parents were born in Vermont. She was born
in Crown Point, Essex Co., N. Y. After his mar-
riage, Mr. Stafford settled on his father's farm and
was its manager eight years. He then went to
Franklin Co., N. Y., and bought a small farm in the
town of Dickinson. At that time he gave little
attention to farming, but devoted himself to the pur-
chase of cattle for the Massachusetts markets, prin-
cipally that of the city of Worcester.

In 1859, Mr. Stafford sold his interests in the
State of New York and came to Illinois. He came
to Henry County and at first rented land in Munson
Township. After operating in that method three
years he removed to the township in which he now
lives, and after a stay there of a year he went to

Geneseo. His stay in that place continued until
1866, when he bought a farm on section 24 in Col-
ona Township and has resided on and managed
the property. He has operated with success, and
has become by purchase the owner of 560 acres of
land, which is all in the finest agricultural condition
and is managed on the same principles as the farms
in the East. The family resided on section 24 un-
til 1882, when they took up their abode on the
southeast quarter of section 13. Mr. and Mrs. Staf-
ford have had three children : Palmer \«as born in
Vermont, Aug. 22, 1846. He married Marion,
daughter of Osmyn and Elizabeth (Bartlett) Gilbert,
of the township of Edford. A full sketch of Mr.
Gilbert appears elsewhere in this volume. The
children of Palmer Stafford and his wife are named
Betsey, Clinton and Clarence. They are the owners
of a farm on section 24 in Colona Township and one
on section 14. Joseph I. is the second son of Mr.
Stafford of this sketch. He was born Jan. 30, 1848,
and he married Iola, daughter of Stephen and Lo-
renza (Whitehorn) Cook. Their children are named
Cornelia, Lucy and Lavina. He died Oct. 2, 1882,
in Wilson Co., Kan., where his family still reside.
Jonas H. was born Oct. 29, r849, an^ he married
Ella, daughter of Calvin and Armilda Sharp. The
name of their only child is Joseph. He lives on the
homestead on section 24, on which his parents first
settled.

In T879, Mr. Stafford was first elected to the office
of Supervisor. He was his own successor three
years, and in 1885 was again elected to the position.
He is the presiding official of the Union .Dairy Com-
pany at Green River.

s^-ss-nio^s^

nomas Mowers, Jr., of the village of Atkin-
son, is a prominent business man of Henry
County, and is engaged in banking in the
place where he is a citizen. He is of English
origin, his father and mother having been born
in that country. Thomas Nowers, senior, came
from his native land to the United States in 1830.
He landed at the port of New York, and he was a
resident of that State until 1849, when he came to
Illinois. He located in Mercer County, and inter-
ested himself in the business of a farmer. He was
married in 1833 to Decima Foster.

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HENRY COUNTY.

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Mr. Nowers was born in Oneida Co., N. Y., Feb.
12, 1834. He was reared in his native State and in
his young manhood came to Henry County. He lo-
cated at Atkinson in 1856, and has since been prom-
inent in the development of the business element of
the place where he has been one of the most useful
and interested citizens. He has discharged the
duties of his citizenship in the several capacities in
which he has been called by the voters of his town-
ship to act for them and has served in the disinter-
ested and capable manner which was anticipated.
He has officiated 14 years as Supervisor, eight of
which were consecutive. In 1882 he was elected a
Representative to the Legislature of the State and
his constituency testified to their approval of the
quality of his services by making him his own suc-
cessor in 1884. In March, 1881, the banking busi-
ness which he has since conducted was established,
and its affairs have been managed in a manner
which makes the institution a leading benefit to the
community. Mr. Nowers is the owner of a fine
amount of real estate in the township of Atkinson.
In his political views he is a Republican.

He was united in marriage Nov. 18, 1861, with
Sarah A. Mussey. She was born in Rutland, Vt.,
Sept. 15, 1834. A daughter, Kate F., was born to
Mr. and Mrs. Nowers, Dec. 7, 1870, and she is the
only child.

-13-

-es-

si^Wugustus E. Anderson.

There are in
if Henry County a large number of highly
^i$WT'°"' resPected and at present well-to-do farm-
'~4w ers who came from Sweden, and under the
lijr most adyerse circumstances began to develop
j and improve many of the farms of the county.
Prominent among these is Mr. Augustus E. Ander-
son, who resides on section 1, Andover Township.
He was born in Hille Parish, district of Gefleborgs
Lan, Sweden, May 20, 1834. His father, Andrew,
was a native of the same parish, and by occupation
a farmer, and in his native place he married Anna
Jarnberg, a native of the same place and a descend-
ant of an old Swedish family. The parents of our
subject brought their family to America in 1849.
While passing through Chicago, on their way to
Henry County, the father died, being taken with a

disease similar to the cholera. The mother and
wife, thus bereft of her husband and in a strange
land, after many hardships made her way to Andover
village. It was a terrible hardship to the family to
be pioneers in a new country and in a foreign land
without a husband or father, but a month after the
death of the father the children were completely be-
reft of all natural watch-care and support by the
death of their mother, which occurred in November,
1849, from typhoid fever, occasioned by her hus-
band's decease. She had been the mother of six
children, five of whom were with her on the journey
to America, and of whom the following is a record:
Mrs. Christina Ward, who died in Hutchinson, Kan.,
in December, 1880, leaving seven children ; the sec-
ond was Andrew, who married and resides at Viola,
Mercer Co., 111., and has retired from farm labors;
the third is our subject ; the next, Abraham, who mar-
ried and resides at Galesburg; next, Mrs. Regina
Woodward, who resides in Steward.

Our subject, after the death of his parents, lived
with Mr. H. G. Griffin, of Andover Township (see
sketch), until the fall of 1855, when he began to farm
on his own account. In 1856 he purchased 160
acres on section 27, of Cambridge Township, where
he lived for one year. He then purchased a quarter
of a section in Andover Township, and worked it
from 1858 to 1867, when he came to his present
home, consisting of T96 acres, all well improved, and
upon which he has a fine residence and splendid
farm buildings. He makes a specialty of Short-horn
cattle.

During these years of hard labor and accumula-
tion, Mr. A. did not forget the need of his adopted
country. During the time of her peril he enlisted in
its defense. On Sept. 1, 1861, he joined Co. B,
Capt. J. H. Humphrey, of the Ninth 111. Vol. Cav.
He participated in several battles, but only as a
skirmisher. He was honorably discharged at Jef-
ferson Barracks, Mo., Feb. 27, 1863, on account of
disability. After his return home, as soon as his re-
covery was accomplished, he again resumed work on
his farm.

Mr. Anderson was married Feb. 16, 1865, at the
residence of the bride's parents, Saybrook, Ashtabula
Co., Ohio, to Miss Mary E. Wright, daughter of
Cyrus and Mary E. (Smith) Wright. The former
was a native of Connecticut, and the latter of New
York, and by occupation were farmers. Both came

£*^<f«-

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276

>*X»2/*V

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HENRY COUNTY.

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5

)

to Ohio when young, and were married in Ashtabula
County, where Mr. Anderson of this notice was born,
Dec. 11, 1842. She was the eldest but one of a
family of four children, all of whom are living and
married. Mrs. Gertrude Anderson resides at Viola,
Mercer Co., 111.; Cassius E. was married to Emma
Shepard, and resides at Austin, Minn.; Arthur mar-
ried Miss Agnes E. Clark, and resides at the same
place ; the second member of the family was Mrs.
Anderson. The family first came West in the spring
of 1856, and located in Andover Township, and the
parents now live in Cambridge. Mrs. Anderson was
educated at the academy of Kingsville, Ohio, and
taught school a short time previous to her marriage.
Four of her five children are deceased. Grace M.
was born Dec. 7, 1880; Ernest S., Carrie E., Herbert
and an infant are deceased.

The family are members of the Methodist Episco-
pal Church, of which Mr. A. has been Trustee for 25
years. He has also served as Road Commissioner,
and has been an earnest worker in his school dis-
trict, and Clerk of the School Board for many years.
He is a valuable worker in the interests of the Re
publican party of his township and county.

The public will doubtless be pleased to see a por-
trait of Mr. Anderson in this work. Accordingly, it
is given, in proximity to the above sketch.

ndrew Chinburg, mason, residing "at Orion,
was born in Ostergotland, Sweden, May
11, 1847. He was brought to the United
States by his parents when three years of age.
His father, Nelson T., was a farmer in his na-
tive country, and for two years after he came
to this county lived at Andover. From there the
family, then consisting of five children, went to
Galesburg. In that city the father, who now resides
with his son in Orion, followed the trade of wagon-
making for 16 years. His mother, Carrie, died while
the family were living at Galesburg, at about the age
of 40 years. Andrew received his education in the
common schools of Galesburg, at which city he
learned his trade.

Mr. Chinburg was married at Orion on the 30th
of May, 1874, to Miss Louisa C. Johnson, who is a
native of Sweden. She was brought to this country

by her parents, who now reside at Orion, when a girl
of three years of age. Her family first settled at
Andover, but subsequently came to Orion. After
the marriage of Mr. and Mrs. C. they settled on a
farm of 120 acres, which Mr. C. had purchased prior
to that event. This land was located on sections 16
and 17, Western Township. He now, however,
owns 160 acres on section 33 of the same township,
having sold his first farm.

Four children have been born to bless the home
of Andrew Chinburg and his wife. These they have
given the following names : Anna C, Tilda H.,
Arthur and Frank J. Mrs. C. is a member of the
Lutheran Church, and Mr. C. is a Republican.

»o+o»

iram J. Cady, a retired agriculturist, resi-
dent at Geneseo, is a pioneer of Henry
County of 1837. His father, John Cady,
in 1836, located 560 acres of land in the town-
ship of Geneseo, or rather in that portion of
Henry County which was named so: The son
came here to settle on the property, and located on
the southeast quarter of section 15.

He is a native of Alexander, Genesee Co., N. Y.,
and was born Nov. 15, 1814. The maiden name of
his mother was Anna Johns. The farm still owned
by Mr. Cady contains 245 acres. It is a valuable
place, and is in excellent condition for profitable
farming. It is conducted by one of the sons of Mr.
Cady. He remained the occupant of the place until
March, 1881, when he removed to Geneseo, to pass
the sunset of his life in the quiet enjoyment of the
results of his years of effort. He has been an adhe-
rent of the Republican party since the days of its
organization.

Mr. Cady was united in marriage with Mary Bart-
lett, Aug. 19, 1841. Her father, Cromwell K. Bart-
lett, was a member of the Geneseo Colony, and one
of the committee that entered the land in behalf of
that organization. (An account of the operations of
that body is presented in another portion of this
work.) Mrs. Cady was born in Ames, Montgomery
Co., N. Y., and is the mother of three children, two
sons and a daughter: Allen.married Ella French, and
resides at Geneseo ; Carl M. married Clara Heffel-
finger, and they reside on the homestead ; and Nellie
C. is the wife of M. A. Greene, of Colorado ; the old

*<nw&*is — =»©^

■6v^nn®iit]^v^

HENRY COUNTY

(!)

est child of Mr. and Mrs. Cady died Dec. 16, 1843 ;
she was born March 14, preceding. The parents
are members of the Congregational Church. The
oldest son and the daughter belong to the same
communion, and the younger son is connected with
the Methodist Church.

-»"

ohn Anderson is one of the citizens of
;?■ Geneseo who are included in the term
prominent." He is a man of little pre-
tensions, quiet and unassuming. His judg-
j £ ment is considered sound and reliable, and in
I all his relations to the community of which he
has been a member since 185 1, he has manifested
the same unwavering spirit of uprightness and in-
tegrity.

He was born in Lancaster, Pa., Jan. 17, t8ii, and
is the son of William and Rebecca (Walker) Ander-
son. His father was a descendant of the people
known as Scotch-Irish, and his mother was of un-
mixed Scottish descent. His father transferred his
family to a farm when the son was a lad of five
years. There, in the vicinity of Pittsburg, the latter
grew to manhood. At zo he left the farm to learn
the trade of a tinner. He remained in the State of
his nativity, engaged in the business, of which he
acquired a thoroughly practical knowledge, until
1846, when he went to Bucyrus, Ohio. There he
became interested in the hardware, stove and tin-
ner's trade ; and, not long after his becoming settled,
he established a hotel, which he managed on tem-
perance principles. He entered into the promul-
gation of the general interests of the place and
the surrounding country, and was one of the first
to agitate the feasibiliiy of a railroad from Bucyrus
to Fort Wayne via Crestline, and he advocated the
scheme for the purpose of obtaining the passage of
a through line thence to Chicago via Fort Wayne.
Mr. A. appropriated much time and money to
the furtherance of the project, and was one of the
Board of Directors. He was a resident of Bucyrus
15 years, and while there was considered one of the
leading and one of the most public-spirited of its
citizens. He officiated in the leading positions of
honor and trust, and was active in the promotion of

K@5«§^f*-

-^e^ o/^ronn&A^ — ^g^.

all schemes that seemed to bear a promise of being
of general benefit.

He finally became restless under the prolonged
delay of the plans he had cherished, and he resolved
to seek a new field of operation in the farther West.
In the spring of 185 1 he set out with a horse and
buggy for a trip of observation, in which he was ac-
companied by his wife. They set out for Galesburg,
111., as the first objective point, and came thence to
Geneseo. They were pleased with the appearance
of the country through which they passed, and all
things, so far as they were able to judge, promised
well for railroads eventually. In order to make
what seemed assurance doubly sure, they continued
to push on, and turning northward they traversed
the southern portion of Wisconsin. They decided
in favor of Geneseo, and Mr. Anderson drove to
Michigan City. There they separated — Mrs. Ander-
son to return to their home to make all things ready
for a transfer of their interests to Henry County, and
Mr. Anderson to retrace his steps to Geneseo.

He opened a hardware store, and spent some
time in the prosecution of that line of business. At
that time there were but few settlers in Geneseo, and
the price of land was but nominal. The termina-
tion of the construction of the railroad changed the
state of affairs in both these particulars, and the
business of the place and the surrounding country
took what would be called in these days of concen-
trated expression a "boom." The pioneer squatters
who had known the pangs of hope deferred were
surprised and delighted, as the boon which they had
hoped would follow close on their coming, and which
had proved as delusory as the will-o'-the-wisp,
seemed at last to have become an established fact.
Their crop's wye no longer worthless because there
was no transportation, and they took hold anew of
the plans and projects which they had suffered to
fall somewhat into arrears. Mr. Anderson continued
the transaction of business at Geneseo four years.
He had became largely interested in traffic in real
estate, and was the owner of several farms. In the
spring of 1855 he moved from the city to a farm
which he owned in the township of Geneseo, and he
passed the years until 1874 there, engaged in farm-
ing. He then returned to Geneseo, and has sold all
the real estate of which he had become the owner,
except the farm on which he was so many years a

®4

(!)

£<§§<§•

-^t^k 6^'

HENRY

COUNTY.

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3
3

practical agriculturist in the township of Geneseo.
It contains 560 apres.

On taking leave of the East Mr. Anderson re-
solved to devote his time and energies to the benefit
of his private affairs, and he did so with the most
satisfactory results. He adhered to this resolve,
with the single exception of serving one term as
Supervisor of the township of Geneseo, and he also
discharged the duties of some of the minor school
offices. In his political proclivities Mr. Anderson
has passed the grades from Whig to Abolitionist and
to Republican.

The first marriage of Mr. Anderson occurred in
the State of Ohio. He was married in Fayette
County, Aug. 31, 1835, to Sarah Redburn. They
had two children : Mary is the wife of J. V. Thomp-
son, of Uniontown, Pa. ; James married Mary Car-
ter, and is a farmer of the township of Geneseo.
The wife and mother died in June, 1844. In the
summer of 1845 Mr. Anderson was again married to
Mary, daughter of Alanson and Sally (Gates) An-
drews. She was born in Ashland, Ohio. Their
children numbered five: L. Duval is a dealer in
pumps and windmills at Geneseo; he was a soldier
in the Union service, and enlisted in November,
1864, in Co. B, 9th 111. Cav., and served until the fall
of 1865; Sarah F. is the book-keeper and financial
agent of the Female Seminary at Rockford, 111. ;
Emily is the wife of W. A. Bickel, a merchant of
Geneseo; David P. married Julia C. Day, and lives
in Iowa; Frank L. married Stella Goff, and is a
resident of Palo Alto, Iowa.

Mr. and Mrs. Anderson are members of the Con-
gregational Church.

— <«3t-

Hlliam L. RobinfeoJ]^ of Alba Township,
is a pioneer in Western Illinois, whither
1^53^ he came in [840. He located in the
^> county of Whiteside and there he became a
H land-holder by the purchase of 100 acres of
land, on which he was a resident about 12
years. Selling out at the expiration of that time, he
came to Henry County. In the same year (1854),
bought 240 acres of land in Alba Township, and he
is now the owner of 280 acres, which is in the best
condition for profitable farming, and has all suitable

farm buildings and fixtures. Mr. Robinson is inter-
ested in the breeding of fine horses for draught pur-
poses, including Normans and Clydesdales. He
owns valuable droves of Poland-China swine. In
his political connection he is a Republican. He is
a prominent Mason in his local relations, and was a
charter member pf the Annawan Lodge, No. 433.

Mr. Robinson was born July 5, 1826, in Gallia
Co., Ohio. He continued under the care and au-
thority of his parents until the period of his majority,
Oct. 25, 1848, when he was married to Eliza Mc-
Neill, who is a native of County Monahan, Ireland,
and was born April 11, 1828. John L. and Sanford
E. are the only survivors of the children of Mr. and
Mrs. Robinson.

-H$H&+

W. Reese, druggist at Colona, was born in
Leyden, Lewis Co., N. Y., July 19, 1833.
He was the son of John and Rachel (Mat-
thews) Reese, and his parents were both na-
tives of Wales. They came to America after
their marriage and located in Lewis County,
where many of their countrymen found a home. The
father was a brick and stone mason by vocation, and
he made Lewis County his home, and there followed
the business to which he had been trained, as long
as he lived.

Mr. Reese is the only child of his parents, and he
was an inmate of the paternal home until the death
of his father. He left his mother in the care of a
half-brother and started to find his fortune, as there
seemed little prospect of its coming to find him. He
made bis way to Jo Daviess Co., 111., and there he
made his good education available in teaching. He
passed the first winter in that capacity and in the
spring of 1858 he came to Henry County. He ob-
tained employment on the farm of George Pomeroy,
in the township of Western, and passed the summer
of that year in farm labor. He spent the next win-
ter in teaching in the township of Osco.

In the ensuing spring (1859) he was married to
Lavina A. Pomeroy, the daughter of George and
Nellie (Blanchard) Pomeroy, of whom a sketch ap-
pears elsewhere in this volume. Mrs. Reese was
born in Canada. After he was married, Mr. Reese
rented a farm and operated as an agriculturist three

^^y q/^>h n@Dfl*^A^ — s^n

HENRY COUNTY.

years. In 1862 he went to the State of New York
and remained there one year. In 1863 he came
back to Henry County and engaged in the vocation
of a butcher in the vicinity of Orion one year. At
the expiration of that time he came to Colona and
became interested in the sale of provisions, in which
line of business he was engaged until 1870. In that
year he established the business in which he is at
present interested and which he at first carried on in
connection with his former calling of a provision
merchant.

In 1877 he bojught a tract of land on section 10 in
Colona Township, and he has since become the
owner of another farm on section 2, in the same
township. The two estates monopolize nearly all
his time in their management, and Mrs. Reese at-
tends to the mercantile portion of their interests.
The farms of Mr. Reese contain 293 acres.

The children of the family are three in number —
George B., Thomas W. and Nellie R.

(£>

M ■«

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ol. Anthony R. Mock, attorney at Cam-
bridge, has been a resident of Henry
County 30 years, having removed hither
4,h in I8SS- He was then 19 years of age, and
! |J he has since been identified with the general
interests of this section of the State of Illinois.
His birth occurred June 5, 1836, in Randolph Co.
Ind.

In May, 1855, he set out for Henry County, ar-
rived at Cambridge, and soon obtained employment
on the farm of Dr. Norton. ^During the ensuing
winter he attended the public school at Cambridge.
He was variously occupied through the next year,
and also assisted his father in his business as a
blacksmith. He attended school through the sum-
mer and winter of 1857, and in the winter of 1858
he taught a term of school, He next obtained the
position of Deputy Sheriff, undej P. H. Sniff, and
began the study of law, which he prosecuted until
the advent of of the Southern Rebellion, meanwhile
teaching at intervals.

In the fall of 1859, he went to Indiana to com-
plete the study of law under the supervision of Gen.
T. M. Browne and E. L. Watson, and in the autumn
of i860 he went to Cooper Co., Mo., where he en-

gaged in teaching. His location was within the
echo of the guns of the contending forces at Boone-
ville, in the same State. The defeated rebels
swarmed into the country, which became decidedly
uncomfortable for a Northern man, and Colonel
Mock, with difficulty, made his way into Union ter-
ritory. By the time he reached his home, his fervor
to enter the military service of his country was at
fever heat.

Sept. 19, 1861, he enlisted as a private in Co. C,
Ninth 111. Cav. Oct. 1, he was made Orderly Ser-
geant, and subsequently Second Lieutenant of Co.
H. Oct. 1, 1862, he was transferred back to Co. C,
and promoted First Lieutenant. Seven days later
(Oct. 8) he was ordered to assume charge of the
Quartermaster's Department of the regiment, which
position he held until Jan. 1 following. Jan. 5, he
was ordered to take command of Co. B, and he was
made its Captain May n, 1863. He held that rank
until March, 1864, when he veteranized with his
company, and on the re-organization he was elected
its Captain. Afterwards, he received a commission
as Major; and, still later, he was promoted Lieuten-
ant-Colonel of the regiment. At the battle of Nash-
ville he commanded his regiment, his ranking officer
being wounded early in the engagement ; and he
acted chiefly in the same capacity until the termin-
ation ot the war. He received his discharge and
was mustered out, Oct. 3T, 1865, at Selma, Ala.

Col. Mock resumed his connection with legal
studies on his return from the war, and in 1866 he
was admitted to the privileges of the Bar of Illinois,
and established his practice at Cambridge. His
election as State's Attorney for Rock Island and
Henry Counties occurred in r868. His term of ser-
vice continued four years, since which he has given
his whole attention to his professional duties at
Cambridge. Colonel Mock has been prominent in
political affairs, a>nd is a Republican of most pro-
nounced type. He was for many years Chairman of
Henry County Republican Committee. In 1876 he
represented his Congressional District as a Delegate
to the Republican National Convention at Cincin-
nati. In 1879 he was elected to the State Legisla-
ture from his district. In 188 r, he was re-nominated
by acclamation, and re-elected.

His marriage to Mary J. Vestal took place Dec.
7, 1865. She was born Feb. 10, 1839, in Putnam

■s^y q^4?c asmii^s — s<©'e-

■zs^k 6V^IW&llH&'/c) J^sr

HENRY COUNTY.

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Co., Ind., and is the daughter of William Vestal, of
Logansport, Ind. Two sons and a daughter have
been born to them, as follows : Horace J., Sept. 19,
i866;!]Ruth, Jan. 12, 1868; Edward A., June 2,
1871..

Colonel Mock is a member of Cambridge Lodge
No. 49, A. F. & A. M. He also belongs to Post A.
A. Dunn, G. A. R., and to the A. O. U. W.

~ 43*-

eorge McHenry, a pioneer of Henry
County, was born Sept. 26, 1799. ln War"
* ren Co., Ky. His father, Wm. McHenry,
was a soldier, and was engaged in the last
campaign under Anthony Wayne against the
Indians. During the War of 1812 he was
a " Ranger " and was at the head of a command in
that conflict. The maiden name of his mother was
Hannah Blackford.

The family removed to the Territory of Illinois in
1 810, when Mr. McHenry was a child of n years.
In 1808 they had taken up a residence in Hender-
son County, in Kentucky, and they came thence to
what is now the State of Illinois. The journey was
made here with teams. They first located in White
County, and there were but five white families in ad-
vance of them in that county. The father took up a
claim and became prominent in the affairs of the
public welfare. He was a member of the State Con-
stitutional Convention and served one term in the
Senate. He was a Representative in the Assembly
several terms. He died at Vandalia in 1834, while
there in attendance at the last term of the Legisla-
ture that was held there. His wife died about ten
years later. They were the parents of nine children,
and the son who is the subject of this sketch was the
second in order of birth. He was a member of the
paternal home throughout his mino'rity, and as soon
as he was of sufficient age and size he assisted his
father in clearing the homestead.

He was married April 25, 1825, to Lucinda Coun-
cil. She was born in Kentucky, Feb. 7, 1808. At
the time of that event he settled in the timber, as
was the custom with the earliest settlers, as the prai-
ries looked so far-reaching as to be forbidding to such
as had been reared in a timber country. He built
a double log house of hewn logs with a chimney of

clay and sticks. In 1835 he sold the place and re-
moved to Sangamon County. He there bought 80
acres of prairie and at the same time 40 acres of
timber. This remained in his possession until 1837,
when he sold out and came to Henry County, locat-
ing in the township now called Phenix. He bought
a claim and as soon as the land came into market in
1839 he secured 40 acres on section 14. His first
house was built of logs, and soon after he had set-
tled to the business of improving his place he pur-
chased a soldier's warrant and laid it on 160 acres
on the same section where he had already fixed his
home. Some years later he built the frame house in
which he has since lived. The estate now contains
400 acres and the greater part of it is in advanced
cultivation. When he came to the county he brought
with him eight horses, eight head of cattle and 12
hogs. This constituted the stock with which he
commenced farming in this county. To him and his
wife ri children were born, only five of whom are
now living. They are named Thomas J., Margaret,
Charles, Celia and George W. (For the detailed
history of the oldest son, see sketch of T. J. Mc-
Henry.) Margaret is the wife of George R. Chis-
holm, and they life in Phillips Co., Kan. Charles
entered the military service of his country during the
Civil War, enlisting in Co. H, 51st 111. Vol. Inf. He
afterwards veteranized and was in the service until
after the termination of the war. His home is in
Farmington, New Mexico. Celia is the wife of Tal-
bot Andrews, a resident of Warren Co., 111. The
youngest is in St. Joseph. Mo.

iPll! F- Shattuck is a farmer residing on sec-
\l tio

.,,.. tion 15, Clover Township, and was born in

$Plf 0hio' April 26' l83°" The Parentsof Mr
*«jfe* Shattuck, Samuel and Mary (Foutz) Shattuck

Shattuck, Samuel and Mary (Foutz) Shattuck,
were natives of Massachusetts and Virginia
respectively, and his father followed the occu-
pation of a farmer, which vocation he continued un- ,
til his death in 1877, his wife having preceded him »<°/
to the realm of the unknown 2 6 years before, in 1851.
A. F. Shattuck, of whom we write, was an inmate of
his parent's family until he attained the age of 21
years, having received an education in the common
schools, and assisted his father on the farm until
that period in his life's history.

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HENRY COUNTY.

281

On becoming his "own man" Mr. Shattuck left
the parental roof-tree and went forth upon the sea of
life to battle against adversity and secure a com-
petency. After leaving home he rented a farm in
Ohio, which he cultivated for two years. He then
came to Knox County, this State, and rented a farm
in Sparta Township, which he cultivated for ten
years. At the expiration of that time he purchased
a farm in Clover Township, this county, consisting
of 96 acres, located on section 15. He moved on
his land and at once entered actively and energeti-
cally upon the task of its cultivation and improve-
ment. He has since added 80 acres on section 16
to his original purchase, and is at present the pro-
prietor of 176 acres. Mr. Shattuck has continued
to reside on his farm on section 15 ever since he first
settled there, and has improved the place by the
erection of a fine residence, good bam, and the set-
ting out of trees, etc. ; and the condition that his farm
presents to-day is truly indicative of good manage-
ment and energetic labor.

Mr. Shattuck and Miss Nancy Woolums were
united in marriage in 1852. She was a native of
Ohio, and their union has been blessed by the birth
of four children : John, Mary J., Sarah C. and Hat-
tie A. John formed a matrimonial alliance with
Rachel Petta ; Mary J. was married to S. W. Bowen,
and Sarah C. became the wife of G. H. McQueen.

Politically, Mr. S. espouses the principles of the
Republican party, with which he always casts his
vote. Religiously, he and his wife are members of
the Methodist Episcopal Church, of which denom-
ination he is a Deacon. He has held the office of
Supervisor two terms, and at present is Road Com-
missioner of his district.

*»"-

E&Jiarles H. Martin, of the firm of Duncan
& Martin, at Geneseo, has been a resi-
n^** dent of Henry County since 1856, and
he has been a citizen of Geneseo for the
tw same length of time. He is a native of
\ Orleans Co., N. Y., and was born Jan. 18,
1832. His father, Samuel W. Martin, was of Irish
extraction and, like his wife, who before marriage
was Miss Emma Merry, was born in the same Sta'e
where their son was born. The ancestors of the

mother were of Massachusetts birth and of Puritan
origin.

On arriving at the age when he found it incum-
bent on him to engage in business he embarked Lin
the lumber trade in his native Stale and operated
there until his removal to Illinois. He was similarly
occupied at Geneseo after his arrival there for a
period of two years, and in T858 he was elected Con-
stable. He officiated in that capacity five years.
About the year 1870 he engaged with Mr. Duncan
as an assistant in the business in which they are now
interested and of which he became one of the pro-
prietors by purchase in 1880. Their relations still
continue, and they are engaged in the transaction of
a prosperous business.

Mr. Martin has been a Republican since the or-
ganization of the party.

His marriage to Margaret Dillehay took place at
Geneseo, Sept. 9, 1858. She is a native of Guern-
sey Co., Ohio. Of three children that were born to
Mr. and Mrs. Martin but one is living. Owen S.
died at the age of 19. One child died in infancy.
Curtis C. was born Dec. 28, i86r. Mrs. Martin is a
member of the Unitarian Church.

ienjamin H. Goodell, Sheriff of Henry
County and resident at Cambridge, was
born in Galesburg, Knox Co., 111., Dec.
28, 1846. His parents, Cyrus and Elizabeth
(Holmes) Goodell, were born respectively in
the States of Massachusetts and Ohio, and
they had four children : Charles, Benjamin H.,
Ruhama and Nancy. The oldest daughter is de-
ceased. The mother died in 185 1. The family re-
moved to Knox County about the year 1835.

Mr. Goodell obtained his education in his native
county ; and with it he acquired the love of his coun-
try, which made the American boy of that period a
national institution, as the initiation of the Civil War
proved to the satisfaction of one section of the coun-
try. Mr. Goodell was but a lad in years when the
opening gun of the Rebellion proclaimed the folly
which in its re-action brought such disaster to those
whose hot-headed haste involved their own ruin. He
made several fruitless attempts to enlist during the
first three years of the war, but he was thrown out

^%^ — &M>M®W<>L?B-

4*^£

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HENRY COUNTY.

on account of his tender age. Early in 1864 he
went to Quincy, and there he succeeded in enroll-
ing as a soldier of the Union. He enlisted Feb. 23,
in Co. C, 10th 111. Inf., and continued in the mili-
tary service until the close of the war. His regiment
was assigned to the Army of the West and afterward
tg the command of General Sherman ; and he was a
participant in the varied experiences of the Atlanta
campaign and in the ever famous March to the Sea.
On obtaining his discharge he returned to the same
county in which he was born. He remained there
one year and in 1866 he came to Henry County.

He located in the village of Woodhull, in Clover
Township, and in the year following Josephine B.
Hill became his wife. Their marriage occurred at
Quincy, 111., Aug. 22, 1867. Mrs. Goodell was born
Feb. 15, 1849, in Athens Co., Ohio. To her and her
husband the following children have been born : Ger-
trude G., Lilly A., Pearl M. and Bessie H. Mrs.
Goodell is a member of the Methodist Episcopal
Church. Mr. Goodell belongs to the Order of
Masonry, being a member of Cambridge Lodge.

After their marriage, Mr. and Mrs. Goodell set-
tled on a farm in Champaign Co., 111., on which
they were resident two years. They then removed
to Woodhull, and Mr. Gjodell established his busi-
ness as a liveryman. He had prosecuted his inter-
ests in that avenue but a short time when he sold
out. In 1880 he received his first election as Sher-
iff of the county of his adoption. On the expiration
of his term of service he was made his own successT
or, and is, at date of writing, filling the unexpired
term.

3000C : '»

"aeob L. Deem, a resident on section 36,
|jj- Colona Township, 18 north and 1 east, is
a citizen of the United States by adoption.
He was born Feb. 17, 1830, in Bavaria, Ger-
many, and his parents, Alois and Ludovica
(Heckel) Dumm, as the name was spelled in
German, were also Bavarians by birth. (It may be
well in a biographical sketch to state that it is almost
impossible for the American tongue to givethe prop-
er pronunciation to a name which, as in this in-
stance, contains the umlaut letter u, as it is called in
German orthography. The name is pronounced

«*A^||||@

£l (jerman ortrj

Deem in English, as that is the nearest approach
that can be made by English analogy.)

Mr. Deem passed his youth in his native land.
He was sent to school according to law from the age
of five until he was 12, and he was then apprenticed
to learn the trade of a maker of cord, laces, fringes
and tassels, and other manufactured articles of that
class. He served the terms of his indenture, which
included three years, and then set out to pass the
years that intervened before he was liable to military
duty in the operations that belong to the life of a
craftsman on the Continent, and in this country is
called "jour" work. After two years he reached the
age of 20 and he made it in his way to seek the ref-
uge and privileges of the New World. He came to
the United States in a sailing vessel and landed at
the port of Baltimore. There he obtained employ at
his trad«i which he followed two years in the City of
Monuments and in New York. At the expiration of
the time named he established himself in the busi-
ness of which he had a complete knowledge, and he
continued its prosecution in the city of New York
until 1858. He came in that year to Illinois, and
settled at once on the farm which he has since owned
and occupied.

It should have been stated that his brother pre-
ceded him to America one year, and also that the
cause of his removal to Illinois was the failure of his
health in the business to which he had given unre-
mitting attention since his arrival in this country.
He bought the farm on which he lives in the year
previous to his making a permanent removal to it.

In the fall of 1857 his brother Alois opened a coal-
bank on land adjoining, and in the same year in
which he took possession of his place he also started
a similar enterprise, and in company with his brother
continued its management two years. He then sold
his coal interest and applied himself to farming until
1866. In that year he began to operate as a car-
penter and joiner, and followed that line of business
until 1880, when he resumed his agricultural opera-
tions. He is the owner of 144 acres of land, which
is in excellent condition for profitable farming. The
place is supplied with all necessary buildings of a
good type and the residence is situated in a fine loca-
tion overlooking the Rock River.

The marriage of Mr. Deem to Mary Ann Suhrman
took place in 1853. She was born in OldenLurg,
Germany. To them have been born ten children,

4-3-

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•i •

HENRY COUNTY.

seven of which are now living. Their names are
Bernhard L., Lewis M., Mary A., Henry H., Mag-
gie K., Frank J. and Charlie F. The family are
Catholics in religious belief.

Mr. Deem has been active and prominent in the
local official management of the township in which
he is a citizen. He has served in the capacity of
Police Magistrate n years and acted in that of
Supervisor in 1883 and 1884. He has served in
other prominent positions. He is a Democrat in po-
litical connection.

His parents died in Germany. His brother, who
came to America, was named Alois, after their
father. He married and settled in Colona Town-
ship, and died in 1874, without children. There
were four sisters, namely : Ann married Nicholas
Maas, and they are living in Independence, Iowa ;
Ludovica is the wife of John Sehuge, of Colona
Township ; Barbara married Fred Stottmeister, who
is a resident in the same township, and Hannah is
unmarried and lives in Minnesota.

-*/N». • *

»-*. — J^/V

rf^lfred Whitman Perry, agriculturist, resi-
dent at Geneseo, is a pioneer of Henry
County of 1837. He was born Dec. 19,
1818, at Stockbridge, Berkshire Co., Mass.,
and is the son of Dr. Alfred and Lucy (Ben-
jamin) Perry. He is of English extraction, his
earliest known ancestors on the paternal side having
settled in Derby, Conn., late in the 17th century,
where the family was represented by descendants
until the removal of David Perry thence to Berkshire
Co., Mass., in the closing years of the next century.
The latter died about 1815 in Richmond, Mass.
Jerusha (Lord) Perry, his wife, was a native of Con-
necticut, and became the mother of 1 1 children —
seven sons and four daughters. Her death occurred
in 183 1, at Lee, Mass. Alfred, third in order of
birth, was born in April, 1780, in Ricihmond, Mass.
He was a graduate of Williams College in his colle-
giate course, and of Rush Medical College in the
city of Philadelphia, when that institution was still
under the management of its founder, Dr. Rush. He
practiced medicine some years in the South, and
afterwards settled at Stockbridge, whence he re-
moved to Mercer Co., 111., in 1837. In the year suc-

ceeding, his family joined him there; and, although
he had cherished the intention of quitting his pro-
fession, physicians were few and the necessities of
the settlers pressing, arid in rare cases he attended
to the calls on his skill. He died in September of
the year 1838. His family included his wife and
eight children, five of whom joined him in Mercer
County. After his death his widow and children
came to Geneseo. In August, 1839, she and her
younger children returned to Williamstown, Mass.,
where she remained till about i860; then she came
again to Geneseo, where her sons were then all living.
In 1881 she went to Kansas, and is still living in Ot-
tawa, aged 93. She is as actively interested in life
as ever, and it has been for a long time her custom
to write a letter every day throughout the year. She
represents aline of humanity remarkable for tenacity
of life. Four of her sons and two daughters are still
living.

Mr. Perry, of this sketch, was educated to the age
of 16 at an academy in his native State. In 1834
he went to Williams College, where he remained but
a short time, and he came thence to Marion College
in Missouri. He was a student there some months.
In the winter of 1835-6 he came to Illinois, and
passed a short time prospecting, returning in the
spring ensuing to his native county. He passed al-
most the whole of the year 1836 in the city of Al-
bany, N. Y. In the spring of 1837 he came to Mer-
cer Co., 111., where his father had previously entered
claims of land, and he settled there to enter upon
the work of improvement on land which had not
been broken, and also to manage a part of the prop-
erty on which some improvements had been made.
Within the same year he bought 245 acres of land in
the township of Geneseo, 80 of which are now in-
cluded in the site of the city. The remainder was
on section 10, township 17. ' In 1839 Mr. Perry sold
his land in Mercer County, and in the fall of the
same year, in company with W. H. Holcomb, he as-
sumed the management of a mail and stage route
from Peoria to Oquawka, and later the route was
extended to Flint Hills, now Burlington, Iowa.
Still later the route was extended to the north and
south in that State, and in 184 1 Mr. Perry estab-
lished a mail and stage route to Iowa City, which
then contained one log house. The business of
Messrs. Perry and Holcomb was managed in har-
mony with that of Frink and Walker, the two man-

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284

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HENRY COUNTY.

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agements exchanging facilities. In the summer of
1842 Mr. Perry closed his connection with the busi-
ness.

He came to Geneseo and interested himself in
farming, having held his land and made further pur-
chases of real estate. In the fall of 1843 he went to
Chicago to traffic in stock and horses, and was also
interested in a mercantile enterprise of considerable
extent. In this line of business he continued until
1848. In that year, in company with his brothers,
D. L. and N. B. Perry, he started with several loads
of dry goods for a westerly point, but was detained
by a storm in Kane County. The business pros-
pects of that place seemed to warrant a continued
stay there, and instead of pushing further on they
made a permanent stop. They established their
mercantile business there and remained two years.
In the fall of 1852, in connection with their other
affairs, they opened a private banking house at*
Geneseo, which was conducted in connection with
their commercial business, and they also engaged in
farming, in which line they had extended their opera-
tions until it became a heavy enterprise. In 1855
they detached the business of the bank, and asso-
ciated a Mr. Spaulding with themselves in that
branch of enterprise. This was conducted until
1864, when Mr. Perry secured a charter for the First
National Bank at Geneseo. He retained his in-
terest therein until he sold to the present owners.
In 1862 he closed his relations with mercantile mat-
ters, selling to his brothers.

In 1864 he and his brother Charles bought coal
and farming lands, and also lands for the purpose of
grazing. They continued to prosecute the business
of mining to a considerable extent until 1 884, when
Mr. Perry closed his interests in that line. He is
still the owner of the coal-fields and fixtures, which
are not now in active operation.

He has been continuously interested in farming
and in rearing stock of excellent grades. His acre-
age is extensive, and he has been one of the chief
factors in in the agricultural development of Henry
County.

In his political connections he is a Republican.
Although interested in local and general issues, he
has refrained from holding official positions.

March 31, 1841, Mr. Perry and Mary Boone were
united in marriage. She was born in Bloomsbury,

Columbia Co., Pa., and is the daughter of James
and Hannah (Barton) Boone. In the spring of 1835
she accompanied her parents to Fort Clark, now
Peoria. In the spring following another removal
was made, to Mercer County. Mr. and Mrs. Perry
have two children — Fannie L. P. and Clara B. The ^
former is the wife of Marshall F. Wolcott, to whom
she was married May 9, 1866. She is the mother of
three sons : Alfred P. is 18, George E. died in in-
fancy, and Frank B. is 14 years of age.

ames M. Allan. The personal records of
this gentleman are inseparable from the
collated annals of Henry County, as he was
one of those who were a part of the days of
first things, and has borne a similar relation to
every step in the development of the resources
of the section of Illinois where he has been a con-
tinuous resident from the time when he came hither
to seek a suitable location for a home to the date of
this narration. Mr. Allan is a citizen of Loraine
Township, and is the proprietor of a large tract of
land located on section 29.

He was still in his minority when, like Captain
Underbill riding to Hilton Head on the same errand,
he came to Illinois on horseback. The doughty
Captain had shaken from his feet the dust of Massa-
chusetts Bay to seek freedom from the strictures
placed on the followers of Annie Hutchinson, and
Colonel Allan sought the privileges of that portion of
his native land that was free from the curse of
slavery. He had grown up under its evils, and pos-
sessed a temperament that led him to an intuitive
cpm prehension of all that is embodied in the princi-
ples of liberty, and he had a vague notion that the
North afforded opportunities for the exercise of his
inherent views.

He was born in Sumner Co., Tenn., Nov. 23, 1814.
His father, John Allrn, was a native Englishman by
birth, and was of mixed Scotch and English extrac-
tion. He came to the United States about 1800.
The mother of Mr. Allan, Nancy (Hodge) Allan,
came of a family of traditionary Irish origin in its
earlier history, and recorded at a later date as Eng-
lish. John Allan removed his family to Huntsville,

■*<mm&*

<»B!1$

HENRY COUNTY.

Ala., and there the son grew ro approximate man-
hood ; and, as has been stated, just previous to reach-
ing his majority, he left the South to escape the evils
of a State government that sustained slavery.

He came to Illinois in the fall of 1835. He passed
the first winter in Carrollton, Green County, and in
April, 1836, made his first entry into Henry County.
He made his first headquarters at the point now
called Dayton, and entered a considerable quantity
of land. The opportunity was fairly open, and he
availed himself of it. His abilities were recognized
as valuable to the interests of the country that was
entering upon its period of development, and he was
appointed County Clerk. He was also made Circuit
Clerk, and was the first incumbent of those positions
in the county. In that year he went on horseback
to Vandalia, then the capital of Illinois, and by his
exertions the separation of Henry from Knox County
was effected. Mr. Allan was appointed County
Clerk by the first Commissioners' Court for Henry
County on the 27th of June, and on the 7th of Au-
gust of the same year he was elected Circuit Clerk.
Five days later the election for choice of an officer
to command the battalion of the county was held,
and Mr. Allan was elected Major, and duly commis-
sioned by Governor Duncan. He had established
the county seat in the first summer after his arrival,
and he did it on this wise : With a sense of the
eternal fitness of things, he recognized that the seat
of government should have a location as near as
possible to the geographical center of the county,
and, by a process of his own, he fixed on a point
which he considered to be the practical center of
which he was in pursuit, bought the quarter section
and staked out a town, which he named Richmond,
and took the proper steps to secure its claims to the
distinction of county seat. He was successful an
his maneuvers, and Richmond became the govern-
ment center of the new county. Mr. Allan estab-
lished his headquarters there and held the fort until
the few buildings that had been erected were de-
stroyed by fire, in less than two years after. The
court-house was a temporary structure, 16 x 24 feet
in extent, and one and a half stories in height. The
entire town burned, only a stable and a hay-stack
being left to mark the site of the metropolis of Rich-
mond. Mr. Allan saved the county records and pa-
pers and conveyed them to Geneseo.

He owned large tracts of land in the neighborhood

of that place, and it was afterwards his home for
nearly 50 years. He erected a handsome and ex-
pensive residence, which is now the building occu-
pied by the Normal School. In 183- Mr. Allan was
elected County Judge. He has served three years
as a member of the Board of Supervisors, and has
had other offices of less importance. In the course
of the Civil War he took an active part in attention
to the interests of the county in raising men and
money, and was appointed Provost Marshal, in
which capacity he served two years. He was sent
to the Legislature in 185 1 to exert his influence to
secure the charter for the Chicago, Rock Island &
Pacific Railroad, and he succeeded in effecting the
purpose. The opposition to the project in the coun-
ties lying north and east of Henry County was de-
termined, as there was an apprehension that such a
road would shut out others ; but it was overruled.
The interest of Mr. Allan in the road was unmis-
takable, as he had been its untiring advocate for six
years, and had kept up an unceasing series of efforts
in its behalf. He first communicated with John
Thompson, of New York, in relation to running a
line of railroad through Henry County, and made the
proper representations concerning the advantages of
the location ; but his overtures were met with disap-
proval, on account of the credit of the State being in
a low condition. But continued agitation of the sub-
ject and unremitting effort finally accomplished the
desired end. From 1847 t0 I^S° Mr. Allan was in-
terested in a mercantile enterprise at Geneseo. In
1837 he bought 80 acres of land situated about half-
way between Geneseo and Cambridge, for which he
paid $10. He was its owner until 1845, when he
traded it to Royal M. Wilcox for a one-horse wagon,
valued at $30.

The marriage of Mr. Allan to Susannah D. Stew-
art occurred in 1839. She was born in Geneseo, N.
Y., and is the daughter of Roderick D. Stewart, one of
the Commissioners of the Geneseo Colony who came
here in 1836. Theirs was the first marriage in the
place, and Mrs. Allan was the teacher of the first
school in the county. Four children came to the
Allan household, one of whom died in infancy. Sarah
A. is the superintendent of the Kindergarten School
at Fort Collins, Col. Mary Amelia is the wife of
George West, of Geneseo. Frances married William
Pearsall, of the same place. Louise A. L. is the
wife of Frank Williams, of the township of Loraine.

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HENRY COUNTY.

Mrs. Allan is connected with the Congregational
Church by membership.

In early life Mr. Allan was a Whig. At a later
period he became a Republican and he has since pre-
served a uniform and unwavering consistency with
the principles of the party and has supported its is-
sues.

3#h£-»«e

. oscph A. Sawyer, of Geneseo, came to
Henry County in 1850, and from that date
to 1877 he was identified with its business
interests. He was born in the town of Sharon,
Hillsborough Co., N. H., April 10, 1812. Abial
and Sibyl (Buss) Sawyer, his father and mother,
were both natives of the " Old Granite State," and
were descendants of the Scoth-Irish who settled at
Dunbarton, N. H., in ^19.

Mr. Sawyer was reared to the business in which
he has principally passed his active life and in which
he commenced his preparatory as a clerk at the age
of 14. He came to Illinois in the fall of 1834 and
spent the following winter at Peoria. In the spring
of 1835 he went to Tremont, Tazewell County, where
he became a member of the colony located there,
and was engaged in the transaction of mercantile
business three years. He was associated with Mr.
James L. Wilson, who was so mysteriously mur-
dered at Winetka in 1884. He went thence to
Hampton in Rock Island County and operated there
as a merchant until 1850, when he removed his in-
terests to Henry County and located at Dayton. He
established his business at that place and was en-
gaged in its successful prosecution until his change
of base to Geneseo, which transpired in 1861. At
Geneseo he entered vigorously into the prosecution
of his commercial interests and established branch
stores, at Cleveland, Green River and Colona, where
he conducted his commercial affairs until 1877. He
then retired to private life at Geneseo, where he had
maintained his residence from the date named as
that of his removal there.

Mr. Sawyer has been actively interested in the es-
tablishment and progress of the Geneseo Collegiate
Institue since the inauguration of the project. He
was made one of the first Trustees, and has con-
tinued to discharge the duties of that position since.

He is of Democratic political views, and during his
residence at various points has served in different
official positions. Among the most prominent have
been those of Justice of the Peace, Postmaster and
as a member of Educational Boards.

He was united in marriage to Martha S. Rich-
mond, Dec. 3T, 1835, at Tremont. She was born in
the State of Rhode Island, and was the daughter of
Braddock Richmond. They became the parents of
two sons and two daughters. Edward S. entered the
military service of the United States during the
Civil War, and enlisted in the Ninth 111. Cav. Emma
E. is the widow of Lewis W. Hanna, a son of Prior
Hanna, one of the pioneer settlers of the county and
whose name is given in one of its townships. (A
sketch of Mr. Hanna may be found on other pages.)
Mrs. Hanna lives at Peabody, Kan.; Louisa is en-
gaged in the prosecution of a book, music and sta-
tionery business at Greeley, Col. Albert, who is the
third in order of birth, was also a soldier and be-
longed to the r46th III. Inf. The mother died Jan.
25, 1849.

Mr. Sawyer was a second time married in July
1850, to Lucy A., daughter of Elihu Wells. They
have three children : Laura A. is the wife of George
W. Dexter, who is a wholesale grocer in Chicago ;
Ella is the second child ; Henry W. married Cora L.
Phares and is a resident of Chicago. Mrs. Sawyer
is a native of Massena, St. Lawrence Co., N. Y., and
came to the county in 1836, at the age of r7, with
her father, mother and five sisters, in their own con-
veyance.

=*** —

obert F. Steele, Justice of the Peace, in-
surance agent and dealer in real estate at
Geneseo, came to Henry County in 1857.
He was born in Antrim, Hillsborough Co.,
N. H., Jan. 10, T831, and he is the son of
Robert and Betsey (Temple) Steele. He was
reared on a farm and received a good common -school
education, and afterwards attended an academy until
he was liberally educated. After completing his
course of study he passed his summers on the farm
and his winters in teaching.

In 1856 he left his native State and went to New
York. In 1857 he came to Illinois. He located at

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HENRY COUNTY.

289 -2.

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Geneseo, and, in company with Elihu Bryant, he
embarked in a boot and shoe enterprise, under the
firm style of Bryant & Steele. Their relations were
in existence until May, i860. Mr. Steele enlisted
in the late war Aug. 12, 1862, enrolling in Co. I>
1 1 2th 111. Inf. On going to the field he was appoint-
ed Commissary of his regiment and was in the ser-
vice until July 5, 1865. He was then mustered out
at Chicago. He returned to Geneseo and com-
menced to operate in the insurance business and as
a loan agent, and also began his connection with
traffic in real estate. In 1869 the present firm of
Hosford & Steele was formed. The company rep-
resents the leading insurance companies, and are
doing an extensive business in loans and in real
estate.

In 1867, Mr. Steele was appointed Postmaster by
President Johnson and he held the office two years.
In 1866 he was elected City Clerk and continued to
discharge the duties of the position until 1873. He
was Mayor of Geneseo during the years 1874-5-6,
serving consecutively as his own successor. In 1873
he was elected Justice of the Peace. He has been
re-elected ever since, covering a period of 12 years.
He is also serving his third term as Assistant Super-
visor. He is a Republican of most decided stripe
and has been an earnest supporter of the principles
and issues of the party since its organization.

He was joined in marriage to Annie E. Hardy,
April 21, 1857, in Methuen, Mass. She is a native
of ^Westminster, Vt., and is the daughter of Silas
Hardy. Mr. and Mrs. Steele have one child — Abbie
F. The entire family are members of the Congre-
gational Church.

ichard Mascall, whose name has been for
more than 40 years connected with Henry
B County as a factor in its business develop-
ment, came hither in 1840. At that time,
this section of Illinois was in its primitive
condition, awaiting the application of the
forces needed to open its resources. The energy
and perseverance brought here by Mr. Mascall were
of the right stamp to win success, and in conse-
quence he is the owner of nearly 900 acres of land
in the county besides his property in the village of
Cambridge. He also owns 1,280 acres in VVilkins

Co., Minn., and a quarter-section in Adams Co.,
Neb. The accumulations of Mr. Mascall are the
fruit of judicious business principles and unwavering
integrity.

He was born Feb. 1, 1812, 50 miles east of the
city of London, in East Kent, England, of which
shire his parents, John and Elizabeth (Neeves)
Mascall, were both natives. His mother bore 24
children. She was married twice, Mr. Mascall's
father being her second husband, and all the chil-
dren born of her first marriage died in early life.
Only five of her children reached mature life. Of
this number John, Mrs. Biddie Hopper and Mrs.
Mary A. Thurston are deceased. Richard and James,
third and fourth in order of birth, are the sole sur-
vivors. The family came to the United States in
1830 and located in Litchfield, Bradford Co., Pa.
He was there married June 14, 1832, to Abigail
Elston. She was born June 22, 1814, in Bradford
Co., Pa., and died April 8, 1873, after having be-
come the mother of six children: Ransford P. de-
ceased ; Annie, wife of Spaulding Cody ; John H.
and Moses, deceased; Martha M. (Mrs. M. Bristol);
and James P. Mr. Mascall contracted a second
matrimonial alliance, with Mary J., daughter of
'Squire Wm. G. Heaps, of Annawan Township. Her
mother's maiden name was Hester Green, and she
was born in Lancaster Co., Pa., and died in Annawan
Township April 12, 1885, aged 69. The family
came to Adams Co., 111., in 1842, where Mrs. Mas-
call was born May 28, 1846. Her marriage was
celebrated Aug. 18, 1874. She is one of n children
born to her parents, of whom nine are living. Her
father is a citizen of Annawan Township.

Mr. Mascall is a representative of a class of men
who made their generation distinguished for enter-
prise and achievement. Their natural ambition to
get on in the world, coupled with the rumored re-
sources of the undeveloped Western country, served
as an incentive to test the untried fields which fancy
painted, lying in broad beauty in the then trackless
West. Poor in purse but rich in the qualities which
are the equipment of the genuine pioneer, Mr. Mas-
call turned his energies to good account in the labor
of farmer in his native country and in Litchfield,
Pa., until about the date of his first marriage, and af-
ter that event he conducted a saw-mill in Bradford
Co., Pa., until 1836. In that year he yielded to the

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290

HENRY COUNTY.

pressure, partly of ambition, partly of desire to judge
for himself of the value of the promises of the prairied
section of this, his country, and, accompanied by his
brother James, he started for what was then the bor-
der of civilization. They traveled in pioneer style,
in accordance with their circumstances and frugal
habits, journeying overland 140 miles to Olean Point,
on the Allegheny River in the State of New York.
Here he bought a quantity of dry lumber, for which
he paid $10, and secured assistance to build a,
"float," otherwise termed a raft. On this craft the
party embarked. The number included Mr. Mas-
call, his wife and two oldest children, James Mas-
call, William Stackhouse and another man whose
name is now unknown, Jesse Elston, wife and two
children, and Spencer Elston. The Elstons came
only to the city of Cincinnati, Ohio. In addition to
its load of humanity, the raft transported the house-
hold belongings of the families. The journey to
Pittsburg, Pa., was of six days' duration, and formed
an episode which will live forever in the remem-
brances of those who felt that it was a challenge to
fate and fortune, and they watched the tide which
bore them away from accustomed scenes with varied
emotions. At Pittsburg, Mr. Mascall sold the raft
for $40. The party took passage on a steamer at
that city which was to carry them to Peoria, 111.,
via the Ohio, Mississippi and Illinois Rivers.

They arrived at their destination at the end of
three weeks. Mr. Mascall was seized by illness
at Peoria, which proved of a lingering character,
but in the latter part of August he went to Wyoming,
Stark County, where he rented a farm of J. W.
Agard, on which he was resident until the spring of
1837. At that date he rented a farm, which was
the property of Francis Grady, situated one mile
south of Toulon. After his engagement expired, at
the end of two years, he re-rented property of Mr.
Agard.

His father made an entry of 40 acres of land, and
informed him that he (the father) would give him
(the son) ten acres. Mr. Mascall relates that,
though he now counts his acres by the hundreds, he
has seen no moment so completely filled with con-
tent as that in which he learned that he was to be-
come the owner of ten acres of land ! On his taking
possession, his father deeded him 25 acres, and he
asserts that he would not then change places with
royalty itself. He had won the highest privilege a

man can possess, — a claim on God's fair heritage to
man.

In the spring of 1841, he came with his family to
Henry County, and located on a farm of 25 acres in
the eastern part of the township of Cambridge. He
there made a success of agricultural pursuits until
1850, when he removed his family to Bishop Hill,
where he operated as a buyer of grain and trader in
behalf of the Swedish colony at that place. He re-
mained there a year, and during that time performed
services in the interests of the foreigners of incalculT
able advantage to them. He superintended the
American laborers employed by the colonists, and
exerted himself in protecting their property and their
lives from mob violence. They were the objects of
frenzied fury, and the most strenuous efforts were
made by the land sharks to expel thern from their
estates. The time when the exertions of Mr. Mas-
call were most effective, was at the period of the
struggle for social and religious liberty in the Swedish
colony, which is treated with graphic power in an-
other portion of this work. The murder of Mr.
Jansen left the Swedes practically without a leader, -
and they placed implicit reliance on the honor and
advice of Mr. Mascall. He advised that they enter
a quarter-section of land, on which extensive im-
provements had been made, and which was the
especial object of the greed of the land-sharks.
They sent him to the land office at Dixon to nego-
tiate in their interests, and he found that the tract
had been entered on a land warrant. He protested,
on the ground that it had been settled and was un-
der cultivation, and he deposited the Government
price of $200, and urged a request that the warrant
be removed, which was afterwards done. To Mr,-
Mascall and to John Piatt, Sr., who espoused: the
cause of the worthy foreigners, the Swedes owe' the
preservation of their land claims, and, no doubt*, in
some instances their lives, as lynching and exterm-
ination were frequently threatened.

The pioneer experiences of Mr. Mascall present a
history full of interesting novelty, even though such
would seem to gather a monotony through frequent
repetition. He once took his fattened hogs to
Peoria, where he sold them for a dollar each, and
often drew his grain and pork to Chicago, when he
slept on the ground from utter inability to secure
the shelter of the hotels, his small returns from his

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HENRY COUNTY.

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yearly labors necessitating absolutely no expendi-
ture while on his trips ! The generation of to-day
would faint in view of such privations and hardships.
Verily, the pioneers are worthy all admiration, honor
and respect. They are the truly great, who proved
their title to the soil they came to till and to secure
as a heritage for their posterity. Mr. Mascall, now
in the evening of life, can look back with retrospect-
ive satisfaction on the course he has pursued.

In 1851, Mr. Mascall returned to the management
of his farm in Cambridge where he continued to
operate until his removal to the village of Cambridge,
which took place in December, 1873. He had spent
a year previously at that place, associated with his
brother, James Mascall, in a mercantile enterprise.
Since fixing his permanent abode there, he has been
connected with its active business prosperity and
development.

In November, 1881, on the organization of the
Farmers' National Bank, he was made its President,
and still (1885) continues its chief official.

In political connection, Mr. Mascall is a Demo-
crat, and he exerted the energies which have char-
acterized his whole life in the success of the late
Presidential campaign. In 1857, he was elected
Supervisor of Cambridge Township, and was the
first to occupy that official position after the organi-
zation of the township. He was subsequently re-
elected in 1858, i860, 1863, 1869 and 1875.

During the struggle for the removal of the county
seat from Cambridge to Geneseo, in 1877-8, he took
an active part in behalf of the opposition to the
movement. He was made a member of the com-
mittee constituted to visit Springfield, where he was
influential in the defeat of the project. While Su-
pervisor, he was a member of the Poor-house and
County Building Committee, and was Overseer of
the Poor under the county organization for several
years. He has always been prominent in his inter-
est and efforts in the diffusion of general education,
and has acted 2 1 years as School Director in School
District No. 1, of East Cambridge.

In religious opinions, Mr. Mascall does not en-
dorse the tenets of any denominational organization,
but believes in the fundamental principles which
underlie the system of Ghristianity.

The appreciative regard in which Mr. Mascall is
held by the people of Cambridge, is evidenced by

the cognomen " Uncle Dick," which is familiar to
the lips of every man, woman and child within the
scope of his acquaintance. The addition of his por-
trait to the collated annals of Henry County will
be warmly welcomed, inasmuch as it ensures a per-
manent shadow of a presence Jong familiar to trav-
elers on the thoroughfares of the municipality of
which he has been so faithful and disinterested a
friend. He is a representative of a class of foreign-
born citizens who bring the thrift and energy which
are their only heritage in their native land to this
country with its great possibilities, and accomplish
■ the best results in their application under the influ-
ences of the institutions of America.

ames H. Mitchell, Mayor of Geneseo in
1885, is a prominent business man at that
place. He came to Henry County in 1872.
He is a native of Ireland, and was born Dec.
22, 1843. The names of his parents were
James and Ellen (Donlan) Mitchell. In the
spring of 1 849 the family came to the United States
and made a location at Madison, Ind. Mr. Mitchell
remained there until 1866, when he went to Shelby-
ville, 111., and there embarked in business. He was
occupied in the management of his affairs there
untM 1 868, when he went to Blairstown, in Iowa, and
was engaged in the drug business there until his re-
moval, in the year named, to Geneseo. He was a
druggist at the latter place until 1878, when he
closed his connection therewith and commenced
operations as a dealer in real estate. He operated
in that line until May 1, 1884, when he opened the
business of a boot and shoe merchant, in which he is
still interested.

Mr. Mitchell adopted the pains as well as the
privileges %of the country to which he came to enjoy
the benefits its form of government afforded, and
when the Nation was in the throes of a Civil War he
entered the military service. He enlisted Aug. 9,
1862, in the 67th Regt. of Vol. from Indiana, en-
rolling in Co. C. A month after going to the field he
was in the hands of the rebels, captured by General
Bragg in September, 1862, at Mumfordsville, Ky.
He was paroled and a little later was exchanged. In

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HENRY COUNTY.

)

November of the same year he again found himself
in the service. He continued in the army until
February, 1863, when he was discharged for dis-
ability, having been seized with illness that pre-
cluded the discharge of military duty. Mr. Mitchell
is a Republican of decided type. He has served as
Alderman of Geneseo, and was elected to that posi-
tion in 1883.

The marriage of Mr. Mitchell to Mary Sharon
took place at Cedar Rapids, Iowa, Aug. 14, 1872.
They have six children, — four sons and two daugh-
ters. John P. was born Oct. 26, 1873 ; James, Sept.
13, 1875 ; Gertie, July 9, 1877 ; Julia, July 8, 1880;
Francis, July 27, 1883. The family are Catholics.
Mrs. Mitchell was born at St. Charles, 111., and is the
daughter of Frank Sharon.

•ogaec/SMS"*-

«§&SW33».

' rasmus Knorr, retired farmer, resident in
Colona, is a citizen of the United Slates
by adoption. He was born July 16, 1824,
5$. in Oldenburg, in the province of Saxony, Ger-
many. He is the son of George and Eliza-
beth (Fleischer) Knorr. From the age of six
until he was 14, Mr. Knorr was an attendant at
the schools of the place in which he was born, and
after he had completed the time there required by
law he was apprenticed to learn the business of a
flour miller. He served in that capacity until he ac-
quired a thoroughly practical knowledge of the trade.
When he was 20 years of age he entered the army and
served four years.

In 1849 he came to the United States. He made
the voyage on a sail vessel and landed at the port of
New York after a passage of 72 days. He made no
stop until he reached Wisconsin, where he interested
himself in lead-mining. He passed three years in
that business, and in 1852 went to California. He
went in company with two friends. Mr. Knorr and
one of the others bought three Indian ponies, which
they loaded with provisions. They also procured a
hand -cart, to which they contrived to attach one of
the ponies, and the little procession made its way
across the plains. They stopped at Placerville,
where they engaged in mining for gold. With the
exception of the summer season of 1858 they re-

mained at the same place until 1862. The time
named they were in British Columbia.

In 1862 Mr. Knorr returned to the East. He
came via the Isthmus and ' proceeded to Henry
County. In 1863 he bought a farm on section 5,
in Hanna Township. It was unimproved and he
put it in thorough condition for profitable agricultural
operations. The buildings are of the best type for
the purposes for which they are needed and include
all that are required in general farming. Mr. Knorr
also set out a well assorted orchard. In 1879 the
place was sold, and Mr. Knorr bought a farm on
section 2, in Colona Township. This was in the
same state of nature as the other had been and the
proprietor put forth the same efforts to the same end
as in the first instance. The place is now in a condi-
tion that gives evidence of the- quality of the energy
and industry of the owner. In 1884 the farm was
rented and the family removed to the village of Co-
lona, where Mr. Knorr is the owner of a residence.

He was married in 1863 to Mrs. Amelia (Schultze)
Buckholz. She was born in Prussia, and was the
widow of Henry Buckholz. They were married in
their native land, and after their removal to the
United States the husband entered the army of the
Union. He enlisted in 1862 in the 112th 111. Vol.
Inf. as a member of Co. K. He died the same year,
while in the service. Their only child, T. Henry, is
deceased. Mr. and Mrs. Knorr have one child, —
Charles E.

eorge Wells, a retired merchant at Gene-
seo, was born in Shelburne, Franklin Co.,
Mass., Jan. 14, 1814. He is of Puritan
stock, his ancestors having come from Eng-
land to the New England coast in the early
history of the country, and they were among
the most prominent in the exciting events of the
times that " troubled men's souls." David Wells,
his paternal grandfather, moved to Shelburne in
1872. He was an active participant in the War of
the Revolution, and was famous for his daring and
bravery. He was concerned in the entire course of
the struggle for independence, and was an eye-
witness of the surrender of Burgoyne. He was also
a member of the Continental Congress, and died in

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his 91st year. His son, William Wells, was a Colo-
nel of militia, and became prominent as a legislator,
serving 30 sessions in the .State Assembly of the
Commonwealth of Massachusetts. He died at Shel-
burne, at the age of 81. He was born in the State
of Connecticut, which was also the native State of
his wife, who, previous to her marriage, was Pru-
dence May. Her family were distinguished for
learning, and were among the leaders in society and
in public affairs in the times in which they lived.
Her father and seven of his sons and sons-in-law
were graduates of Yale College. Prudence May
Wells died at 94.

Mr. Wells of this sketch received a common-
school education, and was brought up with a thor-
ough knowledge of farming. He did not take kindly
to the vocation of agriculture, and when he was 18
he went to Troy, N. Y., to accept a position as clerk
in a mercantile establishment. This was in 1832,
and he remained in the position until 1835. In
that year he embarked in trade himself, and con-
tinued to operate as a merchant there until his
removal to Illinois in 1856. He settled at Geneseo,
and opened a general store. He prosecuted his
commercial interests about nine years, and closed
his connections with active business about the time
of the termination of the war.

In the early days of his political relations he was
a Whig; but the issues that arose in which the
fundamental principles of that element were founded
caused him to adopt those of the Republican party,
and he became one of its most consistent adherents
on its organization.

Mr. Wells was married the first time Nov. 29,
1838, to Mary M. Coleman, at Greenfield, Mass.,
and they had one child, William P. He was born
Jan. 6, 1839, and is now married, and a resident of
the city of New York. The mother died July 20,
r849, and Mr. Wells was a second time married,
April 15, 185 1, to Helen Van Alen, who died with-
out issue, Sept. 18, 1867. Her successor was Jane
E. Stowe, of Troy, N. Y., whom he married July 1,
1869, and died Oct. u, 1883 ; she left no children;
Mr. Wells was again married Nov. n, 1884, to Mrs.
Caroline E., widow of A. H. Barnes and daughter
of Isaac Foote. Her grandfather, Isaac Foote, was
a Major in the War of the Revolution. One of her
maternal great-uncles was Lyman Hall, one of the

signers of the Declaration of Independence. Her V>

family origin on both sides was of Puritan extraction. />?

She is a member of the Congregational Church, and *<■

Mr. Wells is a man of tolerant religious views. I

'd'afiidrew Soliday has been a resident in
Henry County since 1854. He has lived
in the township of Yorktown since 1856.
He was born in Alsace, then a province of
France, since which time it fell into the pos-
session of Germany in the late war between
those two powers. His birth occurred Jan. 7, 1830,
and he is the son of Andrew and Margaret Soliday.
His father died in his infancy, and as he was the
only child his mother brought him up.

When he was six years old she came with him to
America. She remained in Pennsylvania a few
months after landing in the New World, and while
there was married to Jacob Grose, a native of Rhen-
ish Bavaria. In the February following, the new
family went to Allegany County, in the State of New
York, where the step-father died, five years later.
The son and his mother remained there and in Liv-
ingston County until 1853. He was her sole de-
pendence after the death of her second husband,
and he was also the maintainer of two half-sisters,
who were the children of the step-father. He worked
as a farm assistant to obtain the means needed for
the support of the household, and he worked by the
day. In the year named he came West to see if he
could discover any chance for a poor man to get
along in the world, and he determined to make a
a trial of what he considered conditions that prom-
ised the reward of effort and frugality. He returned
to New York, and in 1854 he came to Illinois
with his mother and two sisters. He rented the
farm of his uncle in the township of Loraine, on
which he operated two years. He was successful
in his efforts to save what he earned, and he took
possession of the land which he had bought the year
in which he came to the county. It was located on
section 19 of the township of Yorktown, and he built
a double hewed-log house, into which the family
moved in the month of January, 1856. Mr. Soliday
at once entered with characteristic vigor into the
work of improvement, and he made telling progress

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HENRY COUNTY.

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with his old-country industry and thrift. He was
the owner of a yoke of oxen and two cows, and in a
very short time he exchanged the former for horses
and proceeded with his work of reclamation until he
had placed the entire acreage under tillage. In
1864 he sold the place and secured another on sec-
tion 3r of the same township. There was a small
frame house on the place, which was the first resi-
dence erected in the township, and was built by
Daniel Crist ; and 50 acres had been put under the
plow by him. Mr. Soliday is the proprietor of 276
acres, which is all in the best possible condition for
successful agriculture, and supplied with the kind of
farm buildings that show the quality of the efforts
that have been exercised in Henry County, that
have placed it in the ranks with those of older set-
tlement in the State. Mr. Soliday is engaged in
mixed husbandry.

In his political connection, he was at first a Whig.
On the formation of the Republican party he became
its adherent, and has been a consistent member of it
ever since. He has served as Assessor and as
Highway Commissioner, and has also filled the posi-
tions of Constable, etc. He has acted 19 years in
the capacity of School Director.

The marriage of Mr. Soliday to Mary Baker took
place June 14, 1856. She was born in Warren Co.,
Pa. They have seven children : Mary Ellen mar-
ried Henry Minch, of Yorktown Township; Jacob
E., Andrew J., Esther E., Ida S., Hannah A. and
Charles A. are those who are still at home.

The mother lived with her son as long as her life
was spared after coming to Illinois. She died at his
home, March s, 1875. His oldest sister is named
Elizabeth. Sophia married John Coplin, and they
removed to Denver, Col.

* +*&+ *

iberty Stimson, now deceased, was a former
resident of the township and city of Gene-
seo, and came to Henry County in 1836.
He was one of the most widely known and
{•) generally respected citizens of the section where
he made his home from the year named until his
death.

He was born at Weston, in Middlesex Co., Mass.,
Feb. 9, 1 807 . Jeremiah Stimson, his father, was a

(J)

native of Massachusetts, and belonged to an old and
well-established family in that State. The maiden
name of his mother was Elizabeth Fuller, and she
was the daughter of a sister of Benjamin Franklin,
the philosopher and statesman. The father of Mr.
Stimson died when the latter was in his nth year, \^
and he was brought up in the care of a family
named Brown, at Dedham, Mass. His early life was
passed on a farm, and subsequently he became in-
terested in the business of a trader. He remained
in the East until 1835, when he came to Illinois and
at first made a location in Bureau County.

In the year following he came to Henry County.
He located on section r5, in the township of Gene-
seo, and in 1837 began to make improvements on it.
In 1838 he built a log house and barn of substantial
character and had 40 acres broken. The house re-
ferred to occupied the site where the farm residence
now stands. He was the owner of 240 acres, one-
third of which was in timber. He continued the
purchase and sale of real estate for many years, and ^
at the time of his death he was the possessor of only $
96 acres, of which he was the owner originally, and a
for which he held the Government patent. ^

Mr. Stimson was married three times. Leah s
Clark became his wife in Bureau County, Dec. 25, $$•
1837. She died Dec. ro, 1843, leaving two chil- *
dren, — a son and a daughter. The latter, who was
named' Elizabeth, was born Nov. 18, 1840, and
died Dec. n, 1843, one day subsequent to the de-
mise of the mother. Charles was born Nov. 30,
1843, and died Nov. 4, 1864.

Mr. Stimson married Mrs. Remembrance (Evans)
Ogden in 1844. She was a widow and the mother of
several children by her first husband. She died
Nov. 13, 1862. From the second matrimonial con-
nection there is no issue. Mr. Stimson was married
again at Rock Island Feb. 13, 1867, to Miss Hannah
E. Reynolds. She was born at Berlin, Washington
Co., Vt., July 4, 1824, and is the daughter of Elisha
P. and Betsey (Stuart) Reynolds. Her father was
of English extraction and was a lineal descendant of
the celebrated " Sir Joshua Reynolds," the most dis-
tinguished painter of his time. Her mother was a
" Stuart," and descended from the royal line of Scot-
land.

Mrs. Stimson is still the survivor of her husband.
She is a lady who preserves the distinctive traits of

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HENRY COUNTY.

295

the families in which she had her origin in strength
of character, stability of purpose and individuality.
She received educational advantages of the best type
in the East, and at 18 began the work of a teacher in
New England. After some years she went to the
State of New York and there continued the pursuit
of her occupation. In the winter of 1858-9 she
went to Texas to enter upon the duties of a planta-
tion teacher at Marshall, in Harrison County. She
made a success of the undertaking, and just prior to
the culmination of the Southern infatuation and fool-
hardiness she transferred her field of operation to the
Red River country of Louisiana. The consequences
of the rebellion did not affect her position materially
until the fall of 1862.

At that time the feeling of sectional bitterness be-
gan to penetrate to the remoter rural districts and
she prepared to make her way Northward. About
a dozen Northern women, who had been in the South
on the same business, found it expedient to seek a
return to their friends, and Miss Reynolds joined the
party. The Governors of Texas and Louisiana had
provided them with the credentials necessary to se-
cure their immunity from detention in the rebel
lines; and, after a series of adventures that would
make a chapter in the history of the experiences of
a life, she arrived at Vicksburg. The time was just
subsequent to the termination of the second bom-
bardment of that historic city. There the party were
treated as prisoners of war and were transferred to
the Federal authorities by the regular exchange.
This method of facilitating their progress to their
friends was an act of gentlemanly courtesy on the
part of Gen. Kirby Smith, the Confederate com-
mander. The ladies were placed on a Federal gun-
boat and transferred to transport. The latter belonged
to a flotilla of 1 r that.were being conveyed by two
gun-boats to the upper river. They carried a flag of
truce, but it was ineffectual to preserve from rebel
attack, and they were fired into twice by the guer-
rillas that infested the country on the Mississippi
side. One of these occasions was full of intense ex-
citement, as there was great danger of an invasion
from the shore. The " Yankee schoolma'ams" proved
themselves equal to the emergency, and at their own
urgent request were supplied with " munitions of
war " in the shape of shot-guns, wherewith to take
part in the fray if the occasion should demand. The
guerrillas held that discretion was, in their cases, the

better part of valor, and deferred their purpose.
Whether they knew that the young ladies were on
board and desisted from the instinct of their tradi-
tional chivalry, or whether they hesitated to risk their
precious persons in a double danger, is not certain ;
and there may have been a deterring consideration
in their susceptible hearts. Nobody knows, but more
strange things have happened. The young ladies
were landed safely at Cairo and again breathed the
air of liberty.

Mr. Stimson was engaged in the business of a
farmer and stockman in the township of Geneseo
until the time of his demise. That event occurred
July 26t 1878. He was a man who commanded the
respect and esteem of his fellow citizens from the
uprightness of his character and the integrity in
which he discharged every known duty in his rela-
tions with them. He was a Democrat in his politi-
cal relations and views, and was a consistent
supporter of the tenets of that party.

^SW

I5>

obert L. Pritehard, a farmer on section
30, Alba Township, is a native of the
pu?&. ' "Green Isle." He was born in County
}\$? Down, and accompanied his parents to the
United States in 1865. A full account of
their lives, both in this and in their native
country, is given with the sketch of their son, Hugh
W., the brother of Mr. Pritehard of this sketch.
The latter was born in 1850, and was therefore a
well-grown lad when he came to the county where
he has since resided. He remained under the pa-
rental care and authority until he had passed the
years of his minority, attending district schools and
working on the farm.

The first eventful act of his life was his marriage
to Sarah Fleming. She is the daughter of John
Fleming, of Geneseo, who is living in retirement in
that city, whither he removed from the township of
Cornwall, where he was for many years a prosperous
farmer. (See sketch of John Fleming.) Mr. and
Mrs. Pritehard have one child, a daughter, born
Aug. 16, 1885.

Mr. Pritehard is one of the leading farmers of the
township in which he lives. He is the half owner of
an undivided tract of land in company with his

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296

HENRY COUNTY.

brother who has been named, and they are interested
in the management of their joint estate, where each
is making a success of the business of stock-rearing
on an extensive scale. The herds of Mr. Pritchard
consist of full-blooded Short -horn cattle, of which he
owns about 200, and he is the possessor of a num-
ber of thorough-bred Norman and English Draft
horses, also Clydesdales. The swine on the place
are of the Poland-China variety.

Mr. Pritchard is a Republican in political connec-
tion and belongs to the Congregational Church. He
has served in several official capacities in the town-
ship.

— <&-

-e~ -

oseph Weir. One of the prosperous, en-
ergetic and respectable farmers of Henry
County is Joseph Weir, who resides on
section 26, Clover Township. He was born
in Guernsey Co., Ohio, Aug. 13, 1827, and is
a son of Andrew and Ann (Duland) Weir, na-
tives of Ireland and Pennsylvania respectively, who
were engaged in the occupation of farming until
they emigrated West. On arriving in Illinois they
came to Clover Township, where he purchased 160
acres on section 36, and resided on the same until
his death.

Joseph, our subject, remained at home under the
influence of his parents until he reached his legal
majority, in the meantime having received a com-
mon-school education. After leaving the parental
roof-tree he engaged in farming by purchasing 80
acres of land on section 26, and later made another
purchase on section 23, of 160 acres. By his ener-
getic and industrious labor he has since put the
same under the best cultivation, and has erected a
beautiful house on section 26, where he resides.

Miss Margaret Davis, a native of Pennsylvania,
was the lady chosen to share the joys and sorrows,
successes and reverses, of the future with Mr. Weir,
in the year 1848. They have become the parents
of seven children, six of whom are living, namely .
Julia A., James L., Ella, William, Carrie and John
W., all of whom are married except the youngest ;
Ida is deceased.
Mr. Weir affiliates with the Democratic party, and

|A^§§ff—- ^^^ ^-A^fll II

with his wife belongs to the Christian Church. He^>
is one of the representative and worthy men of^
Henry County.

hbner Wilson is a well-to-do farmer in the

|£ township of Geneseo, and is located on

section 30. He was born in West Amwell,

Hunterdon Co., N. J., May 30, 1824. His

parents, Joseph and Sarah (Pitcock) Wilson,

were both natives of the same State where

their son was born.

Until the latter was 16 he remained on the farm,
and at that age he entered on an apprenticeship to
learn the business of a tanner. After passing foui
years in the business, and finding it altogether un-
congenial, he abandoned the project of making it the
pursuit of his life, and again turned his attention to ( J)
farming. He continued to operate in the capacity^
of agriculturist until 1845, when he went from his^
native place to Mercer County, where he rented ea
land and resumed the same business. He passed gift
three years on the place which he had rented, and==
in 1849 returned to the county in which he was^Y
born. In company with his brother William he

bought a farm in West Amwell, which they oper- . \
-i._j • a. a*. *u« nvn;-~»;nn «f *• '

ated in common two years. At the expiration of
that time he bought the claim of his brother, and
was the resident owner of the place until 1856,
when he sold it. He paid at the rate of $27 per
acre, and sold it for $50 per acre. At the time he
effected the sale his wife was in impaired health,
and he thought it best to make a change in the
locality of their home. Accordingly, he determined
to come West, and located in the county where he
has since been a citizen. He first made a purchase
of 80 acres on section 32, Geneseo Township, where
he made some improvements, and on which he pur-
sued his business as a farmer three years. He then
sold, and removed to a tract of 80 acres, which he
bought in the township of Munson. It was situated"®
on section 6, and was in a wholly unimproved con-
dition. He built a frame house, planted trees, and* J
set out hedges. He occupied the place until i874.^
when he removed to a farm which he had previ-^ ^
ously bought in the township of Geneseo, and which(&
has since been his field of operation. At the tinier

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HENRY COUNTY.

he took possession the place contained 80 acres,
all of which is in excellent condition for prosperous
farming. Mr. Wilson has set out fruit and shade
trees, and erected two sets of frame buildings. He
is interested in the growth of grain and live stock.

He was first married, in the State of New Jersey,
to Elizabeth La Rue, who was born in the town of
Delaware, in Hunterdon County. They have four
children now living, whose record is as follows :
Arabella is the wife of Thomas Clark; Rebecca
married William Duff; William and Albert are the
two younger. The first marriage of Mr. Wilson
took place Dec. 18, 1847. His wife died July 11,
1 88 1, and Mr. Wilson was again married in May,
1884, to Amanda, daughter of John D. Barnes, of
Geneseo. (See sketch.)

-*-

H. Simmons, residing on section 28, Clo-
ver Township, where he is engaged in the
occupation of a farmer, was born Jan. 4,
18 1 6, in Massachusetts, his parents being
Edward and Charity (Daggett) Simmons,
natives of Massachusetts, and where the father
followed the business of ship-carpenter.

W. H. Simmons was a resident of the parental
homestead until 1 2 years of age, having enjoyed the
advantages afforded by the common schools. After
leaving home he worked in a brick-yard for four
years. On attaining his 16th year he engaged to
learn the carpenter's trade, to master which he
served an apprenticeship for three years. Two
years after learning his trade he worked in Massa-
chusetts, and then went to Pennsylvania, where he
followed his trade for two years longer. His next
move was to Ohio, where he remained 12 years, all
the time engaged in working at his trade. In 1855
he came to this county and located at Kewanee,
where he worked at his trade for five years. He is
a skilled mechanic, and during the time that he has
been employed in the active prosecution of his trade
he has taken jobs that amounted to $10,000, and
has had in his employ as many as 40 hands at one
time. In i860 Mr. Simmons came to Clover Town-
ship, this county, and located on section 28, where
he had purchased 1 60 acres of land. He located on
this land, and by honest, energetic labor, good judg-

ment and economy he has added to his original pur-
chases, and now owns 20 acres adjoining his first
purchase of 160 ; also 160 acres on section 23, 60 on
section 24, 160 on section 20, 160 in Knox County,
320 acres in Kansas, and 240 acres in Iowa. His
accumulations of real estate is attributable to his
own indomitable energy and good judgment, coupled
with the active co-operation of his good helpmeet,
to whom he was united in marriage Dec. 9, 1839.
Her maiden name was Mary A. Briggs, and she was
a native of Massachusetts.

The issue of the union of Mr. and Mrs. Sim-
mons has been seven children, four of whom are
living : M. Eugenia, L. Alice, Evelinda A., and
Horace F.; M. Eugenia married Alfred Stickney,
and they have one child, Carrie A. ; L. Alice mar-
ried George A. Wood, at present residing in Boston,
Mass. Mr. Simmons, politically, is a supporter of
the tenets of the Democratic party. He has held
the different offices within the gift of the people of
his township, and is one of those gentlemen honored
and respected for their straightforward and manly
dealings with their fellow men.

-S3-

"<tt~-

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,aptain Joseph B. Brush, a pioneer of
Henry County of 1838, was born in New
York city, June 10, 1807, and is the
son of Ebenezer Brush. At the age of 11
he went to sea. The ship on which he sailed
was in the merchant service, and he followed
a seafaring life for 20 years, gradually rising in his
profession until he became the master of a brig.
He operated nine years in the merchant service be-
tween China and the city of Boston. In 1837 he
lost his vessel in the Baltic sea, and therewith closed
his connection with the pleasures and perils of a
seafaring life.

In the following year he came to Henry County
and settled in Morristown, where he became inter-
ested in farming. He was also occupied in the
prosecution of other business relations, and was the
first mail-carrier between Geneseo and Morristown.
He was engaged in that capacity two years.

On the first of April, 1836, he became the husband
of Naomi, daughter of John Brush, of Long Island.
She was born on that historic ground of the early

(!)

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^V&UHSliUf>^ ^&^

HENRY COUNTY.

career of this country. She is the mother of two
children, Henry E. and Naomi ; the latter is the
wife of William Hall, of Geneseo.

Captain Brash removed to Geneseo in 1856, and
has since been a citizen of that place. He was a
Whig in his early political relations, and in later
years has been independent. He has had an event-
ful life, and the detailed account of his adventures
by sea and land would fill a volume. He is in ad-
vanced life, but is passing his last years in cheerful
serenity.

i.amuel Pritchard, of the township of Alba,
became a citizen of Henry County in 1857.
He was born in County Down, Ireland,
Feb. 18, 1841, and when he was ten years of
age he came to the United States with his
brother William. They landed at the port of
New York and proceeded thence to the city of Phila-
delphia, where Samuel entered the employ of a flori-
culturist and remained in the same service six years.
At the end of that time he came to the township
where he is now a resident, and in company with
his brother he rented 75 acres of land, which they
managed jointly two years.

In the first year of the Civil War Mr. Pritchard en-
tered the military service of his adopted country.
He enlisted in Co. H, 126th 111. Vol. Inf., under
Capt. Thomas Martin. The regiment, commanded
by Col. Richmond, was mustered into service at
Alton, 111., and assigned to the 16th Army Corps,
General Hurlburt, Corps Commander. The com-
mand was ordered to Tennessee and thence to Vicks-
burg. After the successful termination of the siege
of that place the regiment was transferred to the
command of General Steele, of the Seventh Army
Corps, and was concerned in the prominent battles in
Arkansas while completing the term of enlistment.
Mr. Pritchard enlisted Aug. 9, 1862, and was honor-
ably discharged July 12, 1865, after the termination
of the war, at Pine Bluff, Ark.

He returned to Alba Township and entered upon
the career of a farmer, and has achieved the success
due to the quality of his efforts and the degree of his
industry. He deserves the reward of the patriot
who risks his life to secure the possession of a peace-

ful country, and the broad, well cultivated acres of
his beautiful farm show that Providence has approved
his course of action as well as the spirit in which
he has operated. He owns 440 acres of excellent
land, on which has been erected a fine dwelling-
house. The other buildings on the place are of a
suitable and useful character. In political faith, Mr.
Pritchard is a Republican, and has consistently sup-
ported the principles of his party. He is serving a
term as School Director. He is a member of the
Grand Army Post at Annawan, No. 290.

Dec. 3, 1868, he was married to Alice Pritchard, a
native of the County of Down, Ireland. Seven chil-
dren have been born to them, one of whom has
passed to the silence and mystery of the world of
the unseen. They were born in the following order :
Robert H., Mary J., William John, Elmer (died in
infancy), Alice G., David R. and Lizzie A. The
parents are connected in membership with the Con-
gregational Church.

— »j61-

. acob Smith, merchant at Colona, was born
in the county of Northumberland, England,
July 17, 1827. He is the oldest son of
Thomas and Jane (Robinson) Smith, and they
were residents in the colliery district in Eng-
land after 1833, when their son was six years of
they went then to the county of Durham and a
year later he went into the coal mines to work. He
was but seven years old ; but it is a well-known fact,
that in the English mines the smaller the child
who is placed there to work the better, in some par-
ticulars, as the veins of coal in some places are very
narrow. The labor he at first performed was that of
a pick-carrier. As he grew older he could do other
work and he operated in various capacities until he
reached the age of 19. He then commenced the
work of a regular miner.

During the earlier years of his life he had attended
the evening schools and had acquired a fair educa-
tion. He continued to work in the collieries of
Durham until 1853. In that year he came to America
and went at once to the State of Pennsylvania,
where there was an opportunity to obtain employ-
ment in the avenue in which he had spent the years
of his life thus far. He entered the coal mines at

age;

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HENRY COUNTY.

299

Johnstown and was there engaged from September,
1853, until July, 1854. He then came to Illinois
and located in the county of Rock Island. He oper-
ated as a miner there until Jan. 20, 1856, when he
came to Henry County. He engaged in mining in
Minersville, in Colona Township, where he continued
to work until his removal, in 1858, to the village
of Colona. He bought a building for the purpose of
engaging in mercantile affairs and put in a stock of
goods. He embarked in the enterprise in company
with James Bell, and they conducted their interests
jointly until they dissolved in 1861. In 1865 he
took in George Brown as a partner, who remained
with him until 1876. Since that date Mr. Smith has
pursued his business as a merchant alone. He keeps
a stock suited to the demands of a country trade,
and' is engaged in a popular and profitable business.
In 1851 he was married to Ann Smith, a native of
England.

athan B. Huntington, deceased, settled in
Henry County in 1854. From the date of
his removal hither to the time when fail-
ing health compelled his withdrawal from act-
ive participation in the affairs of the place, he
was a prominent factor in the furtherance of all
projects that seemed to bear a promise of permanent
benefit to the community with whose interests he
was identified.

He was a native of Ashford, Conn., and was born
Feb. 22, 1810. His father, Dr. Andrew Huntington,
was for a half century a practicing physician of Ash-
ford. The family is well known in New England,
and is of English Puritan descent. The original pro-
genitor on the American Continent was William
Huntington, who settled at Salisbury, Mass., in 1640.
Mr. Huntington came to the State in 1838, settling in
Tazewell Co., where he was engaged in farming un-
til his removal to Henry County. He made exten-
sive purchases of land, and became interested largely
in real estate, in the city and adjacent country. He
erected a considerable number of buildings, and
platted a tract of land in the southern portion of the
city, called " Huntington's Addition." In 1857 he
went to Elbridge, in the State of New York, where he

embarked in the wholesale manufacture of furniture
and owned a saw-mill. In 1862 Mr. Huntington
went from Elbridge to Galesburg, 111., and passed
the next ten years in farming in Knox County. At
the expiration of that time he returned to Geneseo to
pass the remaining years of his life. He was inter-
ested in the real-estate business during the time that
he was able to give his personal attention to his af-
fairs. His death occurred Aug. ro, 1885.

The character and influence of Mr. Huntington
were such in social and religious circles that his
death is a common loss. He was prominent in his
connection with the Congregational Church, in which
he was a Deacon for many years. He was a Re-
publican of decided opinions.

On the death of Deacon Huntington, one of the
local journals published the following memorial com-
ments on his character and influence, which are here
reproduced as eminently fitting, as coming from a
contemporary : " He strove to exemplify the princi-
ples of the Sacred Word in his own life. Careful in
arriving at conclusions, he sought always to be just
towards others, to find the right, then to maintain it
at whatever cost. Upon questions of principle there
was never a doubt where he would be found. In
business he was thorough, yet strictly honest, seek-
ing to observe the golden rule. In benevolence he
was large-hearted, having an open hand for every
deserving cause. The poor health of his last few
years was a great trial to him, in that it prevented
his attendance upon the services of the sanctuary
and his open participation in Christian labor. Still,
his interest in these things never flagged, nor did his
contributions thereto diminish."

The first wife of Mr. Huntington, to whom he was
joined in marriage May 16, 1833, was Matilda
Whiton previous to her union with him. She bore
three children — one daughter and two sons. John
married Harriet Smead and is a citizen of Sharon ,
Iowa. Maria is the wife of Cornelius H. Van Nech-
ten, of Elbridge, N. Y. The mother died Oct. 1,
1841. Mr. Huntington was a second time married
Dec. 9, 1841, to Rebecca Willard, whose death took
place May 3, 1849. The_ third marriage of Mr.
Huntington occurred Oct. 6, 1849, when Jane Chare-
voy became his wife. She was born Jan. 2, 1805,
and died in April, 1870. In 1872 Mr. Huntington
I was married to Mrs. Dr. R. J. Stough. Mrs. Hunt-

*§*>

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300

HENRY COUNTY.

\* ington was born at Harwich, Mass., and is the
(ji) daughter of Josiah and Deborah Smalley. Her an-
i%» cestors were Pilgrims and Puritans and the primal
T ancestor who came to America was on the May-
(%j flower. She came West in 1849 to accept a position
in Muscatine, Iowa, as tutor in a private family.

illiam Nowers, a farmer of extensive re-
lations, residing in the village of Atkinson,
came from the State of New York with his
parents to Illinois in 1847. His estate is
situated on sections 27 and 32, of the town-
I ' ship of Atkinson. He was born in the State of
New York, June 17, 1838, and is the son of Thomas
Nowers, an account of whose life and connection
with the business history of this section of Illinois is
given on other pages of this work. The son was
reared on a farm and has passed his life since he
^^ reached the period of his independence as a citizen,
^5 m l'ie prosecution of that business. He had only
ij8j the advantages of the common schools in which to
*= secure an acquaintance with books, but he is natur-
^JV ally observant and has at command all the acquisi-
^ tions to be gained from intimate associations with
the world of men and business. He is a Democrat
in political persuasion.

Mr. Nowers was married in December, i860, to
Miss Helen S. Scott. Their three children are liv-
ing and are named Edward, John S. and Gertrude.
The mother was born in the State of New York in
1838 and died in 187 1. Mr. Nowers was again mar-
ried in 1872 to Elizabeth Roberts. Their union oc-
curred Nov. 7, of the year named. Their two children
were born as follows: Lurena S, June 2, 1876;
William A., Oct. 8, 188 1.

■•o-C-o-

ohn M. Swanson, general farmer, on sec-
tion 1 , Lynn Township, is the son of Swan
Mangeson, who was a native of Sweden
and a farmer, and who was married in Jan-
spring Lan, to Sarah A. Larson. They are
both now deceased. Mr. Swanson was born
Dec. 21, 1820, and when 35 years of age, in 1856, he
came to America and settled in Opheim, Henry

County, where he first worked two years as a farm
laborer, and then rented for seven years. At the ex-
piration of this time he purchased 80 acres on sec-
tion 1, Lynn Township, about 1864, which was
unimproved prairie at the time. He has since pur-
chased 80 acres more, and on the whole tract he has
now a well improved farm and a thoroughly equipped
home ; he also is the proprietor of 90 acres of im-
proved land in Western Township.

He was married in his native country Dec. 28,
1845, to Anna E. Anderson, who was born in Jan-
spring Lan, Sept. 18, 1823; her parents both of
Swedish nativity, were farmers, and both now de-
ceased. Of the 1 1 children born in the family of
Mr. Swanson, four are deceased. The living are:
Christina, who married Valentine Miller, and lives
in Phillipsburg, N. J.; her husband is a manufac-
turer of gas-pipes, etc. ; Andrew is married and is a
skillful and reliable clerk in Cambridge; his wife's
name was Lena Carlson ; Charles resides in Wayne
Co., Neb., near Wayne City; Mary married Peter
Sundburg and resides in Osco Township, this
county; Tilla, Matilda, Joseph and Peter A. are at
home. The family are members of the Lutheran
Church at Andover, and the political views of Mr.
S. are in keeping with the principles of the Republi-
can party.

ilber F. Broughton, of Geneseo, has been
a resident in Henry County since 1858.
He was born Aug. 17, 1838, in Paines-
ville, Lake Co., Ohio, and is the son of John
and Sarah (Gundry) Broughton. He was
brought up on the homestead farm of his father,
and was 20 when he came to Illinois and located in
the county in which he has since lived, with the ex-
ceptions herein mentioned. In the spring of i860
he went to Pike's Peak, and returned in the fall of
the same year, fully satisfied with his trip.

He enlisted in the 112th Regt. 111. Vol. Inf. in
August, 1862. was one of the non-commissioned offi-
cers of Co. I, and was in the service about two years.
Aug. 8, 1864, he was severely wounded at the battle
of Eutaw Creek, near Atlanta. He came from the
field with four gunshot wounds, and his clothes
showed that seven balls had passed through them.
A musket ball carried away a part of his right hand,

3
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HENRY COUNTY.

and he has always since suffered from the conse-
quences of the action of that day. He received an
honorable discharge Nov. 25 following, on account
of disability caused by his injuries. After his return
to his home he became interested in the sale of ag-
ricultural implements, and in 187 1 established a
branch house at Oiion, in this county, meanwhile
maintaining his residence at Geneseo. He was con-
nected with the business there seven years. Since
1882 he has been operating in Nebraska.

Mr. Broughton is a Republican in political princi-
ples and connections, and in character is one whose
consistent and disinterested course has won for him
a permanent place in the esteem of those among
whom the later years of his career have been passed.

The marriage of Mr. Broughton to Mary P. Cole
took place at Geneseo, July 3, 1859. Mrs. Brough-
ton was born in Erie Co., N. Y., and she is the
daughter of John Cole. She has borne three chil-
dren, all daughters. They are named Gertrude M.,
Kittie A. and Ella D. Kittie was married Feb. 3,
1885, to J. F. Walsh, and they now reside at Lyons,
Rice Co., Kan.

arl P. Aldrich, deceased, was the second
settler in Henry County. He came here
in July, 1835, and located in Phenix
Township, or in that division of the county
which is now known by that name. He was
born Jan. 15, 1810, in Gloucester, Providence
Co., R. I., and was the youngest son of Samuel
I. and Eliza (Mann) Aldrich. His parents were
both natives of Rhode Island, and were of English
ancestry. They removed with their families to Tioga
Co., Pa., in 1817, and after a short residence there
they pushed on to Perry Co., Ohio. After a brief
tarry there, during which the mother died, they went
on to Pickaway Csunty, in the same State, where
they settled near Circleville. They were among the
earliest comers at every point they reached, but they
found so few attractions at the various stopping
places that they invariably pushed on to find a loca-
tion more satisfactory. After a brief stay in the
vicinity of Circleville, they made another removal
westward, and went to Tippecanoe Co., Ind.

There Mr. Aldrich was married, and he took his

wife to the home of his parents for a time. Soon
after he commenced life independently, and man-
aged as a renter until the year in which he settled in
Illinois. The journey was made overland, the family
traveling in a prairie schooner. The live stock they
owned was driven through, and included five yoke of
oxen, which were the draught power that brought the
quaint wagon that was home and shelter during the
trip across the country to Henry County. The party
consisted of Mr. Aldrich, and his wife and his father.
They carried with them their personal property and
provisions for the needed supplies on the route.
Their gipsy experience, while it had its" trials and
discomforts, was full of novelty and enjoyment of a
wholesome character. Their frequent removals pre-
viously had made them acquainted with inconveni-
ence, and they had learned to make the best of the
inevitable, which is the most useful lesson in life.
They came directly to Henry County, and settled at
first in Phenix Township. Mr. Aldrich entered a
claim on section 30, and with the assistance of his
wife and his father he built a loe; house. The roof
was covered with clapboards, and the floor was of
the kind called " puncheon." Until the structure
was completed the family lived in a camp and in
their wagon. Indians were plentiful, but they were
not troublesome, as the events of the Black Hawk
War were still fresh in their memory, and they pre-
ferred to conciliate their vanquishers and to live on
friendly terms. The wild game was abundant, and
included turkeys, hogs, deer and prairie-chickens.
The nearest posroffice was at Farmington, in Rock
Island County, which was then called Fort Stephen-
son. The only place of supplies was at the Govern-
ment store at Rock Island.

The house was built with the chimney on the out-
side. The latter was made of sods above the founda-
tion, and held together by sticks. The family had
at first no bedsteads, and slept on beds of hay on the
ground. In this building the first white child born
in Henry County first saw the light. This house was
the family abode three years. In 1838 Mr. Aldrich
built what was then called a double hewed-log
house, and it was of rather more aristocratic type
than the common structure of logs in which the pio-
neers made their first homes. It was two stories in
height, and was the residence of the household until
T856. In that year Mr. Aldrich bought a farm ad-
joining, and took possession of a brick house stand-

■^^ (3/^11 n® nflf>^ — s*$^

306

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HENRY COUNTY.

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ing thereon ; here he lived six years, then came back
to the old homestead and built a brick house, and
.this was his homestead until his death.

After arranging for the comfort of his family on his
removal to the county, Mr. Aldrich entered with
earnest vigor into the work of improving his farm.
He broke the land with the aid of ox teams, and he
sold his first crop of grain at Rock Island, and after-
ward sought a market at Chicago. The latter place
was 1 60- miles distant, and the wheat was sold there
for 50 cents a bushel.

The marriage of Mr. Aldrich to Caroline Imel took
place Sept. 27, 1882. Her father, George Imel, was
born in Shenandoah Co., Va. He was an emigrant
from that State with his parents to Indiana when the
latter was a Territory. He married Elizabeth Dur-
ham, who was born in South Carolina. Mr. Aldrich
died Nov. 20, 1880, of typhoid pneumonia. To him
and his wife nine children were born, and of the
number five grew to mature life : Henry S. married
Mary Richmond, of Whiteside County, and they
have two children, — Ellis A. and Halcyon. Mar-
shall M. married Samantha Richmond. Their chil-
dren'are Marshall M., Robert Edmund Lee, Earl P.,
Henry O., Mabel E. and an unnamed infant. Phila
N. married James L. Davies, a citizen of Phenix
Township. Commodore P. married Lucy G. Mc-
Henry, and died in 1878, leaving three children.
Silas W. married Emma McHenry, and died in May,
1882, leaving two children.

Mrs. Aldrich is still a resident on the homestead
where she settled in July, 1835, and is the oldest liv-
ing pioneer in this part of the county. She is a
member of the Christian Church. Mr. Aldrich was
a Democrat of conservative type.

The portraits of Mr. and Mrs. Aldrich are to be
found on other pages. None of more value to the
records of Henry County will be placed in this work.
Mrs. Aldrich is still the survivor of her husband.
The story of their pioneer experiences, told from a
woman's standpoint, is full of interest, and is given
with much satisfaction. She relates that their des-
tination was at first La Porte, Ind. They went
there early enough to get in a crop the year of their
removal; but the cold was unprecedented. June
20, everything froze. The prospects were most dis-
couraging, especially as the land was all held by
pre-emption rights and road -scrip, and none could
be entered. The frost coming at a time so unex-

pected settled the whole business and the family
came to the Rock River country, as has been told.
They camped at Prophetstown eight days, where
they remained until they could prospect sufficiently
to secure a suitable location.

July 28, the claim in the township of Phenix was
made. It was a squatters' claim, as the county sur-
vey had not yet been made. When the land sales
came on the title was secured, and the lady who
supplies these particulars is still in possession of the
original papers. About an acre of land was broken
at first, although it was too late to put in any kind of
a crop that year. But the proprietor busied himself
in constructing buildings and in cutting prairie hay
for the stock. The cooking was done out of doors.
They were obliged to go to Knoxville for all sup-
plies after the first, which were obtained from Fort
Stephenson, where the Rock Island Arsenal is now
located. The distance is 21 miles. The first mill-
ing was obtained at Le Claire, in Iowa. The mill
fixtures were of the primitive kind known as " nig-
ger-heads." This was in the fall of 1836, and three
men went at the same time to get some crushed
grain ; for it was little better. Mr. Aldrich took
with him about 12 bushels of wheat. The others had
their grists bolted, but he did not like to waste so
much as that process occasioned, and he brought
home the cracked wheat. The "bolt," so-called,
was only of thin factory cloth, and the waste was
enormous. The family had been four weeks with-
out bread, as there was no flour to be obtained at
Fort Stephenson.

The food of the pioneers was potatoes and " roast-
ing-ears " (generally pronounced " roas'n-ears ").
There was then a child in the Aldrich household, —
the first white male child born in the county, — and
he cried for bread. That made by Mrs. Aldrich
from the grist brought by her husband tasted too
strongly of bran. Her inventive resources were not
exhausted, and she took the crown of her wedding
cap, which was made of " bobinet lace,:' and, stretch-
ing it in a hair sieve, she sifted the flour and made
bread that was the pride and boast of the travelers
who stopped at the pioneer home, for the hospitality
that was never withheld nor grudgingly bestowed.
From the first they kept open house. Two men
came and stayed all night the third night after their
arrival, and partook of the accommodations, sleep-

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HENRY COUNTY.

ing in the camp and eating on a chest. They did
not have a stove until 1840.

The first Fourth-of-July celebration in the county
was held at the Aldrich house. There was a dance,
which was attended by 30 couples. Everybody at-
tended, to look on or to dance. Those who danced
paid $2 a couple : the remainder were fed without
charge, as there was plenty for all. Mrs. Aldrich
brought with her all the fixtures and supplies for
cloth-making against a time of need. In the winter
of 1836-7 she spun the rolls of wool she had brought
on the spinning-wheel that traversed the route in
the prairie-wagon. Mr. Aldrich and his father cut
and hewed the timber needed to make a loom, in
which were placed the reeds and other mechan-
ical appliances necessary to the structure, and the
harness was made by Mrs. Aldrich. She wove
about a hundred yards of cloth, from which the
needed clothing was made, besides a pair of bed-
blankets.

Mr. Aldrich kept public house about \\ years. It
formed the first stage station between Rock Island
and Dixon, and the changes of horses were kept
there as long as the Frink & Walker stages run.
The Indians . were plentiful but very friendly, and
they were especially interested in the baby, the first
white child many of them had ever seen. The story
of the pioneer settler in any part of the country has
its own local interests, and- it matters not how many
times the tale is repeated ; it never grows tiresome
or stale. But a few more years will see the last of
the first settlers in Henry County, and the stories
then remaining untold will pass to the oblivion of
everlasting silence.

-* #-# S-

■fcm ndrew E. Aldeen, of the firm of Engdahl
& Aldeen, at Geneseo, was born in Sweden,
wUsT Apr'l 1 Pi 1845. He was instructed in the
practical knowledge of the details of his busi-
ness in his native country, whence he came in
1868. On his arrival in the United States he
came immediately to Henry County. He came to
the city in which he is now in business in 1872, and
obtained a situation to work at his trade. The years
inclusive from 1875 to 1878 he passed at Ottawa.
At the expiration of that time he returned to Gen-

-^g^ — ©a^dhi

eseo and formed the partnership in which he has
since been interested.

His marriage to Anna Anderson took place at
Geneseo in 187 1. The young wife died 15 months
after she was married. In 1879, Mr. Aldeen was
again married, to Carrie Olson. They have two
children:- Stella L. was born Aug. 7, 1880; Delia
was born Oct. 5, 1883.

The parents are members of the Swedish Lutheran
Church. In political connection and action Mr. Al-
deen is a Republican.

eorge A. Carter, Supervisor of Edford
Township, has been a land-holder in
Henry County since 1865-6. He was
born March 1, 1845, i° Ashland Co., Ohio.
His parents, Leander and Nancy (Richison)
Carter, were natives of the State of Vermont,
and they settled soon after their marriage in the
Buckeye State. The date of their removal there was
1835. The father was a farmer, and he died on his
farm in Ohio, in 1878. The family included nine
children. Eight still survive.

Mr. Carter was reared to manhood in his native
county. In the days of his youth he was an attend-
ant at the public schools, and as soon as his size
and strength permitted he made himself useful on
the home farm. Just before he attained his majority
he came to Henry County, as has been stated. As-
sociated with P. H. Beveridge, he bought 400 acres
of land on sections 34 and 35 in Edford Township,
and has since been a resident of the same township.
Mr. Beveridge was for a time a resident of the town-
ship, but is now a business man in the city of
Chicago. Mr. Carter is the resident manager of the
estate. While living in Henry County, Mr. Bever-
idge was one of the ablest and most useful citizens,
and served as County Treasurer two terms. Mr.
Carter has been engaged to a considerable extent in
the business of a stock-grower and general farmer.
The property of 400 acres is all in improved condi-
tion and supplied with all suitable farm fixtures.
The buildings are ot excellent type and include all
that are necessary on a first-class stock-farm.

Mr. Carter was married Feb, 23, i88r, to Miss
Sarah Beveridge. Mrs. Carter was born in Ashland,
Ohio, was a daughter of Peter and Ann (Watt) Bev-

vf*

eridge, and her parents were natives of Aberdeen,
Scotland.

In political faith, Mr. Carter is a Republican, and
he has been in active public life in the affairs of his
township for some years. He has served as Justice
of the Peace four years.

* -«- *

F. Sargent has been connected with the
|L business history of Geneseo since 1858,
the year in which he fixed his residence
there. He is the senior member of the manu-
facturing firm of D. F. Sargent & Son, who
engaged in the prosecution of one of the
most prominent industries at that place.

On coming to Henry County he opened a black-
smith shop, and, as he believed that the time and
place warranted the trial of a new business venture,
in 1861 he commenced the manufacture of wagons
in connection with his other business relations. In
1872, his son, A. F. Sargent, became interested in
the concern and they entered upon the exclusive
manufacture of carriages. Ten years later they be-
gan to make the Maple City Road Cart, of which
the junior member of the firm was the patentee.
This was succeeded in August, 1883, by the substi-
tution of the Geneseo Road Cart, as the article of
manufacture, and which is the joint product of the
inventive genius of A. F. Sargent and R. D. Farrell,
and they are the patentees. A. F. Sargent pur-
chased the claim of Mr. Farrell and the elder Sar-
gent became the owner of a proprietary interest in it
by purchase. The business has assumed extensive
proportions and the house is engaged in the prose-
cution of a popular trade. They manufacture about
800 carts annually and employ 14 assistants. They
find market chiefly in the West and South. Their
vehicles have won speedy and permanent recogni-
tion, and the reputation of being of the most desir-
able character as a road or business cart, and one
that is free from horse or shaft motion.

D. F. Sargent was born in New London, Merrimac
Co., N. H., May 23, 1825. His father, Daniel Sar-
gent, was a native of the same place. The son ac-
quired a knowledge of the trade of a blacksmith in
the city of Boston and he was engaged in it in that
city several years. He transferred his interests from

there to Sutton, N. H., and thence at a later date to
Mill Village. In 1858 he came to Geneseo, as has
been stated in connection with the account of his
business career.

In addition to a considerable amount of property
in Geneseo he owns a fine farm in the township of
Phenix, which contains 147 acres. . He also owns a
tract of land in Hamilton Co., Iowa.

Mr. Sargent is one of the most esteemed citizens
of Geneseo. His course of life and his interest in
the general welfare have amply testified to his pub-
lic spirit and the type of manhood that he represents,
and his value in the community of which he is a
member is fully recognized.

He has been in former years an adherent of the
Republican element in politics, but has 'adopted the
issues of the Prohibitionists.

Mr. Sargent has been twice married. Jane Foss
became his wife in the East. She was a native of
Bangor, Me., and died in Geneseo, April 3, 1862.
She was the mother of three children: Anzonettie
J. is the wife of Horace Ford, of Guthrie Co., Iowa;
Adaline is in the millinery business in Sheffield, 111.,
and Adelbert F. married Vienna Huson and is in
business with his father. The second wife of Mr.
Sargent was, previous to her marriage, Miss Abra E.
Dunning. She was born in Weybridge, Vt. They
are the happy parents of four daughters — Lillie,
Jessie, Clara and Gertrude. Mr. and Mrs. Sargent
are members of the Methodist Church.

■ww««*2a£rt5'$@

b^^Q/JZrcrev* -vw*

ames Slater, a retired farmer occupying
sections 15 and 22, Clover Township, was
born Oct. 5, 1 801, in Pennsylvania. His
father, James Slater, was a native of England,
a farmer, and died in Pennsylvania ; his mother,
nee Mary Farmer, was born in Germany, and
died in the State of Ohio.

Arriving at the age of 16 years, and receiving a
common-school education, Mr. Slater left home and
struck out into the world as a laborer, in Ohio. At
the age of 20 years' he purchased a tract of timber
land, and commenced the work of clearing it and
laying the foundations for a comfortable and perma-
nent home ; but after a residence there of ten years,
he removed to a farm in Muskingum County, same

■^^ q/^?im

HENRY COUNTY.

— i*

(2;

« El

State, and resided there for 30 years ; but finally, in
1865, he sold out and purchased a quarter-section in
Clover Township, this county, where he now lives,
carrying on general farming, and also enjoying the
fruits of a well spent life and the result of the earn-
ings of many years of industrious toil.

His marriage to Rose Simmons, a native of Massa-
chusetts, occurred in 182 1, and by that union there
were four children, all of whom are now dead. For
his second wife Mr. Slater married Elizabeth. A.
Young, who was born in Loudoun Co., Va., in Feb^
ruary, 1832 ; and of the eight children by this mar-r
riage five are living: George J., Isaac J., Martha
M., Susan and Christopher C.

Politically,. Mr. Slater is Democratic, and religious-
ly is a member of the Christian Church, while Mrs.
S. belongs to the Methodist Episcopal Church.

„mery C. Graves, City Attorney of Gen-
eseo, established his business as an - attor-
ney at that place in 1876. He was born
I S. in the town of Cherry Creek, in Chautauqua
Co., N. Y., Jan. 19, 1853. The personal ac-
count of his parents, Calvin and Martha
(Kingsley) Graves, is presented on another page of
this volume. The family came to the State of Illi-
nois in the spring of the year in which the birth of
the son occurred. They settled on a farm in York-
town Township, where the young gentleman who
had seen but three months of existence passed his
boyhood. He was a youth of a good mental caliber
and made the most of the advantages afforded by the
primary schools, with a view to obtaining a more ex-
tended education in some institution of acknowledged
repute, and he accordingly matriculated at the Wis-
consin State University at Madison, and was gradu-
ated there with the class of 1874, when he had just
passed his majority. The_ degree of LL. D. was
conferred on him, and he entered upon his practice
in the city of Janesville, Wis.; and in July, 1876, he
commenced his business as an attorney at Geneseo.
The qualifications of Mr. Graves and his method of
practice have achieved for him a well-merited popu-
larity in his profession, and he has acquired a repu-
tation as an expounder of law and as an advocate

which have placed him in the front rank of his pro-
fession.

He has been twice elected to the position of City
Attorney, being re-elected in 1885 to a second term.
Mr. Graves is a Republican by inheritance and prin-
ciple, and he has cast his vote with that party since
he attained the privileges of his citizenship. He is
liberal in his religious views.

His marriage to Miss Flora Spurlock took place
Oct. 3, 1878. She was born in Abingdon, 111. Their
daughter is named Flora. She is their only child.

V©

ewis Slawson is one of the progressive and
energetic farmers of Henry County. He
resides on section 1 9, Clover Township, and

the date of his birth was Aug. 1, 1838, the
I1) State of his nativity being New York. His

parents by name were Tryansel and Mary
(Tenyck) Slawson, natives of New York. His father
is yet living in Albany County, that State, his mother
having died in the same county in 1854.

Lewis Slawson, until he was T9 years of age, was
under the care of his parents, having been sent by
them to the common schools, in which he procured
a good English education. His years prior to the
age named, when not spent in school, were passed
on the farm, assisting the father in the labors there-
on. At an early age he left home and came to
Galesburg, this State, where he was engaged in labor
by the month for some 15 months. At the expira-
tion of that' time he came to this county, and soon
thereafter purchased a team, rented a farm, which
he cultivated for one year, and at the expiration of
that time was compelled to sell his team in order to
pay his rent. He again engaged in farm labor by
the month, at which he labored for nine months. In
i860 he again purchased a team, and again rented a
farm, which he cultivated for a time, and then worked
out again for nine months. Once more he rented a
fariu, and this time was successful in its cultivation,
making some money, and continued to work in that
manner until 1863. During that year he purchased
80 acres of land, located on section 35, Clover Town-
ship. In 1869 he sold this and purchased 160 acres
on section 19 of the same township. He moved on
the land and at once engaged in its cultivation and

ci)

3i°

HENRY COUNTY.

improvement, and has continued to reside thereon
until the present time, meeting with success in the
vocation which he has pursued all his life. In addi-
tion to his landed interests in this county, he is the
proprietor of 320 acres in Kansas.

Mr. Slawson's marriage to Miss Wilhelmina P.
Houghton, a native of Vermont, occurred Dec. 25,
1866. Four children have been born of their union
— Horace, Luella, Edith and Caroline.

Mr. Slawson, politically, is a Greenbacker, and
- socially is a member of the I. O. O. F.

soooe

\ hilip Sand, a prosperous farmer of Loraine
Township, has been a resident of Henry

f^?5 County since 1847. He was born inHesse-

$J Darmstadt, Germany, April 17, 1815, and is
the son of George and Catherine Sand. He
passed the years of his minority in the manner
common in his native country, — in school from the
age of 6 to 14, and afterward was variously occupied
until he left Germany to seek a better opportunity
for himself than that afforded in his native land,
where the chances in life are under hereditary mo-
nopoly. He sailed from Germany to the United
States in 1836 and landed at the port of Baltimore
after a journey on the sea of 60 days. He was prac-
tically penniless and the first move he made was in
pursuit of work, which he had no difficulty in pro-
curing. He passed a few months on a farm in
Maryland and went thence to Ohio. There he ob-
tained a situation in a blacksmith shop at $14 per
month, but he was enabled to save little, as he had
his board to pay out of his wages.

A year later he came to Illinois and stopped at
Rock Island, where he learned to run a steam en-
gine in a saw-mill and continued to operate in that
capacity two years. At the expiration of that time,
in company with several others, he made a trip
down the Mississippi in a yawl-boat to the city of
New Orleans, in search of employment. Their quest
was unsuccessful, and they returned to Vicksburg,
There they found occupation in the way of chopping
cord-wood, in which line of business Mr. Sand was
but a short time interested, as he soon after obtained
a situation as engineer on a steam ferry-boat on the
river, a position he occupied five years.

In 1847, he came to Henry County, and at once

entered a claim on the west half of the southwest
quarter of section 21, Loraine Township, and for
three years ensuing he rented land of C. H. Kem-
mis, on section 10. He then built a log house on
his own property, of which he took possession when
it was completed, and entered into the work of a
farmer. He had a pair of horses, a cow and calf
and a litter of pigs. This constituted his live stock,
and he has since prosecuted the various branches of
mixed husbandry with the success due to well di-
rected efforts and untiring industry. He is now
(1885) the owner of 580 acres of land. The build-
ings are of the best and most approved character
for farm purposes, and the stock includes a large
herd of cattle, horses, hogs and poultry.

Mr. Sand was married in 1846 to Frances Rink, a
native of Germany. Their children are Joseph,
Felix, David, Francis, Albert, Charles, Sarah and
Philip. Joseph and Frances reside in Minnesota.
The latter is the wife of David Beers.

^«^-

ohn Goss, one of the most respected and
honored citizens of Geneseo in the ca-
pacity of a business man, is the pioneer
lumber dealer at the place, where he estab-
lished his trade in that line in 1855. In 1865
he became associated with his nephew and
namesake, John W. Goss, and their commercial re-
lations are still maintained. The firm handle about
2,000,000 feet of lumber annually, and also sell a
yearly average of $1,500 tons of coal.

Mr. Goss was born May 26, 18 10, in Worcester
Co., Mass. He is the son of John and Rebecca
(White) Goss. He was trained in a complete knowl-
edge of the business of a bricklayer, and he was
known for the excellence of his work. At 19, he
went to Boston, where he operated in the line of his
trade until he came to Chicago, and there embarked
in mercantile life, and continued his relations therein
in that city until 1843. In that year he returned to
Boston and remained a citizen of " the Hub " ten
years. He then came to Chicago and passed one
year there.* In 1855 he made a permanent removal
to Geneseo; and at once embarked in the lumber
traffic, in which he has operated 30 consecutive
years.

He was married in Boston, March 28, 1837, to

■s^r <5/'feU®|||j>aqg — a"€^*:

■6v^na®nn&'/c) j&k-

— §^Xh

HENRY COUNTY.

Miss Geraldine Poole. They have two children,
both daughters : Maria L. is the wife of George A.
Kellogg, of Colorado : she was born in Boston ; and
Martha, Mrs. Frank Curtis, was born in Chicago :
they live in Colorado. Their mother died in 1843.
The marriage of Mr. Goss to Mrs. Rebecca Lein-
inger took place in January, 1874. She is the
daughter of M. Zerbie, and was the widow of B. S.
Leininger. She is a native of Pennsylvania.

In the days of his first political connections and
interest, Mr. Goss was a Whig, but he had imbibed
Free-Soil sentiments, and on the formation of the
Republican party he joined its ranks and has been
from that date one of its most consistent adherents.
The religious belief of Mr. Goss coincides with the
tenets of the Unitarian Church.

Lamuel B. Bandall, agent of the United
States Express Company, Police Magis-
trate, and insurance agent, resident at
Cambridge, was born April 1, 1831, in Wall-
ingford, Rutland Co., Vt. He is the son of
John and Rosalinda (Davidson) Randall. His
father was born in the same place in 1786, and was
the son of John Randall, a native of Rhode Island.
The latter was a soldier in the War of the Revolu-
tion, and was in the action at Monmouth, N. J., and
fought through the entire course of the war, with the
exception of a short time when he was held a prisoner
in Canada, having been captured at Fort Washing-
ton. In 1838 the family left Wallingford and went
to Litchfield, Bradford Co., Pa., and they were there
resident until 1851, when the father, mother, and a
brother and sister came with Mr. Randall to Cam-
bridge, settling on a farm on section ir.

Mr. Randall was educated primarily at the com-
mon schools, and as he was fond of books he made
the most of his leisure by study, and thus acquired
a mental training of the most practical value. After
coming to Henry County he taught about ten terms
of school. He bought a farm on the southwest quar-
ter of section 1 1 , on which he spent the agricultural
seasons in farming until 1865. He then established
a small mercantile enterprise at what was then East
Cambridge, and he also operated largely as a buyer
of wild game, poultry and furs, which he bought

chiefly of hunters, his traffic commonly averaging
$45 daily. On one day he shipped 1,200 quails, the
result of four days' purchase. He made shipments
to the city of New York. After three years' opera-
tions he came to Cambridge, where he bought the
mercantile interests of James Mascall and engaged
in business, in which he was interested until 1873.
His relations took extensive shape, and if the crisis
in the year named had not caused a fatal shrinkage
of values, the enterprise would have had a very dif-
ferent ending. The hasty action of a New York firm
caused the suspension of the business at a time when
none of its liabilities which had matured were un-
paid.

Mr. Randall was trained a Douglas Democrat, but
his conversion to the most radical Republicanism
was the work of but the shortest space of time possi-
ble, and was effected by the tidings that the rebels
had fired on the flag of the United States at Fort
Sumter. Mr. Randall was elected Justice of the
Peace in 1857 and served 12 years. In 1883 he was
elected Police Magistrate of Cambridge.

He has officiated as agent of the United States
Express Company since the establishment of their
office at Cambridge, in 1870.

He was married July 4, 1855, to Lucy A., daugh-
ter of Daniel and Lucy A. Williams. She was born
in Onondaga Co., N. Y., and was married in Daven-
port, Iowa. She died June 28, 1882, of cancer. Feb.
1, 1883, Mr. Randall was again married to Anna
Louisa Carlson, daughter of Carl Peter Samuelson.
The maiden name of her mother was Christine John-
son. Her parents both died when she was four
years old, their deaths occurring within the same
week. They had four children — two sons and two
daughters. Mrs. Randall was born Dec. 25, 1864, at
Hulsby, Fingard, Alsada, Sweden. She is the mother
of two children : Frank A., born Nov. 1, 1883 ; and
Samuel J., April 18, 1885.

The ancestors of Mr. Randall were remarkable for
tenacity of life. His paternal grandsire lived to the
age of 90, and his grandmother attained to great age.
Following is the record of his brothers and sisters:
Albert, born March 15, 1810, died May 14, 1864;
Edwin, born May 20, 1812, died March 31, 1813;
John O., born Jan. 12, 1815, died May 20, 1816;
Lucina M., born April 15, i8i7,died Feb. 23, 1840;
Edwin D., born Dec. 7, 1819, is still living: Abel M.,
born Dec. 22, 1821, became a member of the 112th

!&
A

^€^ Q/-&H A® Mli^A^ s^g^n

-*&>

*@§Jf

> 312

HENRY COUNTY.

-«#

§*t^£

111. Vol. Inf., and was killed in a military charge,'
May 14, 1864, at Resaca, Ga. ; John, born April 21,
1824, is living; Sarah E., born May 22, 1826, died
Feb. 17, 1833; Electa A., born June 1, 1829, died
Feb. 26, 1830; Samuel R is next in order of birth;
Sarah M., born Oct. 11, 1833. died about 1874.
John Randall, the father, was born Aug. 15, 1785,
and died Dec. 26, 1863. Rosalinda Randall, the
mother, was born Jan. 28, 1791, and died Dec. 26,
1866.

[lexander White, Superintendent of the

|( Water Works at Geneseo, is also a hard-
■111=— -*M4
©K^tsT ware merchant at that place, where he

Jpkk has prosecuted the latter business since 1879.
He was born March 1, 1829, in Washington
Co., N. Y., and is the son of James and Jane
(Hall) White. His father was a native of the north
of Ireland, and came to the United States in child-
hood. The mother was born in the State of New
York.

Mr. White passed the years of his boyhood and
youth in the State of his nativity, and there he ac-
quired a complete knowledge of the business of a
machinist, for which he had a natural genius. In
the fall of 1853 he came to |Illinois and settled in
the county of De Kalb. He came thence to Gene-
seo in the spring of 1855. He devoted the next few
years to the perfecting of an important invention
known as White's Steam Governor, and in 1859 he
erected a structure for the ^purpose of its manufac-
ture. In 1865 the firm of Hammond, White & Co.
was formed for the manufactureQof stoves at Gene-
seo, the members of the association being A. H.
Hammond, I. D. Ruggles and Mr. White. The
business of the house was managed at Geneseo until
1870, when the firm removed their relations to Rock
Island, and there were incorporated as the Rock
Island Stove Company. Mr. White was made su-
perintendent and for upwards of five years officiated
as secretary and superintendent. In r879 he, re-
moved again to Geneseo and established the busi-
ness of a hardware merchant, and has continued the
management of his relations therewith ever since.

The connection of Mr. White with the inventions
of the West has been of marked importance, as he
has made several which have had a local value,

notably those relating to the improvement of stoves
used in burning the soft coal, which is one of the
leading resources of Henry County. He invented a
self-feeding soft coal burner, whose value is obvious
to those who have used that article of fuel. His in-
vention was the first of its kind in the market. An-
other, of nearly equal practical utility, was that of a
perforated attachment in the rear of mica windows,
to prevent their becoming smoked, and which has
been widely adopted and has been in general use for
a period of 13 years.

Mr. White was a Democrat in the days of his
early citizenship, but when the evolutions of the
Whigs transformed the issues of the political ele-
ments he adopted those of the Free-Soil party, and
on the regular organization of the Republicans he fell
into line and has since been an inflexible supporter
of its principles. He has served two terms as Alder-
man of Geneseo.

The marriage of Mr. White to Edith M. Munson
occurred in Washington Co., N. Y., March ro, r8so.
She was a native of that county and is the daughter
of Nathaniel Munson, a prominent citizen of the
county. Mr. and Mrs. White have had three chil-
dren, only one of whom is living — Ella R. Two died
in infancy. The parents are members of the Pres-
byterian Church.

*
&

-§3-

-€S-

bomas Nowers, Sr., a retired merchant of
Atkinson, was born in the parish of Len-
han, Kent Co., England, Aug. 24, 1805. In
1830 he came to the United States and located
at first in Oneida County, in the State of New
York. There is a portion of the beautiful lake
which bears the name of the county, which is called
the " Bar,'' and Mr. Nowers settled on that particu-
lar spot. He was there a resident about r7 years,
and was heavily engaged in the management of sev-
eral saw-mills and in the lumber trade. In 1847 he
removed to Mercer Co., 111. After about one year
he came thence to Moline, in the county of Rock
Island. He was then the proprietor of the " Moline
House " three years, and in 1857 he came to the
county where he has since resided, and where he has
been identified to a considerable extent with the de-
velopment and progress ^of the business interests.

3sa>-

■e^nn®

\§ — ^^^

HENRY COUNTY.

<!>

He was a farmer until 1861, when he commenced to
operate in grain at Atkinson, and also established a
store in connection with that enterprise. He was as-
sociated with Mr. Dean for a time, the firm style
being Nowers & Dean. At the expiration of a year
their relations were brought to a close and Mr.
Nowers received into partnership with himself his
oldest son. They purchased the interest of Mr.
Dean, and the affairs of the firm were transacted un-
der the name of Nowers & Son. After a continuous
trade of 20 years, Mr. Nowers sold out to his two
sons, John and Thomas. (See sketches.) Henry
Lyon was also associated with the sons of Mr. Now-
ers for a time. At the date of his disposal of his
business, Mr. Nowers retired from active connection
with any business. He has been prominent in the
administration of the affairs of the local government
and has served 15 years as Highway Commissioner.
He has acted as Supervisor three years, also County
Treasurer one year.

Mr. Nowers was married Oct. 26, 1830,10 Decima
Foster. She is a native of England. Of their nine
children seven are living. Thomas was born Feb.
2, 1834; John F., Jan. 20, 1837 ; William, June 17,
1838; Elizabeth, Sept. 10, 1840; Mary and Edward
(twins), Dec. n, 1842; Louisa, May 2, 1845 ; James,
Aug. 7, 1847 ; Henry C, Jan. 4, 1852. They are all
married. The mother died March 22, 1875. She
was a communicant in the Church of England, as is
Mr. Nowers. He has 18 grandchildren and one
great-grandchild.

3&HgS

e3*-£-*«

:j rof. Wm. A. Metealf, of the commercial
department of the Collegiate Institute at

WF$ Geneseo, was born June 24,1844, in Keno-

•s '*

sha Co., Wis. He is the son of Francis and
Ophelia M. (Kellogg) Metealf. His father was
a merchant, and in 1854 removed his family to
the city of Boston, where he conducted his interests
in the same avenue six years, returning at the end of
that time to Wisconsin. Prof. Metealf was then 16,
and he had been carefully educated in the English
branches of study. He matriculated at Lawrence
University, in his native State, and was graduated
there with the class of 1867 . He went next to War-
saw, Wis., in the same year, and after passing one

year there in teaching he attended the Observatory
in Chicago as a student, and continued there two
years. In 187 1 he became an attache of the Lake
survey, with which he was connected seven years.
He passed two years (1873-4) at the Northwestern
University at Evanslon, where he was employed in
the capacity of teacher of civil engineering. He
passed five years in the position of a book-keeeper in
the city of Detroit, Mich. ; and in 1884 came to
Geneseo to enter upon the duties of the situation he
is at present filling.

He was married in Detroit June 23, 1874, to Hat-
tie Wilcox, and they are the parents of one child, —
Harry W.

alentine Sieben, a farmer of Phenix Town-
ship, is a native of Hesse-Darmstadt, Ger-
many. He was born Oct. 14, 1839, and is
\*t the son of Joseph and Aboline Sieben, who
( were both natives of the same German province.
, He was a pupil in the public schools of the
place where he was born, and after he reached a
suitable size he became a farm assistant. The fam-
ily came to the United Slates in 1852, and settled
in Whiteside County, this State. The son came to
Henry County and engaged in farming in the town-
ship of Phenix, and for his services he received at
first 25 cents a day and boarded himself. He made
his home for five years with Joshua Crocker, for
whom he worked a considerable portion of the time.
When he was 15 and 18 years of age he received
from $12 to $16 per month as wages during the agri-
cultural seasons of the year. He worked as he found
suitable situations until i860.

On the 10th of July in that year he was married
to Caroline Butzer, and they have five surviving chil-
dren, who are named Fred, Annie, Ella, Carrie and
Frank. The oldest child, George, died when he was
eight years of age. Two others died in infancy.
The mother is the daughter of George Frederick
Butzer, of whom a sketch is given on other pages of
this work. Her parents are pioneers of Henry
County, where she was born.

For a time after he was married, Mr. Sieben
passed the seasons in breaking prairie and in thresh-
ing. In 1862, associated with his brother-in-law,

^^ qj^qw&w&**§ — ^g^

■J

. 3'4

^y<V-

^isif^K

HENRY COUNTY.

Jacob Butzer, he bought a threshing-machine. In
the year following he bought the first land he ever
owned, consisting of 200 acres on section 3 in the
same township in which he has since lived. He
took possession of the farm in September of the year
in which he bought it, and it has since been his
homestead. He has built a large frame house and
two barns, which are respectively 40 x 64 feet and
58x72 feet in dimensions. The place is finely
stocked with good grades of horses and cattle.

Mr. S. is now serving his 14th year as Road Com-
missioner, and his 18th year as School Director of
his district.

l^lisha M. Stewart, who removed to Kan-
sas in the fall of 1879, was one of the
Geneseo Colony, and settled near the site
of that city in 1836. He was born in Livings-
ton Co., N. Y., and was 17 when he accom-
panied the family of his father to Illinois. He
was married March 9, 1848, to Clarissa Cone, who
was the daughter of one of the members of the same
colony. They had five children, — three sons and
two daughters. In the autumn of 1879 the family
removed to Butler Co., Kan.

^on. John Tufts, deceased, formerly a resi-
dent on section 25, Edford Township, was
born Sept. n, 1814, in.Wardsborough, Wind-
ham Co., Vt. His father, Rev. James Tufts, was
a clergyman in the Congregational Church at
Wardsborough for 47 years. He was a native
of Worcester Co., Mass., as was his wife, who before
her marriage was named Submit Hayden. After
their marriage they removed to Vermont, where the
father was in the active ministry, and was also the
owner of a farm on which his children were reared.

Mr. Tufts was educated with care, and finished
his general education at Brattleboro, in his native
State, and he also attended school in Massachusetts.
He passed the winter seasons for several years in
teaching, and was employed in the agricultural por-
tion of the years in the management of his father's

®^i#!

JSS^fZL

-cxA

farm. He took a prominent part in general affairs
from the time he completed his education, and, be-
ing gifted with uncommon fluency of speech, he found
abundant opportunity for the exercising of his talents
in that direction in religious matters, and also in
political circles, in both of which he became prom-
inent and popular. His interest in the promotion of
the general welfare frequently brought him forward
as a candidate for official positions, and he served a
number of years as Justice of the Peace, and twice
represented his native State in the General Assem-
bly in the capacity of Senator.

In r856 he came to Henry County and located on
section 25 of the township in which he passed the
remainder of his life. He purchased the southwest
quarter, on which slight improvements had been
made in the way of breaking a few acres of ground,
and also in the erection of a small frame house.
He devoted his time and energies to the improve-
ment of the place, which he put in advanced agri-
cultural condition and erected good and suitable
buildings for the requirements of his farm and family.
His death occurred Feb. 15, 1885.

Mr. Tufts was prominent through a long term of
years for his active interest in the Congregational
Church, of which he became a member in early
youth. Soon after his removal to Henry County he
was made a Deacon of the local Church at Geneseo,
and he continued in the position until his death.
He was ever an earnest friend of the Sunday-school,
and when he died he occupied the position of Super-
intendent of the Ninth District of Henry County.
He was equally active and prominent in the promul-
gation of the principles of temperance, and he was
in the habit of expressing his solicitude for the public
welfare. In physical development he was of fine
proportions, being six feet in height and of symmetri-
cal build. He possessed a genial disposition, and
was remarkable for his ability to say the right thing
at the right time.

Feb. 11, 1847, he was united in marriage to Des-
demona, daughter of Calvin and Mary B. (Hall)
Barber. The parents were born in Worcester Co.,
Mass., and the daughter was a native of Townsend,
Vt., whither her parents had removed. Her birth
occurred May 23, 181 9. After the marriage of Mr.
and Mrs. Tufts they settled at the parsonage, and
the husband managed the home farm until the year
in which the family came to Illinois. Seven chil-

5Hh^a^ — ^^-

HENRY COUNTY.

■**%

dren were born to them, of whom there are six sur-
vivors. John C. resides at Sioux Falls, Dak., and
he is a farmer. Ella S. married Winfield Scott, and
they live in Olin, Jones Co., Iowa. James P. lives
at Grinnell, Iowa. Arthur is a practicing physician
at Sioux Falls, Dak. Edward W. is a farmer at the
same place. Francis B. is the manager of the home-
stead.

-5-

"4**-

and

Fhomas W. Glenn, Assessor and Justice of
the Peace, resident in the township of Co-
lon a, was born Nov. 30, 1846, in Clinton
Co., Ohio. He is the only son of Jacob and
Julia (Daggett) Glenn. His father was the
son of James and Sarah (Shoafanstall) Glenn,
was born Nov. 8, 1809, in the State of Ken-
tucky. The mother was born in Virginia, in 181 1.

The son was nine years of age when his parents
went to Washington Co., Ky., and they resided in
that State two years. They went thence to Ohio,
and settled in Clinton County. Jacob Glenn grew
to the age of manhood there, and when he was of a
suitable age he learned the trade of a cooper. He
worked at it in his native county when he was a
resident therein. His brothers, James and Thomas,
were the first settlers in Henry County who built a
house in its limits, and he came here also at an
early day, and was among the first to explore the
territory, but could not persuade his family to re-
move here for a number of years. He continued a
resident of Clinton County until 1854, when he re-
moved to Colon a Township, this county, and bought
a farm on section 32, which had been partly im-
proved. He was from that time a citizen of the
county until the time of his death. That event oc-
curred June 1, 1882. His wife died in the fall of
1878. Their children were seven in number, name-
ly : Sarah, the widow of John W. Briggs, lives in
Colorado ; Louisa is the wife of William Stearns, a
resident of the township of Western; Emma mar-
ried James Craig, of Colona Township; Samantha
married John Huntoon, of Rock Island.

Mr. Glenn of this sketch was nine years of age
when his parents became residents of Colona, and
he has since lived in Henry County. Just after the
close of the first year of the war he entered the

Union Army, although he was but 16 years of age.
He enlisted Aug. 26, 1862, in Co. H, 126th 111. Vol.
Inf., and was in the military service of the United
States until the close of the war. He was a partici-
pant in the battles of the siege and capture of Vicks-
burg, and in the engagement in the Little Rock
campaign. He received his discharge at the same
time as his regiment, at Pine Bluffs, Ark., in Sep-
tember, 1865. He returned to Henry County. In
1870 he went to Iowa and passed one year there,
going thence to Missouri, where he continued a simi-
lar length of time. On his return to Henry County
he took possession of the homestead of his father,
and has since been resident thereon.

His marriage to Mary Holshoe took place in 1869.
She was born in Lancaster Co., Pa., and they have
nine children, — Annie, Louisa, Oscar, Leon, Dora,
Louis, Jacob, Lizzie and George.

Mr. Glenn was elected Assessor in the spring of
1835. He has also served as Collector.

AJ)5^#

-^^ o/^Miffiiii&A^ — :s*€3^

bram Miller, of Geneseo, is the pioneer
landlord of that city, and has been longer
in the pursuit of that business than any

other individual now living in Henry County.

He is associated with his sons, I. C. and C. B.

Miller, in the management of the Geneseo
House, one of the most popular and best managed
establishments within the range of the traveling
public.

Mr. Miller was born in the town of Easthampton,
Suffolk Co., Long Island, N. Y., Aug. 24, 18 16. He
is the son of Uriah and Betsy (Baker) Miller, who
were all their lives residents on the same island,
where their parents were among the settlers before
the land was cleared of its forest growth. Uriah
Miller was born Oct. 4, 1784, in Suffolk County,
and he was brought up to man's estate on the farm
on which his father settled before he was born. His
wife was born in the same county on the island, and
their children were born as follows : Nathan, June
24, 1813, lives at Easthampton, L. I. ; George L.,
Nov. 16, 1821, resides at Bridgehampton, L. I.;
Mary B., May 26, r824 (died March 10, 1828);
Betsy B., Feb. 5, T830, married William Barnes (see
sketch) : Uriah Miller passed his life in the business

*
&

'fM

HENRY COUNTY.

-<*>%

)

of a farmer, and died in April, 1859 ; his wife's death
occurred in September, 1872.

Abrani Miller grew to manhood on the estate of
his father, and before he attained his majority he
learned the trade of a carpenter. In 1838 he set
out westward in company with two others, with the
purpose of seeking a wider field for the exercise of
his abilities and ambitions than the crowded East
afforded. He came to Geneseo, and hast been a
continuous resident of Henry County since that
year, and for a period of 47 years. For 16 years he
was employed at his trade, and in other capacities,
as opportunity served and occasion required, until,
in 1854, he commenced the business in which he
has since operated without intermission, save such
interruptions as are hereinafter mentioned.

The building in which he made his first experi-
ment as caterer to the necessities of the public was
a primitive structure, half log house and half frame,
which was located on the south side of Main Street,
east of State. The patronage surpassed the most
sanguine expectations, ana his house was, as a rule,
filled to overflowing with the miscellaneous throng
of land-lookers, prospectors, settlers and travelers
of all varieties incident to a newly developed section
of country. May 1, 1864, the pioneer hotel of Gen-
eseo was destroyed by fire, a disaster which occa-
sioned a loss of $6,000 to the proprietor ; but, not
being a man easily disheartened or overwhelmed
by a seemingly adverse fate, he replaced the old
building with a new brick edifice, which proved a
wise venture and renewed the prestige of the inn
of the early days. Exactly 13 years later the all-
devouring flames proved the destruction of the fine
building, and at that time the loss was $5,000. Pre-
vious to the second " trial by fire " he had associated
his two eldest sons with himself in business. They
are a trio not easily daunted, and they at once set
about the work of constructing the beautiful and
well arranged hotel, in which they have done busi-
ness since it was completed, in 1877, seven months
after the burning of the second building referred to.

The Geneseo House has one of the best locations
in the city. It is constructed of solid brick and
stone, is four stories high, contains about 50 sleeping
apartments and a full suite of other rooms necessary
to the business of a first-class house, as it is in
every particular. The hosts are all to the " manner

born." No guest can find just cause of complaint
in the manner in which his wants are anticipated.
The hosue has a reputation which will sustain its
popularity while it is under its present management.

Mr. Miller was married at Spring Creek, Henry
Co., 111., Jan. 6, 1842, to Miss Sarah A. Southworth.
Her parents, Samuel and Rachel (Couch) South-
worth, were natives respectively of Burlington, Vt.,
and Ellery, Chautauqua Co., N. Y. Her father was
born March 31, 1792. He was about 14 when he
accompanied his parents to Chautauqua County,
where he was married. The family of his wife were
among the earliest of the settlers in the western part
of the Empire State. Samuel Southworth and his
wife had eight children, viz. : Mehitabel, Perry, Sa-
rah Ann, Hiram, James, Ira, Jane M. and Char-
lotte. Three only survive . James is a resident of
Jamestown, Kan., which is named in his. honor, as
he was one of the heaviest land-holders there; Mrs.
Jane M. Faxon lives in Nebraska. The parents of
Samuel Southworth were named John and Char-
lotte (Derby) Southworth. Rachel I. Couch was
the daughter of Ira Couch. She was born at Ball-
ston Springs, in the State of New York, April 12,
1793. She removed with her husband and family
to the West in 1838. They remained a short time
in Rock Island, and went thence to Shabbona
Grove, in Henry County, where they settled on a
farm, of which they were the occupants three years.
In 1841 they went to Spring Creek, where they
bought another place. In 1861 the family removed
to Geneseo, where the parents passed the remaining
years of their lives. Mr. Southworth officiated a
riumber of years as Justice of the Peace, but was
in no active business relations after his removal to
Geneseo. His demise took place Oct. 16, 1876.
The decease of his wife occurred Sept. 16, 1862.

Mr. and Mrs. Miller have four children. Ira
Couch Miller was born Sept. 16, 1842. He was
married Sept. 16, 1866, to Josephine, only child of
Andrew and Keziah (McCloskey) McFarland. Their
children were born as follows : Andrew A., Feb. 28,
1868; Lula Grace, Aug. 12, 1873; Percy, Oct. 8,
1880. The child last named died Dec. 31, 1882, of
brain disease ; Clarence Burdette was born Dec. 29,
1845, and was married Sept. 7, 1882, to Fannie,
daughter of William Barnes, of Geneseo, of whom a
sketch is given elsewhere. They have had one child
—June Ada, born June 5, 1885, and died the last

IK^^K

■^©^ — £^nii@iiDf^^-

^UrLa&

■6V^BB®niI^

HENRY COUNTY,

<ks

day of July subsequent. De.Witt Clinton Miller was
born July 31, 1848, and was married Sept. 16, 1874,
to Ella, daughter of Nathaniel and Eliza (Hewitt)
Persons. Hattie Persons, their daughter, was born
Nov. 23, 1878. D. C. Miller is the proprietor of two
flourishing hotels in Minnesota, situated respectively
at Faribault and Rochester. Ada, the only daughter
of Mr. Miller's household, was born July 19, 1852,
and married Dec. 24, 1878, to C. B. Pillsbury, a
physician of Ypsilanti, Mich. The father and young-
est son are Republicans. The two elder sons are
Democrats.

Mr. and Mrs. Miller are among the representatives
of the early days of the settlement of Henry County
and are inseparably connected with its history. The
first Boniface of Geneseo and the oldest in the
county in his line of business, is the same consider-
ate, genial gentleman whose characteristics gave his
house its popularity in the olden time. Mrs. Miller,
who was, nearly 50 years ago, the merest slip of a
girl, has laughed her way through life with the best
possible results; and although she has nearly doubled
her weight, she is as active and lithe as in the days
of her girlhood, and she is still a prime favorite with
young and old. Her hospitality is as noted as that
of any other in the city where she lives and she is a
ruling spirit in her social circle. Her closely united
family are models of devotion to their home and its
associations, and it is the universal hope that the
home circle may long remain unbroken.

eorge Arnett, present Supervisor of Phe-
nix Township, in which position he is dis-
charging the duties of a second term, is a
pioneer of Henry County of 1837, He was
born June 6, 1833, and is the eighth son of
Lewis and Clara Arnett. When he was four
years of age his parents removed with their family
from Warren Co., Pa., where their children were
born, to Henry Co., 111. They settled in Loraine
Township, where the family residence was main-
tained, with the exception of four years, until the
death of the former, in 1868. The interval referred
to was spent in Whiteside Co., 111.

Mr. Arnett was reared as a son of a pioneer, and
was instructed in the business of a farmer under the

direction'of his father. He remained at home until
he was 20 years of age, when he went to California.
He had fallen into a state of poor health, and he
went to the Pacific coast for recovery, and to es-
cape consumption, with which it was thought he
was threatened. He set out with $50 in his posses-
sion, and journeyed across the plains in company
with others. The journey was made from the Mis-
souri River in three months. When he reached
Oregon City he was the possessor of five cents. He
arrived in the season of harvest, and with health
sufficiently restored to engage in work, he obtained
a situation in an avenue of labor with which he was
familiar — the harvest field. After two weeks he was
seized with fever and ague, and an illness of four
weeks consumed all the money he had earned. As
soon as he had sufficiently recovered he resolved to
go to California, where he had a brother, and he
obtained an Indian pony as an aid to the journey of
500 miles through a trackless wilderness. He spent
his days in riding the faithful, hardy little animal,
and at night he slept under the trees to one of
which he tied his horse. He carried the provision
he consumed on the route with him. On his arrival
in the Golden Gate he obtained employment of his
brother, at $75 per month, and he ran a pack train
to the mountains during a period of six weeks. At
the expiration of that time, in company with another
brother, he bought the mules and other appurte-
nances of the brother for whom he had worked, and
they engaged in packing goods into the mountains
until r857, without intermission except about two
months, when they were in the service of the United
States fighting the Indians. In the year mentioned
he returned to the East, making the route thither by
the isthmus and New York. He arrived at home
during the last days of the month of December.

His first business venture was the purchase of his
father's homestead, in Loraine Township, and he
was there engaged in farming until 1865. His house
was then burned, and he was an inmate of the
family of his brother Joseph about two months.
He had bought a farm on section 1 1 in Phenix
Township, and eight weeks after the burning of his
house in Loraine Township he removed to the place
where he has since made his home. He purchased
the latter in 1864. It contained 127 acres, and the
proprietor has made such successful application of
his time and abilities that he is now the owner of

Hmmio*

£«

ges>-

320

HENRY COUNTY.

800 acres, all of which is in the best possible agri-
cultural condition and finely stocked with Durham
cattle and valuable grades.

Mr. Arnett was married Nov. 15, 1857, to Mar-
garet, daughter of Joseph and Aboline Sieben. She
was born in Germany. To her and her husband six
children have been born : Harriet M. is the wife of
William Hudnall, a resident of Montana; Julia,
Franklin G., Minnie Alberta, Perry A. and Floyd
Henry are the names of the children.

The portrait of Mr. Arnett, which is presented on
a preceding page, will be welcomed by the patrons
of this volume with pleasure equal to that with
which the publishers insert it in the collated records
of Henry County. Mr. Arnett is a worthy citizen,
and his record is unblemished.

^ohn P. Stewart, cashier of the Farmers'
|f National Bank at Geneseo, was born in
Rensselaer Co., N. Y., Nov. 3, 1835, ar>d
is the son of George W. and Eva (Potts)
Stewart. His parents were also natives of the
Empire State. He remained in his native
place until his removal to Geneseo, in 1856. He
interested himself at first in the capacity of a farm
assistant, and passed the alternating winters in
teaching, operating in this manner until the spring
of 1866, when he entered upon the duties of book-
keeper in the First National Bank, and continued in
his connection with that institution in the capacity
of accountant and as assistant cashier until the
spring of 1876. He then accepted the position in
which he has since officiated.

Mr. Stewart entered the Union Army during the
Civil War, and served as a soldier nearly a year and
a half. He enlisted in the fall of 1861, and was
discharged for physical disability in February, 1863.
He was promoted to the position of First Sergeant.
His regiment was in the Army of the Western
Division, and in the service of the Southwest.

He has been a Republican since the formation of
the party, and has served the public in several local
offices, among which are those of City Treasurer of
Geneseo, and School Treasurer. He has officiated
in the former 12 years.

He was joined in marriage, June 4, i87i,at Gene-

seo, to Helen L. Morton. She was born in Ohio,
and is the daughter of S. W. Morton. Mr. and Mrs.
Stewart have three children: William M. was born
April 25, 1872; Anna L. Feb. 20, 1874; and John
P. July 31, 188 1. Mrs. Stewart is a member of the
Presbyterian Church.

Joeing Stokes, an agriculturist of Colona
I- Township, of extensive relations, is a resi-
dent on section 3. He was born at a point
near the banks of the Duck River in East Ten-
nessee, Nov. 3, 1 810. His parents, Edmond
and Judith (Taylor) Stokes, were both born in
Burke Co., Va. After their marriage they made
their first settlement in North Carolina, and after a
short residence there they removed to the State of
Tennessee.

They were there resident until the spring of 1810,
when they set out on horseback for the State of In-
diana. Mr. Stokes there rented land and raised a
crop. They stayed long enough to secure the re-
sults of their toil, and returned to Tennessee. There
their child was born, and when he was three weeks
old the little household started for Illinois. The
mother carried her baby in her arms, and she and
her husband rede the entire distance on horseback.
They located in Shawneetown, in Gallatin County,
and took possession of a rented farm. On this Mr.
Stokes raised a crop, and was the occupant of the
place during the year 181 1. In 181 2 he secured a
claim in White County and began the work of im-
provement. At the breaking out of the war which
is designated by the number of that year (1812), the
place where their home was located-was in constant
danger from the depredations of Indian marauders,
and the family removed to the fort on the Little Wa-
bash River. The husband entered the service and
operated for a short time as a ranger. After the
declaration of peace he sold his claim and settled
on a second which he made four miles below New
Haven on the Wabash River, in Gallatin County.
On this he also made some improvements, but did
not retain his ownership therein. He sold it, and
made a third claim in a portion of the county which
was all in a wholly wild state. The same experi-
ence he often repeated, from the same spirit which

e^n wm^s — =»©«=-

-z^hz — 6V4?flD®BDf>ff^ — 7&&SZ-

-4*^®Y§1§

HENRY COUNTY.

321

iw actuated the pioneers of those days. He died

«r

Gallatin County in 1833. The death of the wife and
mother occurred Oct. 4, 1871.
Mr. Stokes of this sketch lived with his parents

a until he reached the age of 18. He then became a

^r member of the family of an aunt, with whom he lived
three years. He then returned to the home of his
parents and worked with his father in farming until
the death of the latter, when the entire estate and
the management of the affairs of his father devolved
on him, as he was the oldest child. In the spring of
1834 he took possession of a farm he had bought,
and he was accompanied by his mother, two brothers
and a sister to his new location. The place adjoined
that occupied by the aunt referred to, and he was oc-
cupied in its improvement until 1843. He then
went to Scott Co., Iowa, and his family then included
his wife, two children, his mother, sister and a
brother. The party took passage on a flat-boat to
the Mississippi River, where they embarked on a
steamer for the city of Davenport. Mr. Stokes had

$} sent two teams in advance overland with his stock,
consisting of 50 head of cattle and horses. He rented
land the first year in Pleasant Valley, near Daven-
port, which he managed one summer, and in the fall

^ of the same year he bought a place in the same town-
* ship. In the fall of the next year he effected an ex-

(1 \ change of his property, and came to Henry County.
He located on land which he bought in Hanna Town-
ship, situated on section 30, on which he resided one
year. He then returned to Scott County and gave
his attention to the improvement of the farm there,
and was thereon resident until the spring of 1850.
At that date he came back to Hanna Township and
lived on his farm there until 1853. From that time
until r86i he lived in Scott County. He again re-
turned to Hanna Township, where he operated his
farm until 1875. He then went to his Iowa farm,
and was its occupant until 1880. In that year he
took possession of a farm in Colona Township, which
he had purchased in 1870. The property is situated
on sections 3 and 10. The place was wholly unim-
proved, and Mr. Stokes built on it and put it in a
well improved condition. The property is considered
as valuable as any in the township, and the estate

t contains 3T8 acres. The farm in Scott Co., Iowa, is
still in the possession of Mr. Stokes, and it is a fine
and valuable estate, containing 250 acres of excellent
and under good improvements. Its value is ma-

<9*

•1 ■*

terially increased by the fact that it comprises about
60 acres of fine timber.

The marriage of Mr. Stokes to Lucy Niver took
place in 1839. They had ten children. Julia A.
married Pitt Swan, from whom she was divorced.
She is now the wife of Hiram Carroll, of Trenton,
Mo., being married Aug. 26, 1885. Her daughter
Tinnie was married to John Fisher, of Colona, on
the same day of the marriage of her mother. Her
daughters are named Minnie and Linna. William
occupies the farm in Scott County. Melinda is de-
ceased. Mary is the wife of J. J. S. Ellingsworth,
of Hanna Township, who is adequately represented
by a sketch in this work. Melissa is not living. She
became the wife of Levi Fenno. Her only child —
Frank — lives with his grandfather. George and
Young are deceased, as are two others who did riot
survive infancy. The mother died July 31, 1855.

One of the pioneer experiences of the family on
their removal to Illinois was that they were obliged
to live in a house which had no door, as the father
could obtain no nails nor boards. On one occasion,
when he was absent on an expedition to a distant
mill, the mother was compelled to keep fire all night
to protect herself and her children from the entrance
of wild animals into the house!

^0006

*
&

®
%

,dwin Farwell, a retired farmer living at
Geneseo, came to Henry County in 1861,
add to Geneseo in 1883. He was born in
Wheatland, Monroe Co., N. Y., June 7, 1827,
and he is the son of Hiram and Margaret
I (Skinner) Farwell. He was trained in a prac-
tical knowledge of the business of a farmer, which
has been the chief interest of his life. He was
among the first to go to California, whither he went
in 1849. He passed two years there in the mines
and on a ranch; and, at the expiration of the time
named he returned to the East and settled in the
State of Michigan, whither he had removed in 1835
with his father's family. After a residence of ten
years he came to Illinois.

He located in the township of Osco in which he
was a resident for three years, and in 1864 he came
to the township of Geneseo. He has been a farmer
ever since he came to the county, and he was act-
ively interested in agriculture until the time that has

■a^r Q/^H ||<® HHf^§ :s^,k:

-^4^, 0 V^fl II & D fl^v

HENRY COUNTY.

rfS

«^'

been named as that in which he removed to the city
of Geneseo, to pass the closing years of his life. His
farm, which he still owns, is situated on sections 33
and 34 of Geneseo Township, and contains 320
acres. It is in a valuable location and it lies but two
and a half miles from the city limits, and it is in ex-
cellent condition for mixed husbandry. The build-
ings are of the kind most suitable for a farm of its
character.

Mr. Farwell has been a Democrat from the time
he first began to form his political ideas.

Mr. Farwell was married to Arvilla Rogers, in
June, 1851. She was born in Lenawee Co, Mich ,
and is the daughter of Cary Rogers. She has borne
four children — two sons and two daughters: Dolly
was born in Michigan and she married G. H. Gates ;
they are residents in the State of Michigan ; Seth E.,
the eldest son, was born in Michigan, and died there
in 1872; Darwin married Delia Woodruff and lives
in Geneseo; Lydia was born in Illinois and she re-
mains unmarried.

illiam Glenn is the oldest son of the old-
est living settler in Colona Township,
James Glenn. A full sketch of his pa-
rents and of the pioneer relations of his
father to Henry County are to be found on
other pages of this work. Mr. Glenn was born
May 18, 1838, in Mercer Co., 111., while his father
and mother were stopping there temporarily; and
when he was a few months old they returned to
Henry County.

He attained to the estate of manhood in Colona
Township, and was educated in the pioneer schools.
As soon as he was of suitable age and size he as-
sisted his father on the farm and lived at home until
he was 25 years old. In 1864 he was married to
Miss E. R. Reynolds. She was born Oct. 30, 1843,
in the city of Moline, in Rock Island County, and is
the daughter of Nazro and Sarah (Bennett) Reynolds,
pioneers of the county in which she was born. Mr.
Glenn settled on the farm on which he has since re-
sided, at the time of his marriage. It is situated on
section 31, in Colona Township, and is a magnificent
place in the way of a farm, containing 285 acres, and
all in first-class condition for profitable farming,

The buildings are of a type which corresponds with
the other fixtures of the place. The proprietor has
set out a grove and varieties of fruit-trees.

Mr. Glenn has passed one year in Texas, to
which place he went with his father-in-law, who was
there as a contractor on the International Railroad
from Heron, Texas, to Shreveport, La. Mr. Rey-
nolds was the first to cut the brush from the pro-
jected line of the track. Mr. and Mrs. Glenn have
one child, James Nazro by name.

enry Manville, a pioneer of Henry County
in 1837, was one of the colony of seven
who formed a colonial organization and dis-
patched three representatives hither to purchase
land in their behalf in 1836. Five of the pro-
jectors of the scheme came the same year to
Henry County, but he was one of the two that re-
mained in the State of New York until the following
year. He arrived with his family on the 4th day of
June, 1837.

He was born Oct. 25, 1801, in the town of White
Falls, in Washington Co., N. Y., and is the son of
Eliud and Hannah (Jones) Manville. He was
brought up on a farm and trained in a knowledge of
that occupation, and remained in the town in which
he was born and where he passed the later years of
his residence, in the business of a carpenter, until
the year 1837, in which he formed a resolution to
come to Illinois. Then he went to Bergen, in Gene-
see County, in his native State. It should also be
stated that from existing circumstances in Washing-
ton County, he was interested in lumbering in addition
to farming. He is the only surviving member of the
original colonists at Geneseo. He has been a con-
stant resident at that place with the exception of 12
years, in which he lived on his farm in the township
of Munson. He was the builder of the first frame
house in the village of Geneseo, and it was the first
work as a carpenter that he did in his new home.
He was also the builder of several other houses
here.

Mr. Manville was formerly a Republican, but has
lately adopted the views of the Prohibitionists.

His marriage to Miss Lucy Smith took place at
Whitehall, N. Y., Sept. 3, 1826. They had n chil-

(5*

* St

HENRY COUNTY.

■ 3*3

dren that grew to the age of maturity, — nine sons
and two daughters. A pair of twins died in infancy.
Eight are still living, — six sons and two daughters.
The mother died Feb. 24, 1863. Mr. Manville was
again married Dec. 27, 1866, in Annawan, to Mrs.
Julia Ann Loring. She was born in Penobscot Co.,
Me., and is the daughter of Samuel Chamberlain, of
Geneseo. She was the widow of John H. Loring.
By her former marriage she was the mother of four
children, — two sons and two daughters. She came
to Illinois in 1855.

Mr. Manville officiated several years as the Treas-
urer of the school fund. He and his wife are mem-
bers of the Congregational Church.

-«&-

-Q~-

.ohn Wesley Withrow, a farmer on section
i of Hanna Township, is the son of one of
the very first settlers in Henry County. In
1835 Neely Withrow removed his family to
Henry County and passed the first summer at
Red Oak Grove. The county was then un-
organized, and the township of Phenix, where they
settled, was designated by its number, — 18. The
senior Withrow entered a claim on section 29 and
built a log house on it. It was his home while he
lived, and he gave himself unreservedly to the work
of placing his farm in the best possible condition for
profitable agriculture. But his hopes were doomed
to early decay, as he survived only about three years,
dying in 1838 from accident. He was thrown from
a sleigh on the ice and died from the effects of the
injury he received. He was born in Kentucky.
The mother of Mr. Withrow, whose name was Polly
Eveleth before her marriage, was a native of New
York. She went with her parents to White Co., 111.,
when she was a small child, making the journey
thither on a flat-boat on the rivers on which the emi-
grants traveled from the East to the West. The
children of Neely Withrow and his wife were named
and are recorded as follows : Amariah lives in the
township of Phenix; James is a resident of Geneseo ;
John W. is the next in order of birth; Neely is a
citizen of Central City, Neb. ; Lucy married Robert
Barge, and they live in Merrick Co., Neb.

Mr. Withrow was but nine months old when his

parents removed to Henry County. He was born
Oct. 19, 1834, in White County, and he was but four
years old when his father died. His mother married
Harvey Hickcox and the step-father came to live
with the family on the homestead, which was thus
occupied some time. Mr. Withrow lived with his
mother until he was 24 years of age, when he be-
came himself the head of a family. He was joined
in marriage, Jan. 1, i860, to Arvilla M. Allen. She
was born Feb. 12, 1843, and is the daughter of
Jonathan and Charlotte (Hatch) Allen, and her
parents were both natives of Jefferson Co., N. Y.
They settled in Iowa in 1837, and formed a part of
the earliest pioneer element of Lee County, in that
State. They removed in 1848 to Illinois, and lo-
cated in Phenix Township. Later her parents went
to Geneseo to pass the remaining years of their lives.

Mrs. Withrow's father was born Nov. 10, i8i2,and
died Feb. 23. 1876, and her mother was born Oct.
10, 1817, and died Aug. 23, 1882. They had five
children, born in the following order : Adaline, Mary
A., Arvilla, Lois A. and Dora A. The two oldest
are deceased. Adaline was the wife of Charles
Linnell,and lived in Phenix Township; Mary A. was
the wife of James Withrow, of Geneseo ; Arvilla is
the wife of the subject of this sketch ; Lois is the wife
of Albert A. Colbert, and lives in Whiteside Co., 111. ;
Dora A. is the wife of Byron Coe, of Hanna Town-
ship.

At the time he was married, Mr. Withrow rented
land in the township of Geneseo, and was its occu-
pant for two years. He then bought a farm on sec-
tion 31, in Phenix Township, where he operated as
an agriculturist until 1869. He then rented that
place and took possession of the farm on which he is
at present a resident, in Hanna Township. He has
become prominent as a successful agriculturist, and
owns three farms in the township where he is a citi-
zen, and which lie on sections 1, 2 and 12. The
land included lies in a solid body and comprises 500
acres. He is also the owner of 354 acres on section
31, in Phenix Township, in two farms, and has 160
acres on section 24, in Hanna Township, not con-
nected with his homestead estate.

When his country needed his assistance he was
ready to defend its interests in the cause that was
near to every lover of an undivided nation, and he
accordingly entered the military service. He en-

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HENRY COUNTY.

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listed in March, 1865, in the 112th 111. Vol. Inf.,
enrolling in Co. K. He joined the regiment in which
he had enlisted as a recruit at Goldsboro, N. C, and
soon after was transferred to the 65th 111. He was
detailed for duty at Greensboro, N. C, where he
passed the chief part of the time he was in the army.
At the close of the war his command was discharged
at Chicago, and he returned to his home and inter-
ests in Henry County.

The household of Mr. and Mrs. Withrow includes
seven children. They are named Francis O., Ira
W., Ida E., Nina D., Effie A., George O. and Ray-
mond F.

>erritt Munson, deceased. This is a name
which will be a portion of the recorded
annals of Henry County as long as the
\ present regime exists. In his honor one of
the townships of the county was named, and
he was the owner of the site of the present
business portion of Geneseo.

He came hither in 1852 and was extensively in-
terested in real estate in Geneseo, where he made
his home. He procured the platting of the town in
1853-4, and offered the most satisfactory induce-
ments to such as would erect buildings thereon. He
was the first President of the Council and officiated
many years as Justice of the Peace. He was a man
of uncommonly positive traits of character, and in
his public career is exemplified to an extraordinary
degree the influence exercised by an uncompromis-
ing will over a community. When he located at
Geneseo, the north line of the village was on North
Street, while the business center was on Main
Street. He purchased the land where the business
blocks are now located, secured the location of the
depot where it stands, and virtually transferred the
town to the place of its present occupancy. The
terms he offered and his liberality in the matter of
granting sites for public buildings were of too great
benefit to the public interest not to receive respect-
ful consideration, and the result is patent to every
observer of the city of Geneseo.

Mr. Munson died at Geneseo, Nov. 2, 1884. He
was a man of remarkable traits. He was noted for
his love of justice and equal rights, and for his

hatred of cant and hypocrisy. He had no patience
with •' orthodoxy," so-called, and he preferred ration-
alism to the falsities that grew out of the unsound
and selfish applications of the teachings of men in
avenues which must of necessity be based on specu-
lation. He was what is known as a " Humanitarian,"
and was considered a " free-thinker " in his religious
views. He possessed superior abilities, and was
a shrewd observer and a thorough student of hu-
man character. He had extraordinary abilities as
a writer, and on occasion performed literary work
in a peculiarly easy and pleasant syle. He was uni-
versally esteemed, and his influence in the affairs of
Geneseo will not soon fade from the minds of men.
He was a Democrat in political proclivities, and be-
longed to the school of which Stephen A. Douglas
was the exponent. He was a firm believer in and an
ardent advocate of the doctrines of State and per-
sonal rights. He was at one time the editor of the
Geneseo Republic, and during his management of the
paper it was neutral in politics.

Merritt Munson was born Oct. 7, 1805, in Wind-
ham, Greene Co., N. Y., and was the son of Abel
Munson. While he was still a resident of the East
he was interested in the business of a tanner, and
was also a dealer in boots and shoes.

He was twice married, but was childless. His
marriage to Harriet Rice took place in the East, and
she died Jan. 14, 1862. They were married July 4,
1827. March 2, 1872, Mr. Munson was married to
Mrs. Maria S. Matthews, of Oswego, N. Y. She was
born in Oneida Co., N. Y., and was the daughter of
Thaddeus and Sophia Hibbard. She is yet living.

-13-

j^enry L. Lyon is the senior member of the
mercantile firm of Lyon, Gibbons & Ran-
som, at Atkinson. He was born in the
State of New York, Dec. 17, 1834, and is the
son of John W. Lyon. The latter was born in
the Empire State in 1807, and he married Ju-
lina Lawson. She was also a native of the same
State, and was born in 1810. Their marriage was
celebrated in 1830. She has been some years de-
ceased.

Mr. Lyon came to Atkinson in 1856, and in 1881
he was associated with the firm of Nowers Bros, in
the sale of merchandise. The present business rela-

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HENRY COUNTY.

tion with which he is connected was formed in 1 884.
The house is doing a prosperous and popular busi-
ness, and have an excellent and well-assorted line of
goods, suited to the demands of the patrons of the
establishment.

Mr. Lyon is an adherent of the Republican ele-
ment in political connection.

He was joined in marriage to Elizabeth Nowers,
Dec. 27, i860. Mrs. Lyon is the daughter of Thomas
Nowers, Sr., of whom an account is given on other
pages. Mr. and Mrs. Lyon have two children.
Louisa G. was born Nov. 21, 1862, and the birth of
Helen L. occurred March 4, 1870.

,r. Henry J. Hoppins and Mrs. Annie M.
Hoppins are engaged in the practice of
medicine at Geneseo. They are discharg-
ing the duties of physicians and surgeons,
and are practitioners in the school of homeo-
pathy. Dr. Hoppins was born in Geneseo,
Livingston Co., N. Y., Sept. 21, 1841. He is the son
of Lyman and Lydia (Dake) Hoppins, and comes of
a family of which there are, and have been, a con-
siderable number of medical practitioners. He is
" to the manner born ; " and after passing his youth
in a manner that made the choice of his profession
a foregone conclusion, he pursued a course of medi-
cal study at the Hahnemann Medical College at
Chicago in 1870, and the Homeopathic Medical Col-
lege of the State of Missouri, located at St. Louis.
He was graduated with the class of 1872, and initi-
ated his practice, in the city of Chicago. Later, he
went to Iowa, where he was occupied for a time in
the practice of medicine^ and subsequently returned
to Chicago. He attended the Chicago Homeopathic
Medical College in that city and took a full, regular
course there, and was graduated in the class of 1883.
He came to Geneseo in 1874, and this city has since
been his field of operation, and he is fast construct-
ing a popular and profitable business.

He was married in Allegan, Mich., Oct. 3, 1868,
to Annie M. Coutant, who was born at Poughkeepsie,
N. Y., Oct. 30, 1858, and is the daughter of George
and Lucy (Barnhart) Smith. In 187 1 Mrs. Hoppins
commenced the study of medicine at Hahnemann
College, and in 1875 she fulfilled a course in the

same institution in which her husband studied. She
was graduated in the class of 1875, at the Homeo-
pathic Medical College of Missouri, at St. Louis, and
at the Chicago Homeopathic Medical College in
1 881. She commenced her career as a medical
practitioner in Chicago, and since that time her
medical business has been identified with that of her
husband. At the time of her marriage to Dr. Hop-
pins, she was the widow of Thomas B. Coutant, to
whom she was married Oct. 3, 1858. He became a
soldier in the army of the Union during the Civil
War, enlisting in Co. C, 38th Iowa Vol. Inf., and
died at New Orleans, Nov. 20, 1863. One child was
born to them, — Oscar Z. Coutant, who was born in
i860. Doctor and Mrs. Hoppins have a daughter, —
Delia D. — who is 12 years old. Dr. Hoppins served
two years in the war for the Union, enlisting in 1863
in a regiment from Coldwater, Mich. He and his
wife are members of the Congregational Church.

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ellington Wood, a citizen of Edford Town-
ship, is one of the prominent and enter-
prising agriculturists of Henry County,
> whither he removed in 1859. He was born
March 12, 1815, and is the youngest son of
Beder and Fannie (Rogers) Wood. His grand-
father, Benjamin Wood, was a printer by trade>
and was taught the details of the business by Benja-
min Franklin. The wife of Benjamin Wood was a
sister of Stephen Hopkins, a signer of the Declara-
tion of Independence. Beder Wood was born in the
State of New York, and his wife was a native of
New Haven, Conn. Her parents, Dr. Timothy and
Eunice Rogers, who were prominent through their
position as Puritans, were members of a well-known
family of Connecticut.

In November, 1818, the family came to Illinois.
The household included the parents and seven
children. The journey was made here on the rivers
that constituted the route of travel for the emigrants
from the East to the West, and they located in
Gallatin County in the then Territory of Illinois.
They were among the earliest of the pioneers of that
county, and the father became a prominent farmer.
He bought his land from the Government of the
United States, and made all the improvements on

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HENRY COUNTY.

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the place, on which he passed the remaining years
of his life.

There Mr. Wood grew to manhood and there he
was fitted for his career in life. He was the assist-
ant of his father in the agricultural labors of the
latter, and he aided in the improvement of a large
amount of land. He was an attendant at the sub-
scription school and obtained a fair education, to
which he made an addition by attending one term
at the college in Jacksonville.

Mr. Wood was 19 years of age when his father
died, and he lost his mother six weeks after the
death of the former. He was left with the problem
of his future life on his hands, and in the year
following the loss of his parents he entered the store
of J. Woods, in New Haven, in Gallatin County,
as a clerk. He operated in that capacity for about
nine months, and he then began to act as a buyer
and shipper of produce. He made his market in
the South, and shipped his merchandise down the
river. He followed the business until 1847.

He was married January 7th of that year to Ella
Bradford. Her parents were early settlers of Galla-
tin County, and she was born there. In 1848 Mr.
Wood bought an entire section of land in Gallatin
County, in the township of Wabash. He paid for it
at the rate of $1.25 per acre, and he continued its
owner and occupant until his removal to Henry
County.

He bought 240 acres of land on sections 1 7 and
20, in the township of Edford, which has remained
in his possession ever since. Some improvements
had been made of not much account, and soon
after the place came into his possession Mr. Wood
made extensive changes. He has enlarged and re-
modeled the house and built a commodious frame
barn. He has also planted trees of various kinds,
and at date of writing the farm is all under excel-
lent cultivation and supplied with all necessary farm
fixtures.

The children of Mr. and Mrs. Wood are ten in
number: Beder lives in Moline; Rebecca is the
wife of Jacob Newman, and they are residents of
Hubbard, Iowa; Ellen married Alfred Dusenbury,
of Morristown ; Maggie married William Shepard, a
resident of Oscaloosa, Iowa ; Daniel and David are
twins, and are living at Grand Forks in Benson Co.,
Dak. ; Frank lives in the county last named ; Fan-

nie is the wife of Wellmon Warner, and they are liv-
ing in Dawson, Lac-qui-parle Co., Minn. ; George
and Eva reside with their parents.

The parents of Mrs. Wood were settlers in Gal-
latin County in 1810. Her father owned at the
time of his death nearly 800 acres of land.

Mr. and Mrs. Wood are members of the Church
of God.

ev. William T. Allan, deceased, came to
Geneseo in 1844. He was born in Ten-
/>JKE\ nessee Feb. 7, 1810. He was brought up
i \\i\ in his native State and there educated and
fitted for the ministry. He was born in a
slave State and reared in constant proximity
to the "institution." He became impressed at an
early age with the great evils resulting from the labor
system of the South, and connected himself witli that
body of agitators of the slavery question among whom
were William Lloyd Garrison, Gerrit Smith, Wendell
Phillips and others. He was, of course, a marked
individual and suffered ostracism at the hands of his
friends and neighbors. He was threatened with vio-
lence, and as he was fearless in the advocacy of his
views and opinions he encountered the abuse that
was the sure portion of such as endorsed the princi-
ples of Abolitonism. He came North and entered
with all his might into the controversy that in its ulti-
matum shook to its foundation the structure of the
Republic. He became a lecturer on the great polit-
ical issue in national politics, and won distinction as
a fervent and earnest champion of the principles of
human liberty. After his removal to Geneseo he
officiated sometimes as a clergyman of the Congre-
gational Church, but he never had a settled charge.

He was married in Geneseo, to Mrs. Caroline
Chapin, the widow of Rev. Jason Chapin, and the
daughter of Eli and Alice (Alden) Snow. (See
sketch of Rev. Jason Chapin.) Mr. and Mrs. Allan
had one child, now the wife of Robert Townshend,
of Indianapolis, Ind. He was married in early life
to Miss Irene Ball, who died childless.

Mr. Allan was an earnest believer in the princi-
ples of temperance, and lectured on that and on
other subjects. He lived to see the triumph of the
principles of which he was for so many and so fruit-

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HENRY COUNTY.

-5SJC^ ■4*@3§>(@Y|8§

327

less years the champion, and breathed the atmos-
phere of a country in which there was not a soul
held in legal bondage. When the issues of the Re-
publican party assumed tangible shape, he became
its adherent ; and he continued his connection there-
with until a few years before his death, when he be-
came dissatisfied with the party policy and ever after
voted with the opposition. He was elected and
served several years as Justice of the Peace, and he
also held the position of Postmaster at Geneseo four
years. He died June 5, 1882.

eorge B. Pillsbury, retired from the active
labors of farm life, residing on section 16,
Lynn Township, is one of the oldest ac-
tual settlers of Henry County, and the first
settler of Lynn Township. He was born in
Canaan Township, Grafton Co., N. H., Oct.
4, 1 81 6.

The grandfather of Mr. Pillsbury, Joshua Pills-
bury, was born in Massachusetts, of New England
ancestry and of English descent. He was a private
in the Revolutionary War, and fought under Wash-
ington, and was with him at the capture of Burgoyne's
army at Yorktown. He was united in marriage to
Sarah Sawyer, born in Nova Scotia. She was of a
German family, who had their first settlement in
Nova Scotia at an early date, and who then came
to Massachusetts, when she was quite small. She
had three brothers, who were engaged in the Rev-
olutionary War, and who lost their Jives at the bat-
tles of Breed's and Bunker Hills. After their marriage
they settled in Grafton Co., N. H, and it was in
that county, after living a life of usefulness, they
died. Previous to the removal of his parents to New
Hampshire, Caleb Pillsbury, father of the subject of
this notice, was born, and after the removal of his
parents to New Hampshire, he enlisted as a private
in the War of 18 1 2. He participated in the battle
of Buffalo and Plattsburg, and went with Gen. Brown
up Lundy's Lane, where he participated in the bat-
tle of [that name. After the close of the war, he re-
turned to Grafton Co., N. H, and was there united
in marriage to Anna Underbill, a native of that
county, of New England parentage, and of genuine

English descent and ancestry. Her 'father was a
private in the Revolutionary War, enlisting as such,
and was promoted to the position of Captain. He
was by name William Underhill, followed the oc-
cupation of a farmer, and was married in Massa-
chusetts to a lady of English descent and of New
England ancestry. They both died in Piermont,
Grafton Co., N. H, having lived lives of usefulness
and won the respect of the citizens of the community
in which they resided.

The parents of George B. Pillsbury, subject of this
biographical notice, were the parents of five chil-
dren, four sons and one daughter. One of the former
is deceased, and the following is a record of those
living : Almira married William Clark, whose biog-
raphy is given in another part of this work ; George
B. was next in order of birth ; Levi also has a sketch
in this work; and Ithamar resides in Monmouth,
Warren County; Caleb is deceased, having died
when 25 years of age, unmarried.

George B. Pillsbury, subject of this biographical
notice, was only six years of age when his parents
went to St. Lawrence Co., N. Y., and it was on his
father's farm that he remained, alternating his labors
thereon by attendance at the common schools, and
developed into manhood. When he was 20 years of
age, the family came to Illinois, settling in what is
now Lynn Township, this county, and known at that
time as Lynn Grove. The settlement was made in
August, 1836, arriving here on the 14th day of that
month. Not a single house had been erected at
that time in what is now Lynn Township, and but
three families had made any improvements in the
county of Henry. It was 30 miles to any postoffice,
and not a sign of civilization was visible for miles
around. The unbroken prairie, with its groves here
and there, presented an appearance which time and
improvement have obliterated. His father secured
80 acres of land, and after entering upon the im-
provement of the same, and breaking about ten
acres, he died, — taken away before his realization of
the future developments of the county was substan-
tiated by actual facts. His death occurred in 1838,
when in his 56th year. The mother followed him
to the land of the hereafter, in April, 1861.

Mr. George B. * Pillsbury, after coming to this
county and settling with his father in Lynn Town-
ship, continued to reside with him until the latter's
death. He then secured the place, from the heirs,

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328

HENRY COUNTY.

on which his father had originally located, and then
purchased 80 acres additional, and at once entered
vigorously and energetically upon the task of its
cultivation and improvement. In 1841, he hauled
wheat with an ox team to Chicago, for which |he re-
ceived only 45 cents per bushel, and with the pro-
ceeds was compelled to pay $10 per barrel for salt.
He at one time purchased a large stock of goods
and traded them for'cattle and hogs, which he drove
to Chicago, requiring from Nov. 1 to Jan. 1 to reach
that place and return, where 'he disposed of the
same.

Mr. Pillsbury is one of the sterling and respected
citizens of Henry County. He became the first Su-
pervisor of Lynn Township, and was one of the first
to advocate and assist in its organization. The
voting precinct was~at his house for several years,
and upon him was conferred the honor of naming
the township. By energetic effort, good judgment
and economy, coupled with the active co-operation
of his good help-meet, he has added to his original
purchase of land until he at present is the proprietor
of nearly 800 acres of good farm land in Lynn
Township, and is the largest land-owner in the town-
ship.

Mr. Pillsbury was united in marriage, Dec. n,
1848, in Bureau County, this State, with Miss Eliza-
beth J., daughter of David and Judith (Pattee)
Greeley, natives of New Hampshire. Her father
was a farmer by occupation, and formerly lived in
Grafton Co., N. H., where Mrs. Pillsbury was born
July 16, 1825. She was a young girl when the
family came to Illinois, settling in Bureau County,
where the mother died in 1865. Her father after-
ward went to Iowa, where he died about 1881. Mrs.
Pillsbury was the mother of nine children by Mr.
P., six of whom died in infancy. Louisa married
Wm. Sawyer, a resident of Iowa; George B., Jr., re-
sides with his father on the farm ; Henry L. is at-
tending school at Monmouth, 111. The children
have all received the advantages of a good English
education, and are respected citizens of the com-
munity in which they reside, and well-to-do in life.

Mr. Pillsbury was not only the first Supervisor of
Lynn Township, but he held that office for four
terms, and was also Justice of the Peace 14 years,
and also Township Treasurer for many years. He'
has always taken an active interest in the common

school question, and has devoted much of his
time and means to further the cause in his township.
Politically, he is identified with the tenets of the
Democratic party. During the past few years he
has been deprived of that greatest of blessings of
man, his eyesight, the same having been brought
about by natural causes ; and he lives to-day re-
spected for his actions in the past, for the good he
has done the community in which he resides, and
for the straightforward and manly action in which he
has treated his fellow-man.

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|; hilip Ott, a resident at Geneseo, has been
an inhabitant of Illinois since r837, and of
yic'^i Henry County since 1854. He was born
in Alsace, then a province of France, May 5,
1 8 18. His native State is now attached to
Germany. He is the son of Jacob and Mag-
dalena (Urban) Ott, and they were also natives of
Alsace. The family came to America in 1832. The
first settlement was made in Warren Co., Pa., and
they remained there until 1837, when they located in
Cook Co., 111.

In 1843 the son, who is the subject of this per,-
sonal narration, returned to Pennsylvania, and was
there married, on the 2d day of April of that year,
to Elizabeth Hirtzel. She is the daughter of Philip
Hirtzel, and was born in Alsace. She came to the
United States with her parents in her childhood.
Immediately after their marriage they came to Cook
Co., 111., and there Mr. Ott was engaged in farming
until 1854, when he made a permanent removal to
Henry County. He had previously secured a tract
of land in the township of Yorktown, and he was its
owner and occupant until his removal to Geneseo in
1869. His farm in Yorktown originally contained
300 acres. On coming to Geneseo he interested
himself in the business of a miller, and on giving up
his interests in that direction he removed the ma-
chinery and rents the building for agricultural ware-
rooms. In addition to his other business, in 1876 he
began to operate to some extent as a dealer in real
estate in Kansas, and has met with success in that
line of traffic. He still has interests there in the
same direction.

To him and his wife six sons and one daughter
have been born : Philip E. married Sarah Somers,

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■^v^«nn&^

<§*

•;;•

HENRY COUNTY.

and they live in Edwards Co., Kan.; Sylvanus mar-
ried Julia Donnenfelser ; they are residents of Topeka,
in the State last mentioned ; he is a very successful
operator in real estate; Aaron H. married Elizabeth
Smith, and they live in Kinsley, Kan. ; Augustus
married Mercy Hathaway ; he is a citizen of Offerle,
Kan. ; L. Eli is unmarried and lives at Highland
Park, Lake Co., 111. ; Sarah O. and Jacob Benjamin
are the youngest. The oldest son was a soldier in
the military service of the United States during the
entire course of the Civil War. He enlisted in 1861
when he was 16 years of age in the 9th 111. Vol. Cav.
Mr. Ott has discharged the duties of his citizen-
ship in the offices of Supervisor, Assessor, Collector
and Justice of the Peace for many years in York-
town. With his wife, he is a member of the Evan-
gelical Association of North America.

lohn E. Stenholm, of Western Township,
and engaged as a general farmer on sec-
tion 22, was born in Central Sweden, Dec.
20, i8i£. At the early age of ten years, our
subject began the trade of a paper-maker, under
his father's tuition, that being the business of
elder Stenholm. John E. followed this trade
until 20 years of age, when he established a mill of
his own, which he ran successfully until 1850, the
year in which he left his native land. His father
led an active life in Sweden, where he spent his en-
tire days. His mother, whose name was Lizzie
Brown prior to her marriage, was also born, lived and
died in Sweden.

As above mentioned, it was in 1850 when our sub-
ject came to America, and he immediately made his
way to Illinois and found a home in the vicinity of
Orion, where he purchased 54 acres of land. This
he sold in 1870 and bought the 160 acres where he
now lives, which he has brought to a high state of
cultivation. Mrs. S. owns 20 acres of excellent land
in Andover Township. Both he and his wife are
members of the Swedish Methodist Church, and Mr.
S. has been Trustee and Treasurer of his congrega-
tion for several years.

In 1883, our subject was united in marriage, in
Sweden, to Caroline Holstrom, who came to America
with him, and on Sept. 29, 1881, died at her home in

Western Township. Upon June 2, of the following
year, Mr. Stenholm and Mrs. Christina Renstrom,
nee Forsburg, were married at Andover. Mrs. S.
was born in the central part of Sweden, April 4,
1836, and was brought to the United States by her
parents in emigration when 15 years of age. They
located in Andover Township, where, about 1876,
both parties died. By her former marriage, she be-
came the mother of three children— Albert P., John
E. and George.

-S-iS

pt-f-

:on. George E. Waite, a prominent attor-
ney of Geneseo and a resident of Henry
County since 1856, was born in Strattoni
Windham Co., Vt., and is the son of Taylor and
Lucia (Taylor) Waite. His family was of En-
glish origin and was prominently identified with
the history of the mother country. One member of
the family was one of the regicide judges who con-
demned Charles I. The family made its advent in
America in the days of the early Puritans and planted
the family tree on the rugged coasts of New England.
On the maternal side Mr. Waite's ancestors are of
Scotch extraction.

The subject of our ske"tch completed a full course
of study at the Wesleyan University of Middletown,
Conn., and was graduated in the class of 1854.

Two years later he came to Geneseo, 111., where
he entered upon the study of law ; was admitted to
practice in 1859, and immediately opened an office
in this place. He has pursued the practice of his
profession in Henry and adjoining counties continu-
ously since, covering a period of 26 years. During
this time he has won his way to the front ranks of
the profession, and has been chosen to fill various
positions of public honor and trust. He has been
elected to the position of County Judge of Henry
County; was re-elected and served six years. When
the time came for the thriving village of Geneseo to
take upon itself the dignity of city-hood, Judge Waite
was instrumental in securing the passage of the act
of incorporation, which on the 16th of February,
1865, made Geneseo a city. He had the honor of
being elected the first Mayor, a position he held two
years. Prior to this, in 1864, he had been commis-
sioned Colonel by Gov. Richard Yates.

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HENRY COUNTY.

1\ As an evidence of the high esteem in which his
iy legal abilities were held by his fellow citizens it may
®** be mentioned that he was chosen a member of the
Constitutional Convention of 1869-70, which was
(3/ convened to, and did, prepare the present Constitu-
tion of Illinois.

Judge Waite is a Republican and has taken an
active part in support of his party. He has served
several years as a member of the Republican State
Central Committee and has figured more or less
prominently in his party conventions.

He was united in marriage to Miss Hattie M.
Wells at Geneseo, May 9, 1859. Mrs. Waite was
born in Tolland, Conn., and is the daughter of Ben-
jamin Wells. They have three children (daughters) :
Laura N., Hattie M. and Ruth M.

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alcom Odine, farmer and blacksmith, oc-
cupying sections 2 and 3, Clover Town-
ship, was born March 14, 1840, in Sweden.
His parents, Nicholas and Carrie (Johnson)
Odine, were also natives of that country. His
father was a soldier, as were also his father and
grandfather before him ; and also a brother of Mal-
com's has been a soldier in the Swedish army for the
past 20 years. The military prestige of this family
therefore stands out quite prominently.

Mr. Odine learned the blacksmith trade in his na-
tive land, serving an apprenticeship of three years.
He followed this calling for five years longer, and
then sold out and came to the land of greater free-
dom, in 1865, locating at Andover, this county, com-
mencing work at his trade of blacksmith at the old
mill a mile and a half south of Andover ; and after
carrying on trade there for six years, removed upon
section 2, Clover Township, on 80 acres which he
purchased and on which he now resides. He has
added to his original purchase 80 acres more, ad-
joining his home farm. He has a good residence,
farm and other outbuildings, fences, etc., and has the
ground in good tillable condition.

In his views of American policy Mr. Odine sympa-
thizes with the doctrines of the National Greenback
party. He is a school Director, Path Master, and
both himself and family are members of the Lu-
theran Church.

For his wife Mr. Odine chose Miss Johanna John-

son, in 1866. She is a native of Sweden. They
have had the following children : Amanda C,
Amelia, Caroline, Charles G. W., Oscar, Eddie,
Henry F. and Minnie E.

H"V§)*§®<f-

onas A. Youngquist, a general farmer and
stock-raiser on section 24, Western Town-
ship, was born in South Sweden, June 1,
1829. He was a small child when his father,
John Youngquist, died ; and his mother, Mary,
afterward came to America, and finally died in
Lynn Township, this county, several years ago.

Mr. Youngquist was 17 years old when he came
to the United States, and when he reached Andover,
this county, in June, 1854, he had but 25 cents in
his purse. He began to work on the railroad south
of Galesburg, 111., but, owing to ill health, at the end
of the first year he was financially still poorer. He
afterward began to work on a farm for Daniel Mix,
south of Galesburg, and continued in his employ for
14 months, at $12.50 a month and board. He then
came to Andover, and labored in the vicinity of that
place for about seven years, by which time he had

lbert V. Hinman, of Geneseo, is the pro-
prietor of the city meat market, and estab-
lished his business in 1883. He was born
in Cambridge, and is the son of the late Hon.
Julius Hinman. His birth occurred Feb. 18,
i860. His mother's name before marriage was
Miss Mary Westlake. A full biographical notice of
Judge Hinman, who was one of the most prominent
citizens of the county, appears on other pages in this
work.

Mr. Hinman resided in his native township until
1879, when he went to Ottumwa, Iowa, and there
for the first time made a venture in the business in
which he is now engaged. While he lived at Cam-
bridge he was interested in farming. His business
at Geneseo is conducted in a first-class manner, and
he has a popular and prosperous trade.

He was married in Geneseo, May 8, 1884, to Mary
Mattes. She was born in Germany, and is the
daughter of Theodore Mattes. Her father removed
to the American Continent when she was an infant.

>§&$■

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HENRY COUNTY

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by strict economy saved a sum of money sufficient to
purchase 80 acres of wild prairie land, in Lynn
Township. He leased this for three years, during
which time it was pretty well improved. He then
sold it and purchased 120 acres, where he now lives,
but which was then but very little improved, there
being not even a house upon it. Here he began the
work of constructing a comfortable and permanent
home ; and as the land is good and in a good loca-
tion, Mr. Y. has well succeeded. He has continued
to add by further purchases, until he now owns 420
acres in this and Andover Townships. There are
three separate farms, all of them well cultivated.
His residence is really an elegant one.

Feb. 21, 1862, at Andover, Mr. Youngquist was
married to Miss Eliza C. Linberg, daughter of Sween
and Catharine (Mangdenson) Linberg, who also is a
native of South Sweden. She was born Sept. 29,
1840, and her parents with their family came to the
United States in 1852. Mrs. Y. is the third in order
of birth of a family of five children ; the two younger
are now deceased, having died in Oxford Township,
this county, in which township the parents afterward
died. They had improved there a farm of 170 acres.
Mr. and Mrs. Y. have had five children, namely:
Emma, who married Albert Peterson, and now re-
sides in Andover Township upon a farm ; Mary A.,
Carrie D., Julia A. and Anna M., all at home. The
family belong to the Evangelical Lutheran Church
at Andover, and in politics Mr. Youngquist is a reli-
able and enthusiastic Republican.

ev. John T. Pierce, formerly a minister in
the Congregational Church, resident at
Geneseo, was born in Brookline, near the
city of Boston, Mass., Dec. 15, 181 1. His
father was the Rev. John Pierce, D. D., and
his mother was, previous to her marriage,
Lucy Tappan, the sister of Arthur and Lewis Tap-
pan, of anti-slavery fame in New York. His father
was a native of Dorchester, Mass., and was of Eng-
lish extraction. His mother was born in Northamp-
ton, Mass.

Mr. Pierce was carefully trained in the primary
branches of an English course and entered Harvard
University, where he « as graduated with the class

of 1831. Wendell Phillips was his room-mate and
also his class-mate. Mr. Pierce studied at Prince-
ton Theological Seminary, and in 1833 went to Ohio,
where he became a student at the celebrated Lane
Seminary. He was a participant in the famous anti-
slavery agitation that stirred that venerated institu-
tion to its base, and in which the faculty took sides
with the Southern element, which was largely repre-
sented in the seminary. He was an associate of
Theodore Weld and of William T. Allen, and was
one of a considerable body of students that with-
drew from the seminary in order to secure freedom
of sentiment. He went to Oberlin and entered the
Theological Seminary, where he was graduated in
September, 1836, having been ordained a minister
at large in the service of the Congregational Church.

The mawiage of Mr. Pierce to Martha Haskins
took place July 25, 1837, at Elyria, Ohio. Mrs.
Pierce was born at Middlesex, Washington Co., Vt.,
and was the daughter of Luther and Mary (Petty)
Haskins. Her birth occurred Sept. 15, 1811. Her
mother was a native of Claremont, N. H. Two chil-
dren born to Mr. and Mrs. Pierce are both deceased.
Mary E., born June 23, 1845, died at the age of 13.
John Franklin, born July 30, 1849, died Jan. 5,
1863.

Mr. Pierce began his ministerial labors in 1838 in
Middlesex, Vt. In 1839 he came to Jacksonville,
111., for the purpose of teaching, and himself and
wife entered upon that vocation at that place and
were there occupied one year. Subsequently, Mr.
Pierce established an academy at Griggsville, 111.,
and was its Principal two years. In 1842, he went
thence to St. Louis, Mo., and there established a
school. He was obliged to abandon the project on
account of failing health, but on recovery engaged
in the same voca'tion in the city of Henderson, Ky.
They went next to Arcadia, Mo., in the first place to
explore for minerals in the State of Missouri, and
was engaged in the capacity of teacher and also as a
preacher; and while there organized a Congrega-
tional Church, this being the first Congregational
Church organized in the State. He taught languages,
and Mrs. Pierce was occupied in teaching music.
The agitation of the slavery question banished them
from Missouri, and they came in 1850 to Illinois and
located at Geneseo, where they have resided for 35
years. Mr. Pierce was the owner of 85 acres of
land in the immediate vicinity of Geneseo. He has

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332

HENRY COUNTY.

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officiated as President of the Bible Society, and has
on occasions discharged ministerial duty at funerals,
but has had no settled charge, on account of poor
health. It should be stated that Mr. Pierce was
one of the most active and interested members of the
Anti-Slavery Society of Lane Theological Seminary,
which accomplished a large amount of practical
good. He was one of its officials. ••

Mrs. Pierce was educated at Oberlin, where she
was one of the first students. She is a lady of un-
common mental acquirements and accomplishments.
She was a co-workir with her husband in his varied
experiences in the management of the several edu-
cational institutions with which they were connected,
and in every instance was actively engaged in the
work of teaching. She brought the . first piano to
Geneseo, and taught the first music lesson in the
place. She has passed many years in the capacity
of music teacher, and she will be preserved in last-
ing remembrance as the pioneer in that art at Gen-
eseo.

•waaerE'ig'"— m

*-3fSWOT».

ames McNeill, deceased, formerly a resi-
dent on section 21, Alba Township, was
one of the substantial citizens of the town-
ship in which he lived for a considerable num-
ber of years before his death. He was born
in County Down, Ireland, Dec. 23, 1829, and
came to the United States when he was 17. He
was for some years a resident of the county of White-
side, 111., .where at first he operated as a farm assist-
ant. Later on, he bought 80 acres of land and was
its owner until his removal to Henry County. He
purchased 160 acres of land on section 21 in Alba
Township, on which he pushed his agricultural
projects with vigor until his decease, which trans-
pired July 2, 1881.

Mrs. Nancy (Ostrander) McNeill, widow of the
above, was born in the province of Ontario, Canada,
March 8, 1839. Her father, Ebenezer Ostrander,
was twice married. His first wife, Susan (Cook)
Ostrander, bore him seven children and died in 1850.
He married Elizabeth Baldwin and they had eight
children. Mr. Ostrander died in 1870.
Mrs. McNeill has three children, — James, Junius

D. and Sanford. The farm on which the family are ^f
living contains 463 acres, all in well improved con- vjj
dition, with excellent buildings. fjL

/.enry Monesmith, a grocer and provision
merchant at Geneseo, was born in Cumber-
land Co., Pa., Jan. 19, 1822. He is the
son of Henry and Nancy (Slonaker) Monesmith,
and when 15 removed with his parents to
Eaton, Ohio. He began the business to which
he has hitherto devoted his life in that place, and
was also variously engaged in other avenues of em-
ployment while a resident there. In December,
1865, he came to Geneseo, and with Wm. Ritlinger
established a trade in groceries and provisions. Their
relations continued about 18 months, and Mr.
Monesmith was associated with M. Bradley in the O
same line of traffic.

Mr. Monesmith is a Democrat in political faith
and connections, and in 1877 was elected City and
Township Assessor. He continued his own suc-
cessor until he had discharged the duties of the
position seven consecutive years.

His marriage to Leah Miller took place in Ohio
in 1858. She was born in Butler Co., Ohio, and is
the daughter of John Miller, of Eaton, Ohio. One
child, Luella, was born to them, who died when she
was seven years old. Mr. and Mrs. Monesmith are
members of the Unitarian Church.

^fgeff*

illiam G. Grammar. One of the highly
respected old pioneers of Henry County
3^"~ is Mr. William G. Grammar, who is ex-
V tensively engaged in farming on section 14
of Weller Township. Like many of the
well-to-do farmers of this section of the county,
Mr. G. is a native of Prussia, and was born in Sep-
tember, 1817, near Hanover. Here he was reared
and lived until 1844, when with several others he
turned his face Westward, sailed the ocean over and
made his way to the fertile prairies of Henry County.
For a while after his arrival here, he worked out by
the month in Andover Township, and about 1846
came to Weller Township, and pre-empted 40 acres

z2^k 6V^DD

HENRY

§inf>

COUNTY.

333

an section 17. He has been a frugal, hard-working
man, and has accumulated property until to-day he
has 300 acres of good land. He has also, during
this time, taken some interest in the affairs of the
community and served it in some of the official posi-
tions. Politically, he votes the Democratic ticket.
Sinc^e he came to Weller Township, his first mar-
riage occurred, his wife being Anna Dickson, a na-
tive of England. She died about 1870. Some six
years later, Dec. 21, 1876, he was again married, to
Mrs. Jane (Bacon) Atkinson, daughter of Thomas
and Elizabeth Bacon and widow of Jonathan Atkin-
son, who died in Andover Township, Nov. 24, 1868.
She had by her marriage to him four children, —
William H., Annie, Jonathan and Joseph. Mrs. G.
was born in Lincolnshire, Eng., April 19, 1836, and
came to America in December, 1863. She is a
member of the Methodist Church.

*£

|| ev. Edgar L. Williams, Pastor of the
Presbyterian Church at Geneseo, was born
at Bucyrus, Crawford Co., Ohio, Nov. 7,
1848, and is the son of Owen and Kate (Mof-
fett) Williams. His father was born in Vir-
ginia and his mother was a native of Mary-
land. He was four years of age when he accompanied
his parents to Indianapolis, Ind. He was educated
at the Northwestern Christian University of Indiana,
and he began the study of theology at the Seminary
of the Northwest at Chicago, completing his studies
at the Union Theological Seminary of the City of
New York, and was graduated there with the class
of 1876. He was ordained by the Indianapolis Pres-
bytery in June, of the same year. He officiated as
Pastor of the Presbyterian Church in that city one
year; and, after a short supply of the Church at
Newton, Iowa, accepted a call from the Church at
Albia, Iowa, and fulfilled the duties of that charge
three years. He went thence to Hastings, Neb., and
a year later came to Geneseo; where he has officiated
in the capacity of Pastor of the Presbyterian Church,
since the 1st of August, 1882.

Mr. Williams was married in Indianapolis, Ind.,
Sept. 25, 1878, to Miss Matilda J. Wcerner, and they
have two daughters. Frida K. was born March 24,

1 88 1. Susie B. was born at Geneseo, May 19^ 1883. <ij>
Mrs. Williams is the daughter of Philip Wcerner and fPi
was born in Indianapolis.

A. Peck, residing on section 10, Clover
Township, is a farmer by occupation. He
is a native of Lorain Co., Ohio, where he
was born Feb. 22, 1842. His parents were
William C. and Permelia (Field) Peck, natives .
of the Green Mountain State. They came to
this State in 1868, and settled on section 12, Clover
Township, this county, where they purchased 112
acres of land, and on which they resided until their
deaths, his demise occurring Sept. 12, 1872, and
hers, Sept. 18, of the same year. They were mar-
ried in 1820, and lived together for 52 years as man
and wife. Their children were ten in number, eight
of whom grew to the age of maturity, and are yet liv-
ing.

C. A. Peck was the ninth child in order of birth of
his parents. He resided with them until their deaths,
assisting in the labors of the farm and receiving an
education at the district schools. Mr. Peck was a
soldier in the war for the Union, having joined Co.
E, 55th Ohio Vol. Inf. He was engaged in the ser-
vice for about one year, when he was honorably dis-
charged on account of disability.

On receiving his discharge, Mr. Peck came to this
State in company with his parents, and has always
labored at agricultural pursuits. He is at present
the owner of 472 acres of land in Clover Township,
and is regarded as one of the progressive and ener-
getic farmers of the same. His farm presents a fine
appearance, and is indicative of good judgment and
ability displayed in its care, cultivation and improve-
ment.

Mr. Peck was united in marriage with Mrs. Flor-
ence Mahon, a native of Illinois, and a daughter of
David Whitmore, Sept. 15, 1872. Four children
have been born to their union, — Walter D., Otis L.,
Vera M. and Clyde L.

Mr. Peck is a Republican, and religiously he and
his wife are members of the Methodist Episcopal
Church. Socially, he is a member of the G. A. R.
He has held the office of Assessor, Justice of the
Peace and School Director and other minor offices

<|J

e^nran^s — »©^

334

z^&k — 6V4>M1®I1H^i/c) ^€^g

■HENRY COUNTY.

within the gift of the people of his township. He is
a gentleman respected and honored by all who know
him, for his straightforward and manly dealings.

-5-

#-#

delbert F. Sargent, of the manufacturing
firm of D. F. Sargent & Son, at Geneseo,
was born in Sutton, N. H., and is the son
of D. F. and Jane (Foss) Sargent, of whom a
detailed personal sketch is to be found else-
where in this work.
Mr. Sargent came with the family of his father to
Geneseo, and was' there brought up, receiving his
education in the schools of that place. He obtained
a knowledge of the trade of a carriage builder in the
shop of his father, and pursued it as a vocation in
various places. He passed two years at Moline,
111., and in 1866 went to Texas, where he passed one
and a half years, returning to Geneseo in 1867. In
1872 he formed his business relations with his
father, which have been in existence since.

His marriage to Vienna Huson took place Dec.
28, 187 1, in the city of Chicago. Mrs. Sargent was
born in Oberlin, Ohio, and is the daughter of Na-
thaniel Huson. To her and her husband two chil-
dren have been born, as follows : Edna V., Aug. .5,
1874, and Ada, April 6, 1880.

Mr. Sargent is a . Republican, and both himself
and wife are connected with the Baptist Church in
membership.

^avid Whitmore, dealer in hardware and
Ik agricultural implements at Woodhull, was
born in Morgan Co., Ohio, Aug. 9, 1821,
and came with his parents to Illinois in the
spring of 1837, who located in Viola, Mercer
Co., 111. His father, John Whitmore, was a na-
tive of Pennsylvania, and came with his parents
when ten years old to Ohio. He was engaged in
the War of 1812 as a teamster, and received for his
services a quarter-section of land from the Govern-
ment. In 1 815, he married Elizabeth Archibald,
and remained in Ohio until 1837, when he came to
Illinois. In 1840, he moved into this county, set-

tling upon 80 acres of Government land, and lived
there until 1866, since which time, until his death in
1884, he made his home with his son David. His
wife died in 1866.

The son, who is the subject of this sketch, can be
considered one of the earliest pioneers of this county.
He has seen the rough side of frontier life, breaking
the original prairie turf, splitting rails, working on
the Mississippi River, etc. ; and from 1850 to 1876
he has been engaged in rearing live stock ; since the
latter date he has purchased property in the village
of Woodhull, such as houses and lots, and rents
them. He is also building, and selling the property
thus improved. He built the brick block on Main
Street in 1876, the lower story of which is devoted
to mercantile business, and the upper contains a
fine, large public hall for theaters and all kinds of
public gatherings.

Miss E. J. Booher, a native of Illinois, and Mr.
Whitmore of this sketch were married in 1855, and
of their six children four are living, namely : Flor-
ence M., Ida M., Lizzie L. and Nellie B. The first
named married C. A. Peck, and resides on the old
homestead in Clover Township ; Ida M. is the wife
of S. I. Curry, and lives in Woodhull; Lizzie L,
now Mrs. John Benneson, is a resident of Iowa : and'
Nellie B., who married A. C. Warren, resides at
Western, Neb., and is in the grain business.

-*-

-5-

\\i aul A Sweney, liveryman of Geneseo, es-
tablished himself in the business which he
'IllftS*^ is now prosecuting at Geneseo in 1866.
He dates his residence at that place since
July 4, 1853. He was born in Crawford Co.,
Ohio, April 1, 1832. His father, George Swe-
ney, was a native of Pennsylvania, and of Irish ex-
traction. His mother, whose maiden name was
Rebecca Hetich, was born in the same State, of
German parentage. Mr. Sweney came from his na-
tive county to Geneseo in the year named, and made
his entry into the city, or village, as it was then, in
season to see the fire-works which formed the close
of a Fourth-of-July celebration. He was a tinner by
trade, and he passed some time in the prosecution
of his line of business, continuing it from 1855 to
i860, and was quite extensively interested in the

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HENRY COUNTY.

hardware traffic. In the year last named he hegan
to interest himself in trade in horses, and in 1866,
as has been stated, he opened his stables. He has
since conducted a business which has been in every
way creditable and conducive to the benefit of the
city of Geneseo.

Mr. Sweney is an adherent of the Democratic
element in politics. He has served as a member of
the City Council. Oct. 1, i860, he was joined in
marriage to Martha C. Wycuff, of Geneseo. They
have had three daughters : Fannie A. died at the
age of 20; those still living are named Lillie R. and
Carrie E. Mrs. Sweney was born in the State of
New York. She is a member of the Presbyterian
Church.

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mos Dyal, general farmer and stock-raiser
on section 14, Western Township, was
born in the city of Pittsburg, Pa., March
7, 1834. His father, William H. Dyal, was a
native also of that State, of German-English
ancestry, and for some time after marriage
followed the business of boating, with coal barges.
He married Eliza Stewart, who was born in Fayette
Co., Pa., of Scotch-Irish descent, and of their seven
children the subject of our sketch is the fourth. In
1845 the parents moved with their family to Coshoc-
ton Co., Ohio, where Mr. D. is yet living, aged about
78 years ; Mrs. D. died at her home in Ohio, July 4,
1883, aged about 78 years.

Mr. Amos Dyal resided at the parental home un-
til he was about 22 years old, and in 1856 he came
to Illinois and settled in this county. He worked
upon various farms in Osco Township for a few
years. In 1863, he purchased his first land, which
consisted of 80 acres on section 14, Western Town-
ship, which is now a part of the homestead : the lat-
ter at present comprises 160 acres, upon which Mr.
Dyal ha? proved himself to be very successful in his
calling.

Mr. Dyal was first married in Andover, Nov. 7,
i860, to Miss Isabella J. McFarland, who was born
in Holmes Co., Ohio, Feb. 8, 1838, was reared and
educated there, and came with her parents to Illi-
nois in 1857; they located in Andover Township,
where the mother died; the father now resides in

Cambridge. Mrs. D. died at her home in Western
Township, Sept 4, 1872, and Mr. Dyal was again
married, in Cambridge Township, Oct. '25, 1874, to
Mrs. Marietta E. Hovey, nee Talbot. She is a
daughter of Deacon W. and Mary (Terry) Talbot,
and was born in Oswego Co., N. Y., Dec. 12, 184 1.
Before she was three years old, her parents came to
Illinois, settling near Cambridge, this county, where
Mrs. D. was brought up and educated. She was
first married Oct. 5, 1864, to Marcus D. LaFayette
Hovey, who came to Illinois from Terre Haute, Ind.,
where he was born Nov. 5, 1834. The latter re-
moved to this county in 1854 and died in Cambridge,
Sept. 4, 1874, of consumption. By his first wife,
Mr. Dyal's two children were : Ida E., who was
born Oct. 1, 1861, and married Dec. 3, 1884, Henry
W. McLease; the latter was born May 30, 1857, in
Bucks Co., Pa., and came West in 1876. For his
parental history, see sketch of Joseph Watson. Mr.
Dyal's second child, Robert K., was born July 18,
1866, is well educated and is yet a resident at home.
Mrs. D., and son and daughter of Mr. D., are
members of the Baptist Church ; and Mr. Dyal, in
his political principles, sympathizes with the Dem-
ocratic party.

ienry G. Griffin. The gentleman of whom
this personal sketch is written, is one of the
earliest pioneers to this section of Illinois,
and is a prominent and well-to-do farmer, resid-
ing on section 2, Andover Township. Although
living on the old home farm, he has retired
from the active labors of farm life. He was born in
Stockbridge, Mass., July 19, 1819.

His father, John Griffin, was a son of a New
England farmer by the name of Samuel Griffin, who
came to Massachusetts prior to his marriage. There
he married a lady by the name of Nahusta Caldwell.
She was born of New England parents, who were of
Welsh and New England descent. The great-grand-
father of our subject, William Griffin, came from
Wales and made a settlement in Connecticut, and
was the progenitor in America of the present large
family of Griffins who are scattered throughout the
United States. He was married, lived and died in
Connecticut. The grandfather and grandmother ot

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. 338

HENRY COUNTY.

1 Henry G. were both reared and lived to an advanced
age in Massachusetts. Like their parents, they
were farmers: The father of our subject lived at his
home in Massachusetts until 18 years of age, when
he went to New York State, where he was appren-
ticed to learn the carpenter and joiner's trade. Dur-
ing his service here he was drafted into the War of
181 2, in which he served as a private. After his
discharge at the close of the war, he returned to his
work. He subsequently suffered from ill health and
returned to Massachusetts. While in New York,
however, he was married and reared a family of eight

> children, our subject being the eldest but one.

I Mr. Griffin, the subject of this narrative, was edu-
cated in the public schools, and made his home with
his parents until he was 18 years of age. He then
left the parental roof, all his friends, and everything
that was near and dear to him, and came alone to
then wild prairies of Illinois. This was in 1837.
He arrived in Mercer County, and located 1 60 acres

■ of wild land, which is now in Greene Township.

1 Upon this he subsequently built a house and made

: other improvements. Three years later he was mar-
ried at what is now Viola, in that county. This
event occurred on the 4th of August, 1840, and Miss
Isabella, daughter of Alexander and Rebecca (Tor-
rence) McGaughey, was the lady chosen for his wife.
Mr. McGaughey was a wagon-maker and also a
farmer, and, as well as his wife, was a native of
Adams Co., Pa., where they were married. Shortly
after their union they came to Mercer Co.,. Pa., and
it was at New Bedford, that county, that Mrs. Griffin
was born. She was only ten years of age when her
parents died. After this sad event she went to
Coitsville, Trumbull Co., Ohio, and lived with her
sister, Mrs. Agnes Stewart. In 1839, the family
came West and settled on a farm where Viola, 111.,
now stands. It was here that the sturdy young man
from Massachusetts met Miss McGaughey, and a
year after her arrival they were married.

To Mr. and Mrs. Griffin have been born nine
children, four of whom are deceased: John A. mar-
ried Mary Payne and lives at Danville, 111. ; Mary
A. lives at Mira, Dakota, upon a farm, and is the
wife of J. M. Merrill ; Rebecca A. is the wife of
Rufus Anderson, of Cambridge ; Julia A. resides at
home; Sarah A. is the wife of C. K. Fillmore, of
Tiffin, Iowa. Those deceased are William A., Gil-
bert A., French B. and James M.

After their marriage, Mr. and Mrs. Griffin lived in
Mercer County for four years, when they moved into
Warren County, near Little York, where they settled
on a rented farm. For two years they remained
there, when, in the spring of 1846, they moved into
this county, locating on a farm in Cambridge Town-
ship. Three years later, he purchased a farm of
160 acres near the city of Cambridge. In 1851 he
sold this and purchased 200 acres where he now
lives. At that time it was in a wild, unimproved
condition, but since then he has brought it into a
high state of cultivation. He sold 100 acres of this
and purchased an 80-acre tract adjoining. He also
purchased 40 acres, which he generously gave Au-
gustus E. Anderson, a young Swede who lived with
him, and of whom a sketch and portrait are given
elsewhere in this Album.

, Mr. Griffin is one of the progressive, enterprising
and intelligent farmers of Henry County, and is
highly esteemed by all his neighbors. He has served"
as Justice of the Peace for 16 years, and is now rep-
resenting his township in the Board of Supervisors,
which he has also done for nine years. He has also
served as County School Commissioner for two years.
Politically, he is a true Republican. The family are
members of the Congregational Church, of which
Mr. G. has been a Deacon for 34 years consecu-
tively.

Mr. Griffin's eldest son, John A., who is now a
minister of the Congregational Church at Danville,
enlisted at the first call for troops to defend our flag,
joining Co. D, 17th 111. Inf. He served five years
and was promoted from the rank of Sergeant to that
of Second Lieutenant. At the close of his first en-
listment he re-enlisted, and was retained for one
year after the close of the war. At Pittsburg Land-"
ing he was wounded in the left side. After his son
had been out a little more than a year, Mr. Griffin
himself enlisted, Aug. 11, 1862, in Co. D, iT2th 111.
Vol. Inf. He served for three years, and during the
time was taken prisoner, Nov. 18, 1863, in action, at
Knoxville, Tenn. He was sent to Libby prison in
December following, where he lay and suffered until
May 17 of the next year, when he was transferred as
a prisoner of war and kept in the stockade at Macon,
Ga., until Aug. 24, 1864. Then he was confined in
the jail-yard at Charleston, S. C, until Oct. 6. He
was then taken to Columbia, and again, Feb. 12,
1865, transferred to Charlotte, N. C, and then to

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HENRY COUNTY.

339

Raleigh, and afterward to GoMsboro, where he was
paroled Feb. 28, 1865, and was marched to the
Union line and joined his own company the same
day. -He was honorably discharged at Chicago, July
7, 1865, after serving his country faithfully and suf-
fering as a good soldier.

As one of the representative men of Henry County,
we take pleasure in giving the portrait of Mr. Griffin
upon the page opposite the beginning of this sketch.

ames Stitt, one of the self-made men of
this county, as well as energetic and pro-
gressive farmers and stock dealers, residing
on section 27, Oxford Township, is a native of
Franklin Co., Pa., where he was born Oct. 4,
1827. The parents of Mr. Stitt, William and
Margaret (Harmony) Stitt, were also natives of Penn-
sylvania, and came to this State in 1856, settling in
Oxford Township, this county, where they resided
until their deaths. James was an inmate of the
parental family, and resided on the old homestead
until he attained the age of 18 years. He then en-
gaged to learn the tailoring business, and served
three years as an apprentice at that trade, which he
mastered and continued to follow for 18 months.
His education was received in the district schools of
his native county. In 1850, when 23 years of age,
Mr. Stitt went to California, where he was engaged
in the gold mines for one year. He met with suc-
cess in mining, and at the end of the year he was
the possessor of more than $r,ooo, with which he
returned to Pennsylvania, where he remained for a
year. He then went to Michigan, and invested in
land in that State ; but after remaining there for
about a year, he sold all the interest he possessed in
real estate and came to Illinois. He arrived July
4, 1854, and located on section 27, Oxford Town-
ship, this county, where he at that time purchased
160 acres of land. He has at present, in addition to
his original purchase, 320 acres in Iowa and also
320 in Nebraska. Coming here at a comparatively
early day, he realized that the time was not far dis-
tant when the country would be thoroughly devel-
oped, and consequently the land would increase in
value, and held on to his original purchase. He has
a fine farm under an advanced state of cultivation,

= ®j

and is meeting with success in his chosen vocation.

Mr. Stitt enlisted in the war for the Union, Aug.
9, 1862, joining Co. D, 112th 111. Vol. Inf. He was
wounded during an engagement, and was disabled
from duty for two months. He participated in the
battles of Knoxville, Resaca, Kenesaw Mountain,
Atlanta, Fort Anderson and Franklin, Tenn., and
many others of less import. He was also engaged
in the raid on Knoxville to burn the Strawberry Plain
Bridge, and was seven days and nights in the sad-
dle. He received an honorable discharge in June,
1865.

The marriage of Mr. Stitt to Miss Elizabeth Ham-
mond, a native of Pennsylvania, occurred in March,
1853, and the issue of their union has been seven
children, namely: Lawrence F., Amanda M., Frank
E., Wesley K., Elmer M. ; and Rose A. and Henry,
deceased. Mrs. Stitt departed this life in January,
1869, and Mr. S. was again married, to Miss Mary J.
Paden, a native of Illinois. Of the second utjion,
seven children were born, — Charles, James H., Will-
iam L., Margaret L. and Harry W. The deceased
are Jesse and Amos.

Politically, Mr. Stitt is identified with the Green-
back parly. He and his wife are members of the
Methodist Episcopal Church. Mr. Stitt is at present
School Trustee of his district, and socially is a mem-
ber of the G. A. R.

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W. Peregoy, who resides on section 10,
Clover Township, is a farmer by occupa-
tion. He was born in Belmont Co., Ohio,
Sept. 4, 1846, his parents being David and
Mary (Frush) Peregoy, natives of Ohio. Mr.
P., subject of this notice, remained with his
parents until 19 years of age, receiving a fine educa-
tion. At that time in his life's history, or rather
previous to that, when 17 years old, he began teach-
ing in the district schools, and followed that profes-
sion for four years in Ohio. In r 868 he came to this
State and rented a farm, which he successively culti-
vated for five years, teaching, meantime, during
winters.. At the expiration of this time he purchased
60 acres of land, located on section 10, Clover Town-
ship, this county, where he is at present residing.
He labored hard and was economical, and thereby

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340

HENRY COUNTY.

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secured sufficient to enable him to purchase 117
acres additional, and at present is the . proprietor of
177 acres. He has carried on general farming and
stock-raising ever since he came to Clover Town-
ship, and has met with no small degree of success in
his chosen vocation.

The marriage of Mr. Peregoy to Miss Polly New-
ton, a native of Morgan Co., Ohio, occurred in 1866.
They have seven living children : Nettie L., Nellie
O., Lillie M., Jennie M., Verda L., Lulu M. and
Jessie N. Politically, Mr. P. affiliates with the Re-
publican party. He and his wife and oldest daughter
belong to the Methodist Episcopal Church. Mr.
Peregoy holds the office of Road Commissioner of
his town, and is one of the active, progressive farm-
ers, as well as respected citizens of Clover Town-
ship.

/j§'fiMdam Mealman, who resides upon section
13 of Western Township, and devotes his
attention to general farming, was born in
Franklin Co., Pa., on the 25th of August, 1882.
His father, John Mealman, was also a native
of the Keystone State, and by callng a farmer.
The girl of his choice, Miss Sarah Rosenburg, was
also a native of Franklin County. There they were
married and lived for many years. In 1839, when
Adam was 17 years of age, they came West, locating
first in Rock Island County, where, in 1844, the
mother died. The elder Mealman afterward came
to Bishop Hill, where, about 1875, he died, at the
age of 73 years.

When a young man, our subject had learned the
trade of cooper, which he continued to follow for 15
years. While living in Rock Island County, he was
married to Harriet Kimball, who was born in Ohio,
and came to Illinois when a young woman. She
died at her home in Western Township, Dec. 27,
1865, at the age of 32 years. She had given birth to
seven children, four of whom, two daughters and two
sons, are now living. Mr. M. was again married in
1868, to Miss Rachel L. Dial, who was born in Ohio.
She came to Illinois with her parents when she was
22 years of age, and has become the mother of four
children.

In 1847 Mr. Mealman settled on 160 acres of
land on the southwest quarter of section 13, when it

was all an unbroken prairie, but by his industry and
perseverance has it now all well improved and under
a fine state of cultivation. Politically, Mr. M. is
identified with the Democratic party, being a first-
class Democrat.

H. Newman, who follows the occupation
h- of a farmer, on section 23, Clover Town-
^*? ship, was born in Westchester Co., N. Y.,
June 19, 1833. The parents of Mr. Newman
were Banks and Sarah (Reynolds) Newman.
The father was a farmer by occupation, and
also followed the trade of shoemaker.

J. H. Newman, the subject of this biographical
notice, remained with his parents until the death of
his father, which occurred when he was 1 1 years of
age. He then went to live with an uncle, with
whom he remained till he was 16 years old, receiving
a good education in the district schools. On attain-
ing the age of 16 years he left the residence of his
uncle, and engaged to learn the carpenter's trade,
which, after an apprenticeship, he mastered. In
1854, in the winter, he came to this State, where at
various places he was engaged in working at his
trade for seven years, until 1861, and until the
breaking out of the late Civil War. Soon after the
news had flashed across the continent that rebel
shot and shell had been thundered against Fort
Sumter, Mr. Newman enlisted in Co. E, 1st 111.
Reg. of light artillery, known as the Waterhouse
Battery, and was engaged in the service three years.
He was Quartermaster-Sergeant, and during the war
participated in the battles of Shiloh, Vicksburg,
Jackson, Guntown and Tupelo, and was honorably
discharged Dec. 19, 1864.

Returning from the war, he doffed his uniform,
laid aside his accoutrements, and once more entered
actively into the peaceful pursuits of life. He pur-
chased 80 acres of land, where he at present resides,
and by laborious toil and economy, coupled with the
active co-operation of his good helpmeet, he suc-
ceeded in accumulating sufficient to make an addi-
tional purchase of 60 acres, making his total acreage
140. He has made numerous improvements upon
his land, such as the setting out of trees, erection of
a residence, etc., has a fi»e farm, the outgrowth

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HENRY COUNTY.

of his own indomitable energy, perseverance and
economy.

Mr. Newman was married to Miss Cynthia, daugh-
ter of A. R. Hayden, in 1865, and has borne him
two children, — Clarke E. and Orris H. Politically,
Mr. N. affiliates with the Republican party. Relig-
iously, he and his wife* are members of the Christian
Church. Mr. N. has held the office of Supervisor
for three years, and also Justice of the Peace, and
at present is filling the office of Township Trustee,
a position he has held for some years.

^<s^l>^^

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•1 ■*

illiam Harbaugh, a dealer in sportsmen's
supplies at Geneseo, has been a resident
in Henry County since his removal hither
v in 1852. He was born Nov. 17, 1844, in
Wayne Co., Ohio, and is the son of John
Eliza (Byers) Harbaugh. The family removed
from Ohio to Bureau Co., 111., in T850, when the son
was six years of age. In 1852 another removal was
made to the township of Phenix, in Henry County.
The father of Mr. Harbaugh settled on a farm, on
which the son was reared to the time of his entering
the military service of the United States during the
Civil War.

The la'tter enlisted in August, 1862, in Co. K,
112th Regt, 111. Vol. Inf., and his regiment was as-
signed to the 23d Army Corps in the Army of the
Tennessee. Mr. Harbaugh was under fire in the
actions at Monticello, and Richmond in Kentucky,
Philadelphia, Knoxville and Beans's Station in
Tenessee, Utaw Creek, Atlanta, Rough and Ready,
Jonesboro, Kenesaw Mountain, and Pine Moun-
tain, in Georgia, Columbia. Franklin and Nashville,
Tenn., and at Fort Anderson and Wilmington, in
North Carolina. He was discharged June 20, 1865,
at Greensboro, N. C, and was musered out in July
following.

On his return from the army Mr. Harbaugh came
to Geneseo, and became interested in mercantile
business, in company with I. S. Felger, who was the
senior partner. The firm continued business until
December, 1879, when they sold out, and in 1880
Mr. Harbaugh instituted the business in which he is
at present operating. He is a Republican of radical
stripe.

His marriage to Matilda Luther took place Nov,

17, 1867, and they have one child, a daughter, Bere-
nice R. Mrs. Harbaugh is the daughter of George
and Salome Luther. With her husband, she is a
member of the Methodist Episcopal Church.

evi Pillsfoury, general farmer and stock-
raiser, residing on section 8, Andover
Township, was born in Parishville, St.
Lawrence Co., N. Y., March 22, 1823. His
father, Caleb Pillsbury, was a farmer and died
about 1838, in Lynn Grove, Lynn Township,
where he was the owner of a small farm. Levi's
mother died in the same township, in 1862.

Mr. Pillsbury, the subject of this notice, resided
in the county of his nativity until he attained the
age of 15 years, when he came West with his par-
ents. At that early day, 1836, there were but three
families who could be counted their neighbors ; on
the east of them it was many miles to the residence
of any white family. Two years after the death of
his father, he commenced to learn the carpenter's
trade, which he followed for a number of years. In
1 84 1, he made his first purchase of land, of 80 acres
on section 18, Andover Township, of his uncle, Rev.
I. Pillsbury. He afterwards conducted this farm on
a large scale, and he now owns 240 acres, besides
ten acres of timber, and six village lots. He form-
erly was the proprietor of a much larger area of land,
but he has given considerably to his sons. Politi-

cally, he is a good Democrat.

j: ev. George C. Woodruff has been con-
nected with the history of the Methodist
Episcopal Church in Henry County since
he came to Illinois, in 1855. His headquar-
ters have been in Geneseo during that time,
and he has been a permanent resident there
since 1873.

He was born Dec. 16, 1807, in Essex Co., N. Y.
His father, Timothy Woodruff, was a native of Con-
necticut, and his mother, who was before her mar-
riage Miss Eunice Newell, was born in the State of
New Hampshire.
Mr, Woodruff joined the Methodist Church at the

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HENRY COUNTY.

age of 19. On his 21st birthday he began.the life of
a circuit preacher, and he has now been in the min-
istry 57 years, being, however, on the "superan-
nuated list " since 1873. In that year he was dis-
abled by a sunstroke, but has preached almost with-
out intermission, and is now officiating every week
in that capacity.

While he operated in Northern New York he oc-
cupied the position of Presiding Elder seven years in
the Adams and Potsdam District. He came to Illi-
nois June 16, 1855, and was appointed on the New
Boston Circuit, and he has served one year as Pre-
siding Elder in this State.

He was married at Fort Covington, Franklin Co.,
N. Y., Aug. 21, 1832, to Pauline, daughter of Luther
and Henrietta Danforth. Mrs. Woodruff was born
in the county in which she was married. She has
borne five children, and but two survive : Elizabeth
was the wife of James T. Hall, and died Sept. 21,
1 880 ; L. E. Woodruff, whose sketch may be found
elsewhere in this work, is the second child in order
of birth; Mary J., wife of L. H. Cady, died Feb. 28,
1872; Gertrude S. is the wife of Frank Carpenter,
and they reside at Livermore, Iowa ; and George H.
died in 1866, aged 12 years.

Mr. and Mrs. Woodruff celebrated their golden
wedding Aug. 21, 1882. The occasion was a joyful
one from the many expressions of kindly sentiment.
The Masonic body of Geneseo presented Mr. Wood-
ruff with a beautiful gold-headed cane, appropriately
inscribed. He was made a Mason at New Boston,
III., in 1858.

He is a Republican in political preference.

aniel Grant, dealer in agricultural imple-
ments at Orion, was born in North Scot-
land about 1830. His father, Alexander,
was a farmer, and died in his native country,
Scotland ; the mother afterward came to Ameri -
ca, with her five children, in 1843, locating in
Jefferson Co., Ohio, where she died about six years
later.

After her death, Mr. Daniel Grant set out into the
world to take care of himself, by first learning the
carpenter's trade at Pittsburg, Pa. ; but after follow-
ing it two years, he'returned, on account of failing

health, to farm life in Allegheny Co., Pa. In 1856
he came to Illinois, locating upon^8o acres of wild
prairie land, where he lived until the year 1884,
making many and substantial improvements. In the
year named he commenced in his present business
at Orion, where he carries a full line of the various
machines and apparatus nee*ded by the farming
community.

In 185 , Mr. Grant was married, in Allegheny Co.,
Pa., to Ellen Ferguson, who was born in Ireland, and
came to America when a young lady, with her father,
her mother having died in the old country. Her
father died in Butler Co., Pa., about 1865. The
children of Mr. and Mrs. Grant are Anna, John and
Alexander. Mr. Grant is a reliable Republican, and
both himself and Mrs. G. are members of the Pres-
byterian Church.

1
'd'«[lexander Maher, a resident of section 21,
Clover Township, where he follows the
vocation of a farmer, is a native of New
York, having been born in Westerlo, Albany
County, that State, Nov. 21, 1825. His pa-
rents were Patrick and Phebe (Tenyck) Ma-
her, natives of Ireland and New York respectively.
His father followed the occupation of a farmer in
" York " State, and resided there until his death,
which occurred Jan. 16, i860. His wife died in the
same State, Jan. 8, 1844.

Alexander Maher, son of the parents spoken of,
was an inmate of the paternal household until he
attained his 2 2d year. [J His years of minority were
passed in attendance at the common schools and in
labor on the farm. One year after attaining his ma-
jority, when 22 years of age, he left the house of his'
parents and went forth upon the sea of life to carve
a future for himself. His first labor was on the Erie
Canal, where he worked for two years, and was then
engaged on the Hudson River for one year. After
that he worked out by the month on the farm, until
he came to this State, the date thereof being 1857.
Arriving in this State he worked for Selden Gale,
a farmer in Knox County, and continued to remain
with him for two years. At the end of that time he
worked for Elijah Brot one year. In 1861 he en-
gaged in farming on shares, and for two years was

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343

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occupied in that manner in Clover Township, this
county. He then engaged on a farm by the month,
and followed that occupation in this county for three
years, working for a gentleman named Thomas
Houghton.

After leaving the farm of Mr. Houghton, Mr.
Maher purchased ioo acres of land located on sec-
tion 20, Clover Township. He located on the same
and resided thereon for one year, when he sold it,
and purchased 160 acres on section 21, same town-
ship. On the latter tract he settled with his family,
and entered actively into its cultivation and im-
provement, setting out trees, improving the barns,
residence, etc., and at this place he has continually
resided until the present time. He has a beautiful
home, with fine surroundings, and is meeting with
success in his chosen vocation, agriculture.

Mr. Maher was united in the bonds of matrimony

with Miss Lucia Holton, in 1862, who was a native

of Vermont, and who has borne him seven children,

> viz. : Park, Charles, Laura, Jennie, Henry, Maud

^ and Ira. Mr. and Mrs. Maher have also adopted

° two of his brother's children, Mary and James, his

^ brother and wife having died.

S Politically, Mr. Maher is a stanch Republican.

'Su Socially, he is a member of the Masonic Order, and
is respected in the community in which he resides
for his sterling worth and integrity. In addition to
his real-estate possessions in this county he is the
proprietor of 480 acres of land in Kansas, one-
quarter of the same being in a good state of cultiva-
tion.

wan Swanson, a retired merchant residing
at Bishop Hill, was born in Sweden, May
28, 1825. There he passed his early life
upon the farm, and lived there until he was
years of age, enjoying but limited advan-
tages for an education, and is what may justly
be termed a self-made man. Landing in New York,
he came directly to Henry County, and has since
been one of its prominent and public-spirited citi-
zens. He located at Bishop Hill, which at the
time was known as " Bishop Hill Colony." For
about 15 years he was engaged in farming, but in
i86r, in company with Jacob Jacobson, he em-

v!)

barked in the mercantile business. For the suc-
ceeding years, until 1873, the firm were well-known
general merchants of Bishop Hill. At that time
they sold out, and Mr. Swanson has since been liv-
ing in retirement, with the exception of devoting
some of his time to his landed interests. He is the
owner of 280 acres of land in Weller Township,
most of which is well improved.

Shortly after his arrival at Bishop Hill, in June,
1848, Mr. Swanson was united in marriage, with
Christina Gabrielson. This lady was also a native
of Sweden, and they lived happily together until
Oct. 2, 1877, when Mrs. S. died. She became the
mother of seven children, only three of whom grew
to man's estate : Carl W. resides in Galva ; Evol L.
lives at Bishop Hill, where John also resides. On
the 8th of October, 188 r, in Nebraska, Mr. Swanson
was again engaged in marriage. The lady who
joined him at that time, Kate Erickson, is also a
native of Sweden. Mr. S. is also identified with the
Republican party.

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r. Payton, a farmer; who is following his *>
vocation on section 28, Oxford Township, , J)
was born in Indiana, June 10,1851. His
father, Jacob, and his mother, Mary J. (Wor-
ley) Payton, were natives of Ohio and Indiana
\_ respectively. The subject of this notice re-
mained at home, assisting his parents on the farm
and attending the common district schools, until he
was 2 1 years of age. At that period in life he left
home and started out for himself. The first enter-
prise was to rent a farm and engage in agricultural
labor. This place he held for three years. His pa-
rents came to Knox Co., 111., having lived there for
a short time in 1854, and the same year came into
Henry County, and purchased 80 acres of land in
Oxford Township. He subsequently sold this and
purchased a quarter of section 21, in the same town-
ship.

The subject of this sketch, after renting a farm for
three years, bought a piece of land in Taylor Co.,
Iowa, where he spent another three years in working
it. He then returned to Henry County, and for two
years more worked a rented farm. By this time an

— «mmj^M

■^

^/^)^tK

344

HENRY COUNTY

opportunity presented itself for him , to purchase a
place for himself. This he did in Osco Township,
remaining there, however, but one year, when he pur-
chased 114 acres of the section where he now re-
sides. This purchase was made in the year 1882.

In 1875, Mr. Payton was marned to Miss Laura
Rutledge. The ceremony was solemnized on the 3d
of September, that year. Mrs. Payton is a native of
Pennsylvania, and has become the mother of two
children, whom they have christened Rockwell and
Anna.

Politically, Mr. P. is a Republican, and, with his
wife, are members of the Baptist Church, located at
Alpha. Mr. Payton is one of the rising and promis-
ing young men of the township.

-* #-# *-

l|p|)« ndrew Barlow, engaged in the mercantile
\\. business at Bishop Hill, is a native of

rsa Sweden, having been born in that country
Feb. 19, 1830. He continued to reside in his
native country until 1850, when, having at-
attained the age of 20 years, he concluded to
seek his fortune in another country, and emigrated
to the United States, coming direct to this county
and locating at Bishop Hill. Previous to emigrating
to the United States, and while a resident of his na-
tive country, he learned the tailor's trade, and on
arriving at Bishop Hill he followed his trade for
about three years. He afterward engaged in farm-
ing in the Colony. Subsequently he removed to
Kewanee, in 1855, and continued to reside there for
three years, where he was engaged in the, manufac-
ture of brooms. At the expiration of this time, in
the spring of 1858, he went to Cass Co., Neb., where
he lived'six years and a half. He then returned to
Weller Township, this county, where he purchased
small tracts of land, engaged in farming, and fol-
lowed that vocation until 1870. In February of that
year Mr. Barlow formed a co-partnership with Swan
Bjorklund in the mercantile business, which co-
partnership existed for about five years, when Mr.
Barlow purchased the interest of his partner, and
erected the building where he is at present engaged
in business. Soon after commencing in his new
store he took in a partner, William Christopher,
which partnership existed for five years, when it was

dissolved, and since that time Mr. Barlow has con-
ducted the business alone. By fair and honest
dealing with his fellow man, he has built up a good
and satisfactory trade, and, is meeting with success
in his business.

Mr. Barlow was married at Bishop Hill,, this
county, Sept. 30, 185 1, to Lizzie Johnson, a native
of Sweden. Politically, Mr. Barlow is independent.
In his public relations he is a member of the Town
Board, and is one of the representative business
men of the village.

aoooe

?lbert Sickler, proprietor of the Central

j Meat Market at Geneseo, established his

business in that city in 1867.

He is the
senior in the trade in that line of business at
that place. He is a native of Prussia, and
was born at Obendorf, March 28, 1845. An-
ton and Margarita (Glatthaar) Sickler, his parents,
are still residing there.

Mr. Sickler came from his native land in 1865*,
and reached the city of Geneseo on the 25 th of Octo-
ber. He passed the next two years there and at
Moline in acquiring a complete understanding of his
business, and at the expiration of that time he started
in his own behalf. In 1870 his establishment was
destroyed by fire, and he suffered total loss, not only
of his store, stock and fixtures, but also of his house-
hold goods, as he resided over his shop. But not
being of the stuff that gives up easily to ill fortune,
he rebuilt his shop and was soon in running order.
In 1875 the same disaster was repeated, with the ex-
ception that he succeeded in saving much of his
portable property. He then erected the building in
which he has since operated, and which he owns.
He belongs to the Democratic party in political con-
nection.

The marriage of Mr. Sickler to Mary Grose took
place Jan. 26, 1870, at Rock Island, 111. Mrs. Sick-
ler was born in Alsace, France (now Elsass, Ger-
many), and is the daughter of John and Mary Grose.
The family came to the United States when the
daughter was a child.

The children that have been born to Mr. and Mrs.
Sickler are recorded as follows : Amelia was born
in 187 1, Charles in 1873, and Joseph in 1877. The
family are Catholics.

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HENRY COUNTY.

345

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.ohn. H. Grammar. In 1847, among others
who came from across the ocean to Henry
County, were two brothers, William and
and John Grammar, who are now well-to-do
and respected farmers of Weller Township.
John was the younger, and was born, June 18,
1826, near Hanover, Prussia. He was 27 years of
age when he joined his brother in Weller Township,
and lived with him for about five years. He then
made a settlement in that township, and has since
been one of the growing and enterprising farmers of
that section of Henry County. He has provided his
farm of 240 acres with good buildings and fine im-
provements of all kinds.

In Weller Township, Jan. 13, 1853, Mr. G. was
married to Mary Coldy, widow of Henry Coldy, who
died May 15, 1852. She was born in England, Jan.
16, 1821, and came to America in 1838. She is the
daughter of James Fenn. By her former marriage
she became the mother of five children, namely :
Emily F., deceased; Eliza M., Theodore H,, Mary
J., and Edward, deceased. Mr. and Mrs. Gram-
mar have a family of three children, — John W.,
Margaret H. and Henry E.

Mr. Grammar is a member of the Lutheran
Church, while his wife is connected with the Episco-
pal Church. In politics, he affiliates with the Demo-
cratic party.

Christian Buell, tobacconist at Geneseo,
has resided in Henry County since his ar-
rival here in T856. He is a native of Ger-
many, was born July 3T, 1823, and remained
in the " fatherland" until r848. On coming
to America in that year, he made his home at
^first at Roundout, in Ulster Co., N. Y. He learned
the business of a cigar-maker and tobacconist in the
city of New York, and came thence, as has been
stated, in 1856. He settled in Geneseo, and passed
some years in various methods until 1863, when he
established the business which he has since con-,
tinued to prosecute. He has been su< cessful in
building up a profitable and popular enterprise, and

is now manufacturing an annual average of 170,000
cigars.

Mr. Buell is a Republican in political views and
connections, and has served in the capacity of Al-
derman of the Third Ward of Geneseo.

He was united in marriage to Christina Maier, in
Roundout, N. Y., Aug. 14, 1853. Mrs. Buell was a
native of Germany, and came to America in 1853.
They had six children, and have lost one by death,
Julia, the oldest, dying in infancy. John, Fred and
Christian are the names of the three sons. Dora is
the wife of Otto Michael, of Munson Township. The
mother died Dec. 3, 1883. Mr. Buell is a member
of the Evangelical Church.

" garrison Trego, a dealer in drugs, sta-
tionery, etc., at Orion, was born in Bucks
Co., Pa., Jan. 8, 1838. His father, Lewis
Trego, was a native of the same State, and by
occupation was an agriculturist. In Bucks
County, he was married to Sarah Willard, who
was likewise a native of the same county. The elder
Trego died in Bucks County, in 1859, and in 1876
the mother came West, dnd resided with her young-
est son, the subject of this sketch, until her death,
which occurred three years later, at the advanced
age of 85 years.

Harrison Trego was educated in the public schools
of his native county, and when 20 years of age, de-
siring to find a better location to start out for himself
in life, came West and located in Mercer Co., 111.
In that county, on the 20th of May, i86r, he was
married to Miss Margaret Baker, daughter of Wil-
liam and Hannah (Ulim) Baker. She was born at
Greenburg, Westmoreland Co., Pa., in 1839. Her
family came to Illinois in 1857, and settled at Rock
Island city, and in T858 removed to Mercer County,
where her mother died. The father now lives with
his children who reside in Iowa and Illinois.

Although subsequent to his marriage, yet when
the flag of our nation was fired upon, Mr. Trego de-
termined to go to its defense. He accordingly en-
listed in Co. C, io2d 111. Inf., commanded by Col. F.
C. Smith, of Galesburg, on the 4th of October, r864.
He at once was sent to the front, and was with Sher-
man during his famous campaign through the Caro-

M»mi<^fi>

.346

z^K 6V^itirailf>^ ?€hr

HENRY COUNTY.

)

linas, and fought at the battles of Averysburg, S. C,
and Benton ville. Outside of some minor skirmishes
he escaped any very hard fighting. He was honor-
ably discharged Aug. 17, 1865, at Louisville, Ky.

After his return home, Mr. Trego engaged in a
meat-market and grocery store at Orion for two
year. In 1869 he established a drug store at the
same place, which he has since conducted. In 1870,
he was appointed Postmaster at that place, and held
the office until the present administration, when, on
July 2, 1885, he voluntarily resigned. Mrs. Trego
is a member of the Baptist Church, while her hus-
band is a member of the A. F. & A. M. and G. A. R.
Politically, of course he is a Republican, and has
served his township as Collector.

on. Joshua Harper, deceased, was a former
citizen of Geneseo. He occupied, perhaps,
as conspicuous a position during his life-
time as any other of the residents of Henry
county who have been placed on permanent
record 'on the pages of this volume. He was a
pioneer of what is now the township of Edford, in
1836, in the second year in which the tide of settle-
ment poured into Henry County. He came here
first as the agent of the New York Colony and trans-
acted the business of those whom he represented in
the distribution of lands. On the organization of the
county he was made the first Recorder, and his elec-
tion occurred June 19, 1837. Later, he occupied
positions of prominence, for all of which he was
eminently fitted by his superior character and abili-
ties. He possessed a fine order of mental organism,
and his discriminating judgment and methodical
habits made him a most valuable member of society
in its formative condition, as was the prevalent state
of things at the period of his coming to Henry
County. The traditional keenness of the percep-
tions of pioneers were proven by the early settlers in
the county, and they were not slow to recognize the
existence in their midst of the quality of fitness which
characterized Mr. Harper, and at this day, when the
passage of time is adjusting the value of the genera-
tions that laid the foundations of the splendid pros-
perity of Henry County, the just meed of appreciation
which Mr. Harper earned is heartily confirmed by

those to whom his name has become a household
word.

He was in his life one of the most conspicuous of
the throng that appeared on the public streets of
Geneseo, where he was a resident at the time of his
death. In person he was as tall and erect as a
young sycamore. Dignified and stately, he com-
manded the most uniform respect ; and he also won
the confidence of all by the innate kindness of his na-
ture which made him the type of true manhood. He
was pre-eminently a gentleman. He was, to the
generation to which he belonged, the type of the
chivalry and honor that, in these later times, is
only the aroma of the period which, after even these
few years, seems mythical. Punctilious and even
exacting, he was nevertheless the soul of honor in all
his transactions ; and, although he never permitted
another to take the smallest advantage of him, he <
rendered with the same exactness what was due to
others. He employed on all occasions only the
choicest language, speaking concisely and without
unnecessary words. Fastidious in dress and man-
ners, moving always in conformity to his ideas of the
obligations of a conscious human being, he was
unique in the pioneer period to which he belonged,
and he was regarded and is remembered as a char-
acter of unusual interest. In the smallest things he
preserved his peculiarities, and the county records
transcribed by his hand exhibit a penmanship as ex-
act and beautiful as copper-plate. He was possessed
of the most positive opinions, but never infringed
the bounds of courtesy in their expression.

Joshua Harper was born in Fairfax Co., Va., at
the country-seat of his father, on the 24th of April,
1796. John Harper, his father, was of German and
English extraction. His mother, whose maiden
name was Mary Reynolds, was born in Londonderry,
Ireland, of Scotch parentage.

Another most remarkable fact concerning Mr,
Harper was, that he was the youngest of 29 children.
He received the careful education of the son of a'
gentleman of cultivation and means, and became a
classical scholar of more than ordinary claims. In
1826 he established a mercantile enterprise in the
city of New York, and he operated there five years.
He went thence to Rio Janeiro, S. A., where he was
similarly interested three years.

In addition to the positions he filled, as has been

eA^nran^© — ^^^

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■?^z — @v^nn®nn>>^

-«ag"

HENRY COUNTY.

347

•E *

mentioned, he served twice as a Representative of
his District in the State Legislature, and in 1848 he
was a member of the Constitutional Convention. He
also discharged the duties of his citizenship in minor
local offices.

The extent of his real estate included several hun-
dred acres, of which Mrs. Harper is the legatee. She
is the owner of 640 acres in the township of Geneseo,
and 184 acres in Edford Township. Mr. Harper
acted for many years as the agent of Eastern capital-
ists.

He died at Geneseo Feb. 23, 1882, after a resi-
dence in Henry County of 46 years and at Geneseo
of 27 years.

Sarah Miller Thomas was married to Joshua Har-
per, Oct. 15, 1838, in Tazewell Co., 111. She was
born in Winthrop, Me., and is the daughter of Capt.
Hushai and Hannah (Cushman) Thomas. She has
borne no children, but has an adopted daughter.
Her husband was reared in the Presbyterian Church,
and after they came to Geneseo they both connected
themselves by membership with the Congregational
Church at that place.

In personal character and mental attainments,
Mrs. Harper is the counterpart of her late husband,
and represents him in the grace and dignity of true,
earnest womanhood.

(f»

* ■*

'. ohn B. Ridenour, dealer in lumber, brick,
coal and agricultural implements at Wood-
hull, this county, was born in Westmore-
land Co., Pa., May 2, 1833. His parents were
jC John Ridenour, born in Bedford, Pa., Jan. 26,
1807, and Susanna (Beightel) Ridenour, born
in Susquehanna Co., Pa., April 18, 181 1. They were
married in 1830; the father died May 21, 1885, at
Beaumont, Butler Co., Kan., and the mother in Lynn
Township, Henry County, Jan. 10, 1878. The father
was a farmer by occupation, and was engaged in that
calling in Pennsylvania until 1851, when he came to
this State and settled in Fulton County. He re-
mained in the latter county until r853, when he
moved to Lynn Township, this county, where he
purchased 160 acres of land, located on section 26,
the same being the southeast quarter of that section.
He remained on the latter tract until 1884, when he

moved to Butler Co., Kan., where he died, as stated,
the demise of the mother having occurred previous
to his removal to that State.

John B. Ridenour, subject of this notice, remained
on the old homestead, relieving his labors thereon
by attendance at the common schools until he at-
tained the age of 22 years. On reaching this period
in his life's history he set forth to fight life's battles
alone, and was engaged in breaking prairie, which
occupation he followed for four years. He then pur-
chased 40 acres in Lynn Township, on which he
located and vigorously engaged in its improvement,
and on which he resided until Sept. 21, 1861.

He enlisted in Co. A, 55th 111. Vol. Inf., and went
to Camp Douglas, at Chicago, where he remained
until Nov 9 of that year. He then went to Camp
Benton, St. Louis, where his regiment remained un-
til Jan. 12, 1862, when he proceeded to Paducah,
Ky., where it remained until March of the same
year. He then look a steamer up the Tennessee
River, and landed at Pittsburg, March 15, 1862,
where he participated in the battle of Shiloh. In
that battle he received a severe flesh wound, the date
being April 6, r862, and was sent home on a fur-
lough. He returned after an absence of 60 days to
his regiment at Moscow, Tenn. It next went to Hol-
low Springs, then to Memphis, Tenn., at which point
it arrived July 21, 1862, and where it was placed on
camp duty until November of the same year. He,
with the regiment, then participated in a three-days
fight at Chickasaw Bayou, Dec. 29, 30 and Jan. 1,
and also in the capture of Arkansas Post, Jan. 10
and 11, 1863. It then returned to Young's Point,
La., and worked on the famous Grant Canal during
the winter, and participated in the battle of Cham-
pion Hill, May 17, 1863, and in the 46 days' siege of
Vicksburg. From there it went to Jackson, Miss.,
where it participated in another ten-days siege. It
then went to Vicksburg, and from there to Memphis,
with Sherman's army, by way of Corinth, and par-
ticipated in the skirmish at Tuscumbia, Oct. 1, 1863,
and arrived at Chattanooga Nov. 2 1 , and participated
in a pontoon expedition in North Chickamaqua
Creek, and also in a battle on Missionary Ridge on
the 24th and 25th of November, 1863. Mr. Riden-
our was with his company in all these marches and
engagements, and on the 26th of Nov., 1863, he ac-
companied Sherman's army to • Knoxville and from
there to Albany, where he was mustered out, Jan.

>5^£ ^A<*>H UM^-^9 ^^^-

348

-enroll H S II Hf>^ >s«»sr

HENRY COUNTY.

■*&&&$

2, 1864. He then re-enlisted in the same company
for three years, and was engaged in the battle of

£p Kenesaw Mountain, June 27, the battle east of At-
lanta, July 22, 1864, the battle of Ezra Chapel, July

{g>j 28, 1864, then in the siege of Atlanta during the
month of August, the battle of Jonesboro, Aug. 31
and Sept. 1, and then marched with Sherman in pur-'
suit of Hood through Georgia and Alabama some
300 miles, returning to Atlanta. He then marched
to Savannah and participated in the capture of Fort
McAllister, then accompanied Sherman in his famous
march from Savannah, and was engaged in the bat-
tle of Columbia, and also a three-days battle at Ben-
tonville, N. C, arid finally accompanied Sherman to
Washington. During the war he was under fire of
the enemy 120 days. From the latter place he went
with his company to Louisville, Ky., where .he was
honorably discharged, June 15, 1865. He was pro-
moted from the relation of private to the rank of
Captain, and was elected Lieutenant Colonel, but
never received his commission on account of the
close of the war.

Mr. Ridenour formed a matrimonial alliance, April
28, 1859, with Miss Lois Payton, a native of Indi-
ana. They are the parents of three children, —
William H., Mary E. and Elton A. Mr. Ridenour
and his wife are members of the Methodist Episcopal
Church. Politically, he is identified with the princi-
ples of the Republican party, Teetotalism and Pro-
hibition. He is a Justice of the Peace and Notary
Public. Socially, he is a member of the G. A. R.
He came to Woodhull in 1869, where he has been
permanently located ever since. He is one of the
energetic and respected citizens of the community in
which he resides, and is meeting with success in the
business which he is conducting at Woodhull.

H| elson Gaines, of Geneseo, is a pioneer of
Henry County of 1848, and is one of the
most worthy and esteemed citizens of the

)

county whose interests he has promoted since
he became a resident therein. He is a native of
Granville, Mass., where he was born March 23,
) 1817. His father, Samuel Gaines, was also a native
" of the Bay State, and his mother, who before her

marriage was named Esther Blakesley, was a native
of Connecticut.

The family went, when the son was three years
old, to Delaware Co., N. Y., and he there passed the
years which intervened between his childhood and
manhood. On arriving at a suitable age to com-
mence business, he embarked in the mercantile line.
In 1842 he came to Victoria, 111., and there became
interested in agriculture, and operated as a farmer
until 1848. In that year he removed to Cambridge,
in Henry County, and was the first to establish a
mercantile enterprise at that place. He conducted
what is now known as an old-fashioned country
store, and transacted a profitable and popular busi-
ness. He remained there until the fall of i860,
when he removed to Geneseo. He engaged in the
management of a general store, which includes all
lines of merchandise common to the trade; but in his
case hardware was excluded. After 1 2 years of ac-
tive business he retired, and has since lived a life of
quiet, without business relations. He has acquired
a considerable interest in land in Iowa and Dakota,
and has been successful in his operations in that
direction.

In his political relations, Mr. Gaines is an inflex-
ible Republican, although he has never been con-
sidered an aggressive politician. While at Cambridge
he officiated as Postmaster eight years, and he has
filled several positions of trust in the management of
local affairs. He was an Abolitionist, and has kept
in the ranks of that element in its various move-
ments. He has been a member of the Congrega-
tional Church for more than 40 years.

Mr. Gaines has been thrice married. Harriet
(Andrews) Gaines, to whom he was joined in matri-
mony in Otsego Co., N. Y., in 1837, was born in
Delaware Co., N. Y., and was the daughter of Hiram
Andrews. She bore three children : George died
at the age of four years ; Clarissa is the wife of E.
G. Comstock, of Rapid City, Dak. ; Julia married
James W. Stewart, of Cambridge, 111., who is a grain
merchant at that place. The mother died in 1852.
Mr. Gaines was again married, in Cambridge, in
December, 1854, to Clarissa Hinman. She was the
daughter of Willis Hinman, and was born in Bristow,
Conn. The issue of the second marriage comprises
five children, namely : Hattie is the wife of Charles
E. Genung, of Menlo, Iowa; Emma married George
L. Gilman, and they reside in Dakota ; Lucy mar-

§
i

V^llll Sillier

HENRY COUNTY.

V
>

vJ)

ried Dr. R. W. Miller, who is engaged in the prac-
tice of his profession at Menlo, Iowa ; Frank N. is
in the provision business at Grinnell, Iowa ; Harvey
S. is a student at the Collegiate Institute at Geneseo.
The second wife of Mr. Gaines died at Geneseo, in
October, 1877. Amy H. Wilson became his wife in
February, 1879. She was born in Belchertown,
Mass., and died at Geneseo, July 13, 1884.

eorge Ferguson, a retired farmer, living
at Cambridge, came to Henry County in
1855 and settled on a farm in Cornwall
Township. He first purchased 80 acres of
land and increased his real estate until he be-
came the owner of 400 acres. He was born
May 10, 1819, in County Monaghan, Ireland. His
grandfather, Samuel Ferguson, was born in Ireland
and married Margaret Hall. They had six children,
one of whom, John, came to America and settled in
Pennsylvania, where he died. The children were
named James, Samuel, John, Mary and Margaret.
Another daughter died young. James Ferguson, the
oldest son, was born and died in Ireland. He mar-
ried Margaret Huss, and they had ten children. The
following named reached maturity : Margaret, Mar-
tha, Jane, Isabella, Samuel, Thomas, George and
James. The two last are twins. James came to the
United States in the early part of May, 1847, and
George followed toward the close of the same month.
James settled in Hamilton, Canada, where he still
lives. George was a laborer in the same place two
years, and in 1849 he removed to Pennsylvania,
where he was a resident six years. He came to
Henry County in December, 1855. He was occupied
in the Keystone State as a teamster and on removal
to Illinois became a farmer. In the summer of 1856
he bought 80 acres of land in Cornwall Township
and removed his family from Peoria, where they had
been awaiting the preparation of their home. He
bought at intervals two additional tracts of land,
each containing 160 acres, and by further purchase
added to his estate until he now owns 480 acres,
under advanced cultivation. When he bought
the first 80 acres, for which he paid at the rate of
$4.25 per-acre, he had sufficient means to obtain a
clear title and a small amount of money for the pur-

chase of stock. Mr. Ferguson removed to Cam-
bridge in May, 1884, where he expects to pass the
•remaining years of his life in the comfort earned by
his frugal industry.

He is a Republican, and has been since he became
a citizen of his adopted country. In his own coun-
try he was an inflexible adherent of the Order of
Orangemen. He and his wife are prominent mem-
bers of the Free-Will Baptist Church. Mr. Ferguson
was a member of the building committee for the con-
struction of the church edifice of the society to which
he belongs in Cornwall, arjd has since been one of
the Trustees. He was prominent in the organiza-
tion of the local body, and has been a liberal contrib-
utor to its support. The family has been unremitting
in their efforts in social and religious matters in the
community to which they so long belonged.

Mr. Ferguson married Ann, daughter of John Hall.
Her father removed to Henry County in 1857, with
his family, and died in the township of Cornwall.
Mr. and Mrs. Ferguson had nine children, seven of
whom reached adult age : John, James, Esther, Mar-
garet J., Martha A., George and Mary E. John is a
farmer in Minnesota ; James is engaged in the same
business in Dakota.

jtVV®>2^§-

V. Clough, dairyman and general farmer
WA\ on section 19, Geneseo Township, is one of

f. ._ the representative farmers of Henry County

in point of industry, thrift and persistency in
1 the way of adding to the development of the
agricultural resources of the county. He was
born in Bangor, Franklin Co., N. Y., March 20,
1830. His parents, Peter and Hannah (Perham)
Clough, were both born in the State of New York,
and were of German and English birth respectively.
They went,- in the childhood of their son, to Jamaica,
Vt. There Mr. Clough grew to the age of manhood,
and was instructed in the business of a farmer. He
was also employed at various times in a saw-mill.
He continued to live in the county of Windham un-
til 1856, when he came to the county where he is
now a resident. He at once bought a tract of land
at Hickory Grove, in the township of Edford, and
proceeded to the business of farmer in a prairie State.
He erected a frame house, 14 x 18 feet in dimen- ' \

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HENRY COUNTY,

sions and one and a half stories in height. He
cleared about 60 acres of his farm, which was situ-
ated in the grove, and after a residence thereon of
about nine years, he then sold out and bought the
place where he has since carried on his business
operations. The place contains 240 acres and is all
improved. In 1879 he established his business as a
dairyman and has a milk route in the city of Gen-
eseo. His cows number 60 on an average.

Mr. Clough was married in Windham Co., Vt, to
Sophia Hines. Their marriage was celebrated Jan.
26, 1855. They have had eight sons, five of whom
are living, namely : Victor W., born Jan. 20, 1856 ;
Henry C, May 23, T858; Frank, Aug. 19, 1861 ;
Llewellyn A., Feb. 22, 1874; Clyde M., June 29,
1878. The deceased are: Charlie L., born Aug.
31, 1863, died Oct. 9, 1864 ; Harry L., born July 19,
1866, died April 12, 1870; and Ernest, born Feb. 2,
1 87 1, died Aug. 27, 1871. Mrs. Clough was born in
Windham Co., Vt., July 20, 1839. Her parents
were William and Ann (Maynard) Hins. Mr. Hins
was born April 1, 181 2; and Mrs. H., May 23, 18 16,
and died May 5, 1864.

j artin Boss is one of the substantial citi-
zens of the township of Loraine in all the
senses that estate and public interest can
make him such. He- is a pioneer of 1845
in the county, since which time he has resided
on section 17 of Loraine Township. He was
born Sept. 22, 1816, in Hesse-Darmstadt, and is the
son of Henry and Margaret (Hinkel) Ross, and grew
to the estate of manhood in his native town, where he
passed the years of his youth in school and on the
farm, and was 24 when in 1840 he came to the
United States. He landed at the port of New York
on the 3d of June of the year named, after a sea voy-
age of 32 days.

His cash capital on which to begin the upbuilding
of his fortunes in the New World was less than $5 .
But he had what is better than money in this country,
— the spirit to take hold of the first thing that needs
to be done ; and he at once proceeded to Pennsyl-
vania, where he obtained work as a farm assistant.
He worked one year at $6 a month, and in the year
next succeeding he went to Delaware. He was

similarly occupied there at double his former pay,
and he passed a year there. He then returned to
Pennsylvania, where he remained until the spring of
1845, when he came to Henry County. He made a
claim on sections 8 and 17, in what was then town-
ship 18, now Loraine. He built a log house on the
southeast quarter of the section first named, but
later removed the structure to the other section. In
1852 he bought a soldier's land-warrant, and has
since been an occupant of the claim, which he se-
cured under its provisions. He has become by sub-
sequent purchase the owner of an additional acreage,
which forms an aggregate of 452 acres, of which 370
acres are in farming condition. The proprietor has
erected excellent farm buildings, and set out fruit
and shade trees. On taking possession of his farm,
Mr. Ross bought a cow and a pair of steers, for
which he paid at a later date, when he was in more
prosperous circumstances. His herd of cattle con-
tain now about 50 head, and he has 13 horses and
colts. He raises both grain and stock, and keeps a
dairy, selling the cream, as is the custom in the
vicinity.

Mr. Ross was' married in 1845, to Magdalena
Lehman, who was born in Alsace. Their children
number five, and their names are Martin, Philip,
Sarah A., Rebecca and Sally. The oldest son lives
in Bon Homme Co., Dak. Philip is a farmer on
section 8, in Loraine Township. Sarah is the wife
of Lewis Arnett, and resides in Whiteside Co., 111.
Rebecca married Lavinus Heller, of Atkinson Town-
ship. Sally is the wife of Julius Lemuel, and they
live in the township of Alba.

The first wife died Dec. 7, 1855. March 6, 1856,
Mr. Ross was married to Eva Barbara Knapper, and
they are the parents of ten children, as follows :
William is a resident of Buffalo Co., Neb. ; Louisa
is the wife of Solomon J. Heller, of the township of
Atkinson; Christine married John Butzer, of White-
side Co., III.; the remaining children were born in
the following order : David, George F., Samuel W.,
Henrietta M., Lydia M., Benjamin H. and Marcella
Eva Barbara.

The members of the family are connected in mem-
bership with the Evangelical Association of North
America. The father has been a Trustee in the
Church of which he is a member for 27 years, or since
r858. He has officiated 12 years as Commissioner,
and has been prominent in his interest and exer-

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HENRY COUNTY.

tions for the benefit of education in his township.
He has officiated as Director the greater part of the
time since the organization of the township. In
active religious effort he has been one of the fore-
most, and has officiated as Steward and Exhorter for
many years. In 1885 Mr. Ross bought a residence
in the city of Geneseo.

ohn H. Dabbs, photographic artist at Gen-
eseo, established his business in that city
in December, 1884. He was born Feb.
18, 1859, in Wood Co., Ohio, and is the son of
John and Celia (Smith) Dubbs. He obtained
a practical knowledge of his trade in Findlay,
in his native State, and is a thoroughly skilled artist.
Mr. Dubbs has the endorsement of a large class of
patrons as being superior in his line of business. He
was engaged as a photographer in Findlay and in
Fremont, in Ohio, and in July, 1883, came to Port
Byron, in Rock Island Co., 111. He conducted his
business there until his removal to Geneseo.

Mr. Dubbs is a member of the Congregational
Church, and in political relations is a Democrat. He
is a member of the I. O. O. F., No. 624, Port Byron ;
also is a member of the society known as " Modern
Woodmen," No. 34, Port Byron.

-*3-

— £3-

j,rederick Fritzsche, a farmer of the town-
ship of Atkinson, located on section 26,
was born in Saxony, Germany, Jan. 23,
1826. In the year 1850 he left his native land
to cast his fortune with that of the New World.
He was dissatisfied with the distinctions in the
different classes in his own country, not being able
to see how one man is any better in the claims of his
birth than another. He believed in his own man-
hood sufficiently to trust the chances under a form
of government which permitted to every one the privi-
lege of making his own way without the distinctions
which in the land of his birth gave the monopoly of
all things to the favored few.

Directly after landing at the port of New York, he
proceeded to Wisconsin. There he passed two years,
and at the expiration of that time he came to the

— ^^ ' Q/^HH

county where he has since been a resident. He
reached this section of the State of Illinois in Sep-
tember, 1852, and has been a citizen of the county
where he is now located more than 30 years. He
has returned to the land which gave him birth twice
since he set out in life as an independent American
citizen. He went first in 1852, and repeated his
visit in 1884. He is the owner of 400 acres of land,
which he has placed in the most profitable condition
for farming purposes. He is extensively engaged in
the rearing of swine and cattle.

The marriage of Mr. Fritzsche to Christiana Leeps
took place Jan. 8, 1854. She was born in Germany,
Sept. 3, 1 83 1. They have had ten children, of
whom seven are living. They were born in the
order in which their names are here recorded :
Ernestine W., Alice M. (deceased), Frederick A.
(deceased), Annie C. (deceased), Edward H., Fred-
erick E., Moritz F., Sarah F., Wm. F. and Anna R.

Mr. Fritzsche is a Republican in his political
ideas, and always has supported the issues and
principles of that party. The members of the family
are Lutherans.

hilip S. Schnabele is a leading business,
man at Geneseo, where he is also acting in
$$$$ the several capacities of Notary Public, in-
surance and emigration agent. He is a mer-
chant tailor, and established his business at
Geneseo, Nov. 8, i860, as a general merchant,
in company with Lawrence Offerle. In 1865 he
made the exchange to his present line of trade, and
since 1868 he has managed his affairs alone. In
connection with merchant tailoring, he carries a full
line of ready-made clothing and furnishing goods,
and also deals in sewing-machines, organs and pi-
anos.

Mr. Schnabele was born at Obenheim, in Alsace,
France (now under the Prussian government), Dec.
24, 1835. He is the son of Jacob P. and Mary M.
(Stahl) Schnabele. The family came to the United
States in 1841, crossing the ocean in a sailing vessel,
the voyage consuming 44 days. They settled at
Northfield, Cook Co., III., where Mr. Schnabele re-
mained until his removal to Geneseo, where he ar.

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352

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HENRY COUNTY.

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EST
XL

rived Nov. 7, i860. This has since been the place
of his residence.

Mr. Schnabele was a citizen of this country when
the Republican party was organized, and he has since
supported its principles. He is thoroughly in sym-
pathy with the general and local institutions of the
country of his adoption, and his value as a citizen
and the quality of his abilities has been fully recog-
nized by his several elections to office. He has
officiated as Alderman two terms and as Mayor one
term. He is engaged in the discharge of the duties
of his fourth consecutive term as Snpervisor, and
also as Alderman. He has served three terms as a
member of the Board of Education, and four years
as its President.

In 1862 he formed a matrimonial union with
Amelia Willman at Geneseo. She was born Oct. 22,
1843, in Prussia, and is the daughter of Charles
Willman. Following is the record of the children of
Mr. and Mrs. Schnabele: Jennie A., born Jan. 27,
1864; Ada M., Sept. 28, 1866; Carrie M., Dec. 3,
1868; Jerome P., July 24, 187 1 ; Leonora F., Dec.
26, 1873; Priscilla, March 13, 1876; Maude M.,
July 10, 1878; Hazel M., Nov. 12, 1883.

Son. William H. Shepard, practicing attor-
ney, resident at Cambridge, has been a
citizen of Henry County since 1861. He
was born Sept. 18, 1836, in Norfolk, St. Law-
rence Co., N Y., and is the only child of
Chauncey L. Shepard by a second marriage.
His mother, Clio G. (Grout) Shepard, is the daugh-
ter of Josiah Grout, a prominent citizen of Fairfax
Franklin Co., Vt., and who was an officer in the
United States Army in the second war with Great
Britain. Captain Grout was engaged in the cele-
brated battle of Plattsburg, which was one of the
most important actions of that conflict. Chauncey
Shepard died Nov. 10, 1879, aged 79. Mrs. Shep-
ard, the mother, lives with her son at Cambridge,
and is 81 years of age.

Mr. Shepard passed his childhood on a farm in
Fairfax, Franklin Co., Vt. He was a student at the
celebrated New Hampton Institute, one of the lead-
ing educational institutions of the Green Mountain
State, where he distinguished himself in scholarship.

He bore the honors of his class, and was graduated
as valedictorian, on the nth of August, 1859.

During his.course of study he fixed on the law for
a profession, and on leaving school he bent everv
energy to the accomplishment of that purpose. He
had no resources but those of energy, determined
ambition and unbroken health. Soon after he was
graduated, he entered the law office of Messrs.
Hubbell & Dewey, a leading law firm of Fairfax>
and commenced his preparatory reading. He gave
diligent attention to his legal course, devoting his
entire leisure to an acquisition of the knowledge
necessary to his purpose, spending the winter seasons
of two years in teaching district school. Sept. 11,
1861, he was admitted to the Bar of Vermont, with
all the privileges of the State Courts. Soon after he
was graduated, his name was placed before the peo-
ple of Fairfax as a candidate for the responsible
position of Superintendent of Schools, to which he
was elected, and discharged the duties of the office
two years, while he pursued his law studies. At the
time he was elected he was but little more than 21
years old.

Almost immediately upon his admission to the
Bar, he came West to secure a broader field for ac-
tion. Oct. 14, 1 86 1, he located at Cambridge, and
established his business as an attorney. He was al-
most wholly without resources, save his profession,
and at first had not even sufficient means to secure
the most modest legal library. He brought the most
steadfast perseverance to bear on his business, pur-
suing its relations with indomitable energy and
assiduity. His entire course was characterized by in-
flexible honesty and manly conduct, which bore the
fruit of unlimited public confidence. A few years
found him in easy circumstances and in a leader's
position in his profession.

In his early political life, he was a Whig, with de-
cided .anti-slavery opinions, and on the organization
of the Republican party he adopted its principles
and identified himself with its issues. His first
Presidential vote was cast for Abraham Lincoln.
In 1872 he was nominated for Senator from the 21st
Senatorial District of Illinois, including the counties
of Henry and Rock Island, and he was triumphantly
elected by nearly 2,900 majority. Upon the assem-
bling and organization of the body of which he was a
member, he was made Chairman of Committee on

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HENRY COUNTY.

353

Appropriations, and was placed on Committees on
Judiciary, Revision, Corporations, Penal Institutions,
and Judicial Department and Apportionment. He
was prominent in the entire course of the busy ses-
sion of the 28th General Assembly, his systematic
habits and familiarity with business routine enabling
him to accomplish a large amount of labor of very
effective character. In his most prominent appoint-
ment, his judicious management secured for him the
implicit confidence of the Senate, and he fairly won
the appellation of " Watch-dog of the Treasury," ,
which designation was conferred upon him. Nor
did the caution and foresight he exercised give him
the reputation of illiberality. He operated on the
fundamental principle that the " right place for the
people's money was in the pockets of the people/'
He suffered no loss of Legislative details, as he was
always in his seat during the sessions of the Senate.
He was not given to debate, and compelled no waste
of time in the Legislative body on ulterior matters ;
and when an exigency demanded the influence of
his voice, he commanded universal respect and at-
tention by forcible and concise argument. His affa-
bility and consideration was rewar^d by general
esteem of the warmest character.

In 1872 he entered into a partnership with Ira D.
Marston, and on the expiration of his Senatorial
term he resumed the relations of his law business at
Cambridge, to which he has since devofed his atten-
tion without intermission.

Mr. Shepard was a Delegate to the State Repub-
lican Conventions of 1876, 1880 and 1884. In that
of 1880 he was appointed a Delegate from his Con-
gressional District to the Republican National Con-
vention which convened at Chicago in June of that
year. The National Convention and that of the
State of Illinois of fhat year were rendered memora-
ble by the lamentable strife over the " Third Term "
question, which shook the Republican party from
center to circumference. The controversy over the
question as to whether Grant or Blaine should con-
trol the organization and dictate the ultimatum of
the National Convention was begun in the State
Convention. The friends of Grant contended that
the Convention should, as the supreme head of the
party in the State, select its delegates to the Na-
tional Convention in accord with the views of the
majority. Blaine's friends urged that the jurisdiction
of the point at issue belonged exclusively to the sev-

eral Congressional Districts. The majority of the
delegates to the State Convention were adherents of
Grant, and they selected representatives to the
National Convention accordingly. jThe controversy
was thus transferred to a higher and more august
tribunal and precipitated the historic action known
in political parlance as the " Overthrow of the Unit
Rule," which deprived 18 of the Grant delegates of
their seat in the National Convention. The move-
ment resulted in similar losses in other State delega-
tions and the fi nale was the defeat of Grant and the
nomination of James A. Garfield. Mr. Shepard had
been selected for his staunch adherence to General
Grant, and he lost his vote. However, when the
commemorative medal was disseminated among the
immortal 306, he, with the others who had been un-
seated, was the recipient of an honorary medal pre-
cisely similar. The medal is of bronze and bears
the following words : " Commemorative of the 36
ballots of the Old Guard for Ulysses S. Grant for
President. Republican National Convention, Chi-
cago, June, 1880. Wm. H. Shepard." On the ob-
verse is a head of Grant in relief, surrounded with a
wreath of oak and laurel in a circle, recording the
results of the 36 ballotts. (While this record is be-
ing made, July 23, 1885, the United States flag is
flying at half-mast on the staff at Cambridge for the
old commander's death at Mt. McGregor.)

Mr. Shepard is Chairman of the County Republi-
can Committee. He occupied the same position in
1869 and in 1870. He has officiated 13 years as
Treasurer of the Henry County Agricultural Society.
In the memorable year, 1884, he was a Presidential
Elector on the Republican ticket, and was a hearty
supporter of James G, Blaine. He is, at present
writing, Master in Chancery.

Mr. Shepard as a lawyer has a prominent stand-
ing, and he has from the outset won popularity.
All his dealings with the public have been character-
ized by his traits as a man, which are of high order.
In point of probity and integrity, Mr. Shepard
irreproachable. As a business man he has been
successful. On the organization of the First Na-
tional Bank of Cambridge, he became one of its
directors, and still bears the same relation to its
affairs.

Mr. Shepard was united in marriage Nov. 29,
1862, in Burlington, Vt., to Mary, daughter of Dea-
con Daniel and Ruth (Carpenter) Jackson. Her

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> 354

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HENRY COUNTY.

parents were natives of Central Vermont and were
farmers. Mrs. Shepard has five brothers and sisters,
as follows : Daniel Leland is a resident of Colorado
Springs in the State of the same name ; Mrs. Han-
nah Halbert lives at Essex Junction, Vt. ; Gideon C.
lives at Englewood, 111. ; Philo is a druggist in Brook-
lyn, N. Y. ; Peleg W. went some years ago to Al-
burg, New South Wales, Australia, where he is the
manager of a mail stage route and is a stockman.
Mrs. Shepard is the youngest child of her parents.
Her children were born as follows : William H.,
May 13, 1865; and Frederick Jackson, Aug. 18,
1869. The latter died at the age of 14 months.

The mother is a member of the Baptist Church.
Mr. Shepard belongs to the Masonic Order and also
to the A. O. U. W.

-4-3S

P-5-

ev. Jason Chapin, deceased, was one of
the pioneer clergymen of Geneseo. He
was born at Newport, N. H., in 1801. He
received his literary education at Amherst
College, and accompl ished his theologica
course at Andover Theological Seminary,
and was graduated from the latter. In early life he
was engaged in teaching, and, later, went to Ohio as
a home missionary. He passed a few years there
in that occupation, and went thence to New York.

His next removal was to Geneseo, whither he
came in 1840, to accept the position of Principal of
of the Geneseo Seminary. He was the incumbent
of the situation nearly six years, or until failing
health compelled him to relinquish the post. His
death occurred Sept. n, 1846. He was a man of
fine culture, and possessed abilities of more than or-
dinary type. He was a consistent Christian and an
earnest advocate and supporter of all that was cal-
culated to elevate and improve humanity. His
political sympathies were with the Republican party,
and he cast his v,ote in its behalf.

Mr. Chapin was married at Ware, Mass., Oct. 4,
183 1, to Miss Caroline Snow. She is the daughter
of Eli and Alice (Alden) Snow, and was born in
Hampshire Co., Mass. Her mother was a lineal de-
scendant of the historic pair at Plymouth, John Alden
and Priscilla Molines (or Mullens), who discussed
the claims of the " laggard in love," Captain Miles

Standish, which resulted in the question of the lady
in the case, " Why don't you speak for yourself,
John ? " Four children were born to Mr. and Mrs.
Chapin, — a son and three daughters. The first-born
child died in infancy. Florilla is the wife of Henry
Candee, a retired manufacturer of Moline, 111. Emily
is the librarian of the Geneseo Library. Alice C. is
at present a resident at Geneseo. She has been a
teacher in the Indianapolis Kindergarten.

The widow of Mr. Chapin was married July 24,
1849, to Rev- William T. Allan. She is again a
widow, and is still living at the homestead in Gene-
seo.

jjeon. Julius S. Hinman, deceased, formerly
^ Judge of Henry County, came to this
county in 185 1. He was born June 16,
1823, in Canton, Hartford Co., Conn., and was
the son of Zerah and Miriam Hinman. His
lineage is English, the first representatives of
the family having come to this country in its early
period. _ *■

Judge Hinman was reared a farmer, and he pur-
sued that vocation until he relinquished all interests
in order to give his undivided attention to the acqui-
sition of a liberal education. Mr. Hinman came to
Ohio when a boy of 12 years, with his parents, who
settled in Rootstown, in Portage County, where he
remained with his parents about ten years ; then he
went to Akron, that State, where he lived two years,
studying law with Gen. Beers. He moved next to
Ravenna, in Portage County, in the same State,
where he pursued miscellaneous studies and also his
legal course, and while at Ravenna he was admitted
to the Bar as an attorney. He established his prac-
tice at Franklin, Ohio, and while he remained in
Portage County he had charge of his father's farm
about rs months.

In Jui.e, 185 1, he came to Princeton, Bureau Co.,
111., but his stay there was brief. He came thence
to Cambridge, where he was a continuous resident to
the date of his demise — March 25, 1885. At the
time of his death he was the only lawyer living in
Henry County that was here when he came.

His abilities and character received recognition
from the time he became a resident at Cambridge}
and his career in Henry County was one of marked

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HENRY COUNTY.

9
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prominence from his connection with its official af-
fairs. He served for many years as Justice of the
Peace and also as Swamp Land Commissioner. His
period of service as Master in Chancery covered a
period of 25 years, and he acted more than 20 years
in the capacity of County Judge of Henry County.
He was first elected in 1865 and held the incum-
bency continuously until his death. His long terms
of service in the several official positions which he
held will convey an adequate idea of his abilities,
reliability, the quality of his judgment, his probity,
and his qualifications as an attorney. The best trib-
ute that can be offered in commemoration of a faithful
officer is that he was loved and trusted by those whom
he served. The connection of Judge Hinman with the
citizens of Henry County displayed alike his charac-
ter as a man and quality of the constituency that un-
derstood his value, and that honored itself in his
selection as the custodian of the most important in-
terests of a community.

He was united in marriage in Akron, Summit Co.,
Ohio, with Mary E. Westlake, Nov. 27, 1849. Her
parents, Richard and Margaret (Victor) Westlake,
were natives respectfully of New Jersey and Pennsyl-
vania. The children born to Judge and Mrs. Hin-
man numbered five, and were born in the following
order: Hubert R., Ella M. (wife of Frank Gould),
Eva Lois, a music teacher in Chicago, Alice M. (de-
ceased), Albert V., a resident of Geneseo, and
Miriam C, living with her mother.

Judge Hinman was a member of the Masonic
Order and belonged to Cambridge Lodge, No. 49.

,rank L. Winsor, proprietor of the Maple
City Lumber Yards, at Geneseo, estab-
lished his business at that place in Octo-
ber, 1 88 1. He deals in all kinds of builders'
materials, including cement, lime and sewer-
pipes. He was born May 1, 1851, in Chenango
Co., N. Y. His parents, John and Harriet (Morse)
Winsor, were natives of the State of New York, and
he was there brought up. In 1879 he came to Henry
County and located at Geneseo where, in the year
mentioned, he purchased the business of C. W. Kin-
ner with all its relations. The yards have been es-

tablished some years, and are well known in Henry
County and in surrounding districts.

Mr. Winsor was married to Bertha Skinner, in
November, 1876. Mrs. Winsor is the daughter of P.
Skinner, of Rock Island. She is a communicant in
the Episcopal Church. Mr. and Mrs. Winsor have
one child — Clara, born in 1877.

Mr. Winsor endorses and supports the principles
and issues of the Democrats.

H'M. nson Calkins, residing on section 21, Ox-
ford Township, where he is living in retire-
ment from the active labors of the farm,

which vocation he has pursued all his life, is
a native of New York, having been born in Co-
lumbia County, that State, Nov. 14, 181 8. The
parents of Mr. Calkins were Elijah and Philena
(Coleman) Calkins, natives of New York and Con-
necticut respectively, and whose family comprise ten
children.

Anson was the fifth child in order of birth of his
parents' family, with whom he continued to reside
until he attained the age of majority. He received
a good education in the district schools of his native
county, and assisted his father in the labors of the
farm until he was 18 years of age. He then engaged
to learn the carpenter's trade, and gave to his par-
ents all wages that he received until he was 21 years
of age, and up to the time that he left home. Upon
becoming his own man he worked at his trade in his
native State until 1841, when he came to Henry
County, this State, and located on the identical tract
of land on which he at present resides. He at first
procured 40 acres, subsequently 40 more, then 80
acres additional, and still later has increased his
acreage until he is at present the proprietor of 678
acres of land. Mr. Calkins may truly be considered
a pioneer settler of Oxford Township, this county.
Coming here in 1841, he found the country new and
undeveloped, but his good judgment told him that
in the near future it would all be settled, and what
was then in its natural condition would become the
fine agricultural district that it is to-day. He con-
sequently held on to "his land, and by incessant toil
and economy added to his original 40 acres until he
I is to-day the proprietor of a fine estate. His accu-

(i)

^CS^ ^b^MK

356

HENRY

COUNTY.

^f*^(<

)

mulations of real estate in the county is attributable
to his own indomitable energy, good judgment and
economy ; and, looking back over the history of the
past, he realizes that his predictions have been ful-
filled even beyond his expectations. He resides to-
day on his fine estate in Oxford Township, retired
from t' e active labors of a life of toil, and is enjoy-
ing the comforts which the present attributes to the
labor of the past.

Mr. Calkins was married to Miss Hulda Griffin, a
native of Massachusetts, in 1847. Their union has
been blessed by the birth of five children, living :
Myra P., wife of A. A. Shaw ; Mary E., who married
Ira K. Frankenberger ; James P., who married Mary
E. Keer; John F., the husband of Alvira J. Elliott;
and Winfield C, who was united in marriage to Anna
O. Keer. Mr. Calkins votes with the Republican
party. He has held various offices within the gift
of the people of the community in which he resides,
and was the first Assessor of the township after its
organization. He has made all the improvements
visible upon his farm, such as buildings, fences, set-
ting out an orchard, ornamental trees, etc., and has
a fine evergreen grove of five acres upon his farm.

)

ilton Jennings Miller, Pastor of the Uni
tarian Church at Geneseo, was born Dec.
28, 1831, at Bethel, Clark Co., Ohio. He
is the fourth in order of birth of a family of
12 children, of whom seven are yet living. His
father, John Miller, was a native of Botetourt
Co., Va., and went thence in his young manhood
with his parents, Frederick and Elizabeth (Peery)
Miller, to Ohio, where they located on a farm on
Donnels' Creek, six miles west of the city of Spring-
field.

In the paternal line of descent Mr. Miller is of
German extraction, his grandparents being of that
nationality, but of American birth. John Miller died
in 1863, aged 65. His wife was the daughter of
Samuel and Elizabeth (Van Cleve) Smith. Peter
Smith, her great-grandfather, was a native of Wales.
He came in youth to this country, and studied for
the ministry, taking his degree at Princeton. He
married a lady from the State of Georgia, and a few
■ years after that event he set forth with his family on

pack-horses for the State of Ohio. He located in
the vicinity of Cincinnati. Samuel Smith, his son,
grew to manhood there, and became a prosperous
farmer on Donnels' Creek, one mile from the Miller
settlement. His father had married an English-
speaking wife and the German tongue in their case
fell into disuse. None of his children were taught it
at their home. John Miller was the proprietor of
300 acres of land, and was considered a well-to-do
farmer, keeping one-half of the place under a good
order of cultivation. His children were sent to the
common schools for three or four months in the year,
and they acquired a fair degree of English educa-
tion. Meanwhile the labors of the farm in which
they were participants were sufficient to ensure a
goodly physical development. The mother is still
living, and is passing a serene old age in the families
of her children at various points in the State of Ohio.
Mr. Miller of this sketch was a boy of quick per-
ceptions, and he has made good use of the opportu-
nities afforded by the schools to which he had been
sent. He was 18 when he first attempted teaching,
and the results were sufficiently encouraging to war-
rant a repetition of the same experience. During
the winters of r8sr and 1852 he attended a High
School at Springfield. In 1853 Antioch College at
Yellow Springs, Ohio, was opened with Hon. Horace
Mann as its President, and Mr. Miller entered the
institution with the intention of pursuing a course of
collegiate study. He fulfilled his project and was
graduated with the class of 1859. He taught sev-
eral terms of school meanwhile to aid in defraying
his expenses. He passed a year as tutor in the same
college, and went thence to Harvard University,
where he took a three years' course of theological
study. In 1863 he was graduated at the Divinity
School, and he passed several succeeding months in
preaching at various points in New England. At
three places where there were vacancies he was in-
vited to make a settlement. He had, however, an
inclination to enter upon ministerial labor in the
West, and he accordingly accepted a call to fill a
pulpit in Troy, Ohio, at a point about 20 miles, from
his old home, and was settled as Pastor over the
Christian Church in that place.

His marriage to Hannah Dean, daughter of Hon.
George M. Allen, of Scituate, Mass., transpired Sept.
6, 1863. Mrs. Miller is the granddaughter of Rev.
Morrill Allen, late of Pembroke, Mass.

a©

HENRY COUNTY.

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&

359

Soon after their marriage they went to Troy, and
after a ministry of nine months, Mr. Miller was com-
missioned Chaplain of the uoth Regt. Ohio Vol.
Inf. Aug. 26, 1864, he joined the command to which
he had been assigned, which was attached to the
Corps of General Sheridan, at Bolivar Heights, Va.
Mr. Miller was a participant in the daring and brill-
iant campaign of the intrepid Sheridan in the Val-
ley of the Shenandoah. He passed the winter of
1864-5 m camp in front of Petersburg, and was pres-
ent at the final conflicts which resulted in the sur-
render of General Lee and the consequent collapse
of the Rebellion. He was mustered out of the mili-
tary service of the United States at Columbus, Ohio,
on the 26th day June, [865.

He immediately returned to his charge at Troy.
He filled the position there until the autumn of 1868,
when he resigned his place as Pastor there and was
selected to take the pastorate of the First Unitarian
Society just organized at Geneseo, 111. He entered
upon the discharge of the duties of the position Nov.
15, 1868, and is still the incumbent of the charge.

Mr. Miller and his wife are held jn high esteem
among the people where they reside. They are the
possessors of a goodly share of this world's goods,
and are prominent for their hospitality and liberality.
Mr. Miller is one of the leading spirits in the busi-
ness and prosperity of Geneseo, and is interested in
banking and other corporations. He is of the high-
est repute for integrity and honor. He is practically
interested in the educational institutions of Geneseo,
and has been an official in the Public Library Asso-
ciation since the founding of the institution, and a
large degree of its success is due to his efforts.

.rs. Susan Huls Jennings, resident on
section 12, Cambridge Township, has
been connected with the history of the
county since 1849, when her husband lo-
cated with his family on 400 acres of land in
the township in which the seat of Henry
County is situated.
She was born Aug. 20, 18 13, near Chillicothe,
Ohio, and is the daughter of John and Elizabeth
(Van Meter) Shepherd. In both lines of descent
he is of German extraction. Thomas Shepherd,

the paternal grandfather of Mrs. Jennings, was a
pioneer of Jefferson Co., Va. He was a prominent
man in all the general interests of that part of the
State, and was identified with its settlement, its
business and its agricultural development. He built
a "merchant" mill, as it was characterized in that
locality, and through the energetic frugality which be
inherited from his ancestors he became wealthy.
Through his efforts, the town of Shepherdston, Va.,
was laid out and became a place of more than or-
dinary pretensions, and is the psrpetuator of the
patronymic of its founder. Thomas Shepherd mar-
ried Susan Huls, the belle of Wheeling, W. Va., and
they reared a family of eight children. Two sons,
two sons-in-law and the father enlisted as soldiers in
the War of 1812, and the latter took a drove of cattle
for the use of the army. His granddaughter, Susan,
who is the subject of this account, was born on the
day he came home from the war.

John Shepherd was born Feb. 16, 1786. He mar-
ried Elizabeth, daughter of Isaac and Rebecca
(Wright) Van Meter. She was the child of affluence
and was educated and accomplished to an unusual
degree. Her father was one of the most prominent
and influential citizens of the county of which he
was a resident, and was esteemed for his sterling
worth as a man, and for a life of undeviating integ-
rity. John Shepherd and his wife became the
parents of eight children. He and his wife went to
Ohio when they were still young, and while there the
father served as Sheriff of the county in which he
settled. In the fall of 1835 the family removed to
Vermillion Co., 111. The father died there April 3,
1841. By vocation he was a farmer and miller. His
wife was born May 4, 1783, and died in Pickwick
Co., Ohio, Sept. 5, 1835.

Mrs. Jennings is the fourth child of her parents in
order of birth. Her brothers and sisters were named
Abraham, Rebecca W., Isaac V., Rachel, Mary,
Elizabeth and Joseph L. In 1885 there are but
three survivors. She was married March 6, 1835,
to Levi Jennings. He was born March io, 1794, in
Virginia. After their marriage they located on a
farm in Knox Co., 111., on which they lived two years,
removing at the end of that time to Peoria Co., 111.,
where they continued to reside 13 years. They
then sold out and returned to Ohio, and remained in
the Buckeye State one summer. They came thence

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> 36c

HENRY COUNTY.

to Canton, in Fulton County, whence they removed
in April, 1849, to Henry County.

They entered with vigor into the work common to
pioneers of this section of the great State of Illinois,
living at first in a log house, barely large enough to
accommodate the members of the household. This
was their home for five years.

Mr. Jennings died Dec. 28, 1859, in Sibley Co.,
Minn. The original purchase of 400 acres of land
remained in the possession of the family, and Mrs.
Jennings prosecuted the interests of the estate with
characteristic energy. She interested herself in every-
thing pertaining to real-estate matters in the county,
and has been individually one of the most extensive
purchasers of landed property in Henry County, and
is at date of writing the owner of nearly 1,300 acres
ofland. which is all in well-improved condition. The
mistress of the estate has given much attention to
raising stock, and fattens for market 300 hog sand
200 head of cattle annually. She owns 60 horses;
t,i 20 acres of land are included in the home farm.
The remainder is in timber, and is located three
xzji miles from the homestead. The estate is supplied
3§5 with all necessary buildings, and the property is a
° substantial witness of the energy, thrift and perse-
S^ verance of its mistress.

S Mrs. Jennings is a better exponent of theoretical
^ ) y women's rights than though she had expended her
energies and ambitions in behalf of the tenets of the
shrieking sisterhood, among whom there is not a
representative of the variety of womanhood typified
by Mrs. Jennings, — a class who show the material of
which they are.made by their achievements. She is
characlerized'by the possession of good business tact,
enterprise, keen powers and habits of observation,
accuracy in detail, and a perfect memory.

Nor has she been recreant to the obligations of
maternity, as she has reared three children. AnnV.
is the wife of James Bush, of Adair Co., Iowa, and
she is the mother of five children; Frank is de-
ceased. The survivors are named Rosemary, Frank
(2d), Frederick and Benjamin Eugene; Mary J.
married N. B. Gould, of Cambridge. Mr. and Mrs.
Gould are represented by a sketch on other pages.
They have had two children. Nellie L. is deceased.
The remaining daughter is named KateM. JohnL.,
only son of Mrs. Jennings, is a resident of the town-
ship of Burns, in Henry County. He is married
and has two sons, John Levi and Frank Roy.

■•H^SKf. >&^ — ^A^D u

.'■'I

T From the foregoing sketch of Mrs. Jennings, the
satisfaction with which the publishers of the Henry
County Album present the portrait of a representa-
tive woman will be understood. The likeness of
Mrs. Jennings was copied from a photograph taken
in r883.

?lPiw( dam

Butzer, a farmer on sections 1 and 2,
|i^|J§y||j in Phenix Township, is a native citizen of
vWsl * tne townsnlP in which he resides. He was
"jta born Feb. 27, 1844, and is the youngest son of

■|£ George Frederick and Louisa (Boltz) Butzer.

I His parents were both natives of Baden, Ger-
many, and they emigrated to the United States from
their fatherland in 1835. They lived about two
years in Michigan, whence they came to Chicago,
and a few months later they removed to Henry
County, where they settled in the year 1837. -

They were among the earliest settlers in the town
of Phenix. The father entered a claim of land on
section 3 of the township named, and on it he built a
log house. He covered the building with " shakes "
(which the generation of the future may be interested
in knowing were simply long shingles split from a
log), and the floor was made of puncheon, which was
split logs, and in this case was of black walnut. He
improved a large farm, and was its owner and occu-
pant until his death, in March, 1850. His widow
survived him until July 2, 1881. They were the
parents of eight children, and six of the number
grew to maturity. Jacob became a prosperous farm-
er, and was a citizen of Phenix Township as long as
he lived. His death took place Nov. 27, 1883.
Catherine is the wife of Daniel Henney, and they
reside at Geneseo. Louis lives in Crawford Co.,
Kan. Caroline married Valentine Sieben, of whom
a sketch may be found elsewhere. Marseilla is the
wife of Joseph Arnett, of Loraine Township.

Mr. Butzer, of this personal narration, was but six
years of age when his father died, and he lived on
the home farm with his mother until he reached the
age of 19. In 1863 he crossed the plains to Cali-
fornia, and he became a teamster there and in Ne-
vada, remaining in California and Nevada four years,
chiefly employed as a teamster. In 1867 he came
back to his native township, making the journey
thither by the Isthmus and city of New York.

'ft-
ft

HENRY COUNTY.

-^%^sr

36' "^

The first business in which he engaged was the
management of the farm of his brother, in which he
was occupied three years. He then went to Kansas
and was absent there a few months, after which he
returned and m^de a purchase of 80 acres of land
on section 1 in Phenix Township, which was origin-
ally settled and improved by Dr. Maxwell. On this
he has since pursued his agricultural projects, and
has been prosperous to a satisfactory degree. He is
at present the owner of 320 acres in a connected
body, and it is all in profitable agricultural condi-
tion. The stock on the place is of valuable quality,
and includes horses, cattle and swine. In 1883 Mr.
Butzer built a good and substantial frame house for
the accommodation of his family, and the place is
fitted with all structures necessary to the care and
comfort of the stock.

His marriage to Margaret Licht occurred in April,
1868, and their children are named as follows:
Alice May, Hattie G., Bert J. and Belva L. The
mother was born in Prussia, and she came to the
United States when she was four years old.

■>'>/w.«v*a&2/®'i©

i^g§4j!/OTjrev—v\/v».

ndrew J. Anderson, who is a general
farmer and stock-raiser on section 27, An-
dover Township, was born in Kise, Sweden,
April 6, 1833. His father, Andrew Johnson,
was a farmer of Swedish nativity, and died in
his native country when his son, the subject of
this sketch, was about 14 years of age; and five years
later, his mother,^ Sarah E. Johnson, with her two
children, emigrated to the ]and of greater opportuni-
ties, first settling in Andover, this county, where he
is yet living, aged 78 years.

Mr. Anderson, whose name heads this notice, was
married in October, 1855, in Andover, to Miss
Hannah Bankson, who was born in the parish of
Oker, in the kingdom of Sweden, about 1833, and
came to America with her parents, Swedish farmers,
when 19 years of age, and lived with her mother
until her marriage; her father died in 1854, the year
in which they emigrated to I his country. She is the
mother of three daughters and four sons : Sarah C.
married August Nelson, who resides in Andover
Township ; the rest live at home.

In 1856, Mr. Anderson bought 80 acres of land on

section 21, Andover Township; in i860 he exchanged
this for 54 acres where he now resides. At present
he owns 320 acres, nearly all of which is cultivated
and in good condition. He rears and deals in a
considerable number of live stock, especially of a
Short-horn variety of cattle. Mrs. A., who was a
member of the Lutheran Church, died at her home
in Andover Township, July 6, 1877. Mr. A. was
formerly a member and officer of the same Church.
Locally, he is a Road Commissioner in his township,
having now held the office for about ten years. In
political views, he is independent.

SOOOC . '. »

]||»ugene H. Ash, bookseller and stationer at
Geneseo, has resided in Henry County
since 1864. He was born April 13, 1858,
le city of Adrian, Mich. His parents, M.
and Margaret (Gouger) Ash, removed from that
State to Illinois in the year named arid located
at Geneseo.

Mr. Ash was educated in the public schools of the
city, and commenced active business life in the ca-
pacity of clerk with E. F. Godfry. In 1884 he estab-
lished himself in trade, and has since conducted a
prosperous business.

He was united in marriage to Jennie E. Lambert,
April 13, 1885. Mrs. Ash was born in the city of
Rochester, N. Y., and is the daughter of J. E. Lam-
bert.

In political connection Mr. Ash is a Republican.

■<!>

a^T (D/>ffllft

eonard R. Bothwell, general farmer and
stock-raiser, residing on section 22, Western
Township, is a native of " York State,"
having been born in Depauville, Jefferson
County, April 28, 1838. His father, David
Bothwell, was ?i farmer, by occupation, and was
born in Washington Co., N. Y., Nov. 6, 1794. He
was married in Jefferson County, to Jemima Spencer.
She was the daughter of a farmer, and was born in
Jefferson County, that State, Feb. 6, 1803. They
always resided in that county, where he died, in
1846, and the latter July 10, of the same year.
Leonard R, Bothwell was the youngest of a family

>W>*r9 — ^^ «m^mM

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^Ml»>

362

.. )

HENRY COUNTY.

of five children, all of whom are living and married.
Martin resides in Jefferson Co., N. Y., and is a shoe-
maker by trade; Mary (Scott) resides at Depere,
Wis. ; her husband is a ship-builder and a carpenter;
Jeremiah resides in Hannibal, Jefferson County,
where he is engaged in the livery business ; David
also resides in the last named county.

Leonard R. Bothwell, after the death of his pa-
rents, resided with his sister Mary until he attained
the age of 15 years, when he set out on the road of
adversity to fight the battles of life single-handed
and alone, and in 1848 went to Wisconsin. In i860,
he came to this State and enlisted in the army of
the Union shortly after. The date of his enlistment
was August, 1861, and he joined the nth Ohio Bat-
tery, under Captain Constable, was assigned to Pope's
division, and was engaged in the battle of Iuka,
Miss., Sept. 19, 1862. At that place he was severely
wounded and sent to the hospital, where he remained
for a time, and was finally discharged on account of
disability, the date of his discharge being Jan. 12,
1863. Returning home to this State, he began the
occupation of a farmer, which he has continued to
the present time.

Mr. Bothwell was united in marriage at the resi-
dence of the bride's parents, to Miss Florence D.,
daughter of the late Mahlon B. and Amelia L.
(Davenport) Lloyde, natives of Bucks Co., Pa., and
New York State respectively. Both parents came
West before they were married, locating in Morris-
town, this county, Dec. 30, 18 — . Their marriage
was the first solemnized at Morristown. After that
event they moved to Western Township, this county,
where they resided until their deaths. Mr. Bothwell,
after his marriage to Miss Lloyd, remained on her
father's homestead three years, engaged in its culti-
vation, and afterward received from his father-in-law
80 acres of land. By good judgment, energetic effort
and the active co-operation of his good help-meet, he
has added to his original purchase until he at pres-
ent is the proprietor of 306 acres of land, all in an
advanced state of cultivation, and also an undivided
interest in 200 acres of the old homestead. He has
erected one of the best residences in the township,
and is one of the progressive and energetic farmers
and stock-raisers of the county.

Mr. and Mrs. Bothwell are the parents of 13 chil-
dren, four of whom are deceased. The record is as
follows: Ada F. was born May 30, 1868; Herbert

~^-JL

<tm

L., Feb. 24, 1874; Amelia, Oct. 16, 1875; Esther,
May 24, 1878; Lizzie M., Aug. 10, 1879; Elwood M.,
March 24, 1881; Arthur, Dec. 11, 1882; William,
Jan. 8, 1884, and Clarence L, March 23, 1885;
Laura, born Nov. 24, 1869, and died Sept. 19, 1870;
Mary, born April 7, 1872, and died Sept. 4, 1873;
May, born April 9, 187 1, and died Aug. 7, 1871,
and Leonard, born June 30, 1877, and died July 19,
1877.

Mr. Bothwell has been Assessor and Collector of
his township.

Politically, he is a believer in and a supporter of
the principles of the Rep-iblican party, and socially
he is a member of the G. A. R. and the A. O. U. W.

bhn Fleming, a retired farmer resident in
the city of Geneseo, is one of the most es-
teemed citizens of Henry County. He has
been an inhabitant of the county since 1855,
and has made a record second to that of no
other man who has been identified with the
general interests within that time.

He is a native of the township of Redbank, in
Armstrong Co., Pa., and became by a division of his
native county, a citizen of Clarion County. He was
born May 14, 18 13, and is the son of John and Sarah
(Everett) Fleming. He is a farmer by birth, inheri-
tance and training, and passed all his life previous to
his removal to Henry County on a farm.

He settled on sections 28 and 29, in the township
of Cornwall, when he came to this county, beginning
with a purchase of 120 acres of land. As he ad-
vanced in prosperity he made additional purchases,
until he is now the owner of 510 acres. The entire
tract is in excellent farming condition. Mr. Fleming
remained a resident on section 28, Cornwall Town-
ship, until January, 1879, when he removed to
Geneseo.

Mr. Fleming arrived at the period when he was
under obligations to assume the duties of citizenship
in 1841. The political world was then in a transi-
tion state, and although he was a Democrat by in-
heritance, he held to Free-Soil principles. On the
organization of the Republican party he accepted the
issues of that element, and has since given them his
hearty support. During his residence in Cornwall

»)?>

(S)

-6V^HlIl®0llf>^ z^hr

(!)

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HENRY COUNTY.

363

he was often called to "discharge Jthe duties of re-
sponsible official positions, all of which proved his
probity of character and fitness for the transaction
of the business pertaining^ to the interests of the
general public. He served as Assessor, Collector,
Justice, Highway Commissioner and in the various
school offices. At the time of the war he was made
custodian of the war fund, and was intrusted with
the. charge" of a large sum of money without being
required to give bonds. About $14,000 was raised
to avoid the draft, which was anticipated, and Mr.
Fleming exerted all his influence to fill the quota.
It was his opinion that the money should not be dis-
bursed, but his judgment was overruled and the
funds were devoted to the purpose for which they
were raised, although the men who were enlisted in
readiness [to a call were never summoned to the
field.

Mr. Fleming was married in the county in which
he was born, Dec. 25, 1845, to Mary A. Johnson.
She was born in Center Co., Pa., and is the daughter
of William and Ann Johnson. Three children were
born to them before their removarto Illinois. Sarah
A. is the wife of Robert Pritchard, of Henry County.
WillianTmarried^NeHie^Benedict, andjthey are the
managers of the homestead. Mary married S. M.
Reynolds, 'of Davenport, Iowa. Elmira, the first
child born to them in Illinois, died in childhood.
Isabella lives with her parents. -3_Mr. Fleming and
the members of his family belong to the Presbyterian
Church.

hineas M. Jeffords, a prominent farmer
i and stockman of the township of Atkinson,
f'KP^ 's a resident on section 13, where he is the
manager of a fine farm, which contains 840
acres. He is also proprietor of that property,
in company with Charles Dunham, of Gen-
They are interested in breeding fast horses,
and exhibit about 40 animals of excellent claims for
speed on the road and as trotters. They are the
owners of a standard stallion, — sire, " General
Knox," and dam, the celebrated " Old Drew." The
pedigree is justly noted as among the best of Eastern

eseo.

stock, and is favorably regarded in the sporting
circles, which are considered authority in Maine and
in other New England States. The other stock on
the farm of Messrs. Jefferds & Dunham includes
thoroughbred Short-horn cattle.

Mr. Jefferds was born in Maine, Aug. 30, 1826.
Alpheus Jefferds, his father, was born in York Co.,
Maine, and married Rebecca Gerrish, a native of the
same part of the Pine-Tree State. Their marriage
took place in 1825. Both are now deceased. At
the age of 20 Mr. Jefferds entered the military ser-
vice of the United States as a soldier of the Mexican
War. He enlisted in December, 1846, in Co A,
First Reg. Mass. Vol. Inf., under Capt. Edward
Webster. He was in the service through the entire
course of that struggle, and received an honorable
discharge at Boston, July 19, 1848.

He was one of the earliest to make his way to
California after the discovery of gold there in 1849,
and he went by water to the Isthmus. He crossed
it on foot, and sailed thence to San Francisco, reach-
ing the Golden Slate in 1850, in the first month of
spring. After passing two years in the mines, he
returned in 1852 to the East, traveling via the Nica-
ragua route. He reached his native State in July.

True to the instincts of the spirit which character-
izes every genuine American citizen, he again cast
his fate with that of the throng who rushed to de-
fend the integrity of the national flag. He enlisted
in the Civil War in 1862, and was commissioned Cap-
tain of Co. B, in the 20th Maine Vol. Inf., and w~s
at once sent to the front. The strain from the forced
march to reach the field of Antietam, and the ex-
posure in camp, produced rheumatism, which dis-
abled him, and he was honorably discharged in De-
cember, 1862.

After his return to his native place, Mr. Jefferds
was active in the administration of public affairs,
and he served in the Legislative Assembly of Maine
in the term of 1868-9. He was a member of the
State Board of Agriculture six years.

In October, 1878, he came to Illinois. In the
same year, in company with Mr. Dunham, he bought
a half interest in the farm now owned by himself and
Mr. Dunham, and has since been the resident man-
ager thereon.

He was married Oct. 27, i852,toCleora E. Cham-
berlain. Her parents, Samuel and Abigail (Tucker)
Chamberlain, were both natives of Worcester Co.,

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364

HENR K COUNTY.

Mass. Mrs. Jefferds was born. in Maine, May 15,
1827. She has borne no children. Mr. Jefferds is
independent in political action, and both himself and
wife are Unitarians in religious views. ,

lof Johnson, deceased, was born Jan. 30,
1820, in Soderala, Gefle,. Sweden. He is a
son of John and Martha Olson. Olof re-
tained his father's first name as his surname,
that being customary in his native country.
John Olson, father of the subjectof this no-
tice, had five children. He was a well-to-do farmer
in the old country, and belonged to the older and
most respectable families of his community, having
lived on the old family homestead for more than a
century. The homestead was known as " Rosen-
wall,'' and was one-half a Swedish mile from Soder-
ham.

Olof Johnson received a primary education in
his native country. He emigrated to this country
with a part of the Bishop Hill Colony, consisting of
some 600 or 700, who located in this county. Previ-
ous to his emigration to this country, he was married
to Miss Christina Johnson, Nov. 3, 1843. She was born
Feb. 4, 1819, and is yet living. She was a daughter
of John and Catherina (Swanson) Johnson, both na-
tives of Sweden. The name of their home was
" Norbynn," in the same parish that the Olson family
lived. She and her husband came to this country in
1846, arriving in New York in December of that
year, on board the good ship Caroline, a Swedish
vessel having 200 passengers on board. They came
direct to Bishop Hill, where they shared all the ups
and downs through which the Colony passed, and
aided very materially in establishing the Colony at
that place. Mr. Johnson was the one who piloted
them across the country. He was one of the seven
Trustees of the Colony and princip.il business man-
ager and financier. They came by the way of the
canal and around the lakes. Many children died on
the trip across the ocean, and among tliem a little
daughter of Mrs. Johnson's — Martha, aged nine
months. #rom Chicago many walked on foot to
Bishop Hill, some 50 in number, and among them
Mrs. Christina Johnson. They first lived in tents,
even during the winter, and during the summer fol-

lowing erected sod houses. They finally built the
Colonial building during the second summer, and the
families had one or two rooms assigned them, ac-
cording to their size. In 1861, Mr. Johnson re-
moved with his family to Galva, where he continued
to reside until his death, which occurred July 18,
1870.

His leading characteristic was the disposition that
he possessed for making large financial transactions.
He was liberal and charitable and public-spirited.
During the war he contributed freely for recruiting
soldiers. He also read law in Rock Island for the
benefit he would derive from it in his business', and
also for the purpose of perfecting his English. In
1 85 1 he was appointed Notary Pubiic, and for sev-
eral years was a member of the Galva Town Board.
He traveled over nearly all the United States in the
interest of the Colony, and in 1 849 returned to his
native country, Sweden, where he raised upward of
$6,000 for the benefit of the Colony at Bishop Hill.
He was a stockholder and director of the American
Central (now Galva & Keithsburg Railroad), and
aided in the construction of the "Central Military
Tract (now the Chicago, Burlington & Quincy Rail-
road). He was connected with a paper published in
Galva in the interest of Bishop Hill, and with the
Swedish American, published in Chicago.

While in Sweden, Mr. Johnson was a member of
the Lutheran Church, but on coming to this country
joined no Church, but worshiped with the people of
the Colony. Prior to the first election of Abraham
Lincoln, he took no interest in politics, but ever since
that time has voted with the Republican party. His
first three children died in infancy. Three are now
living, — Olivia, Christina and Lillie Valnora. Chris-
tina is the wife of Peter Larson, and they have, two
children, — Ernest Olof and Rollin.

soooes

H. Lay, of the township of Munson, a
farmer on section 22, has been a citizen of
Henry County since 1864. He is a native
of the State of New York, and was born in
Cayuga County, June 22, T820. When he
was still in infancy, about two years old, his
mother died, and at the age of six he was wholly
orphaned by the death of his father.

Before the demise of his mother his father had

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HENRY COUNTY

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removed with his family to Nunda. After the death
of his father he was placed in the care of a guar-
dian, to whose charge he was assigned by his father
before he died. That gentleman resided in Man-
chester, Ontario County, in the Empire State, and
the boy remained there until he was 1 1 years of age.
He then went to live with a man named George,
Redfield, in the same place, and he continued under
his care until he was 16, in Manchester. In that
year Mr. Redfield removed tojMichigan, and settled
in Cass County. Mr. Lay there grew to the age of
manhood. The first event of his life of much im-
portance was his marriage. He was joined in mat-
rimony to Hannah Sophia Wood about the time he
came of age. She is a native of the State where she
was married, and was born in Camden, Oneida
County. Mr. Lay bought a farm in Cass County,
and was its owner and occupant until his removal to
Illinois, as has been stated. On coming to Henry
County he bought 168 acres of land, located on sec-
tion 32 in the same township, where he has since
been a citizen, and is still its occupant. The farm
1= is all improved.

;§J The children of Mr. and Mrs. Lay are recorded as
" follows : Phineas, a farmer, lives in Grand forks Co.,
>$b D. T.; Louisa is married to R. E. Whipple, and
V lives at Hillsdale, Hillsdale Co., Mich.; George E.
(< ) is a lawyer of Grand Forks, Dak. ; Julia is the wife
of John Dangle, of Peoria, 111. ; Lovdy lives at home.

HJVLaniel P. Zimmerman, furniture dealer and
WM. undertaker at Geneseo, established his
business at that place in 1861. He lost
his factory and machinery by fire in 1869,
and, as he was wholly without insurance, the
loss was total. He at once rebuilt, and his
affairs were once more in a prosperous condition
when, in 187 2, his store and stock were burned, and
he was again a heavy loser! Notwithstanding the
fact that he sustained a loss of $4,000 above the in-
surance, he was soon in running order again, and he
has since prosecuted his affairs with the success his
energy and indomitable perseverance deserves. The
value of his stock of furniture is estimated at $8,000,
and in the line of undertaking he keeps all articles
and appurtenances common to the best institutions
of the kind. He is the owner of two hearses.

Mr. Zimmerman was born in Wurtemberg, Ger-
many, Sept. 21, 1833, and is the son of Daniel and
Magdalena (Lappel) Zimmerman. His father was a
cabinel-maker, and instructed his son in a complete
and practical knowledge of the business.

He came from his native land to America in 1854,
first establishing his business at Chillicothe, Ohio,
and operated there about a year. He went thence
to ChicagOjin 1855, and passed a year in work at
his trade in that city. In 1856 he went to St. Louis,
Mo., and very soon after to Galena, in this State. In
the spring of 1857 he proceeded to Davenport, Iowa,
and passed the time until [861 in the pursuit of his
business at that place, at Rock Island and at Mo-
line. In November of the year named he came to
Geneseo, and at once interested himself in the es-
tablishment of his affairs in the lines in which he has
operated, as has been stated. The building in
which he carries on his transactions is 82 x 26 feet
on trie ground and two stories in height. The
structure is of brick, and the extent of his relations
require the assistance of nine men. He is also the
owner of a store-house constructed of brick, 28 x 77
feet in extent, and two stories high. The stock of
Mr. Zimmerman is large and well assorted.

In political preferences Mr. Zimmerman is a
Democrat, and in religious views he claims the privi-
lege of forming his own opinions, and accords to
every other man the same right.'

He was married at Rock Island, Sept. 3, 1859, to
Kunigunde Tresel, and they have four children,'
namely: Emma, who is the wife of Julius Hanson,
of Geneseo ; Julia, Fred C. and William G. are the
three youngest children. Mrs. Zimmerman is a
native of Bavaria, and is a member of the Lutheran
Church.

#>#

-5-

ames S. Hadsall. In connection with his
h- agricultural pursuits, Mr. Hadsall is also
engaged in carpentering and building.
His farm, which is located on section 34 of
Burns Township, was entered by hinrin 1852.
He did not, however, move upon it until 1856.
He was born in Luzerne Co. Pa., Sept. 26, 1822.
There he lived until his removal to this county,
where he was also engaged in farming and mechan-
ical work. Early in life he learned the carpenter's

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HENRY COUNTY,

trade, which he has followed, in connection with his
farming interests, until the present time. He has
fine farm buildings, all of which he has erected him-
self.

While living in Luzerne County, Mr. Hadsall and
Miss Malinda Brace were united in marriage. The
ceremony was performed Jan. 13, 1848. Mrs. H.
was born in that county, on the same day of the
month of 1827. The number of the children born
to Mr. and Mrs. H. is six,— Medora, Anna, Henry,
Smith, and two who died in infancy. Henry met
his death by falling from a building; Medora died
when one year old, and Anna is the wife of Edgar
Kemerling and resides in Nebraska. Smith is also
married and resides in Burns Township. His wife
was Julia Zeigler.

Mr. H. has held the office of Justice of the Peace
for four years, Highway Commissioner for several
years, as well as other positions of trust in the town-
ship. He was appointed Postmaster of Hawley
office June 16, 1879, and has filled the position since.
On the 18th of May, 1864, he enlisted in the 134th
111. Vol. Inf. and served for six months. He is a
member of the Julius A. Pratt Post, 143, of the G.
A. R. Politically, he is a Republican. He is also
a member of the Masonic fraternity.

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nomas Greene, of the firm of F. H. Greene
& Co., at Geneseo, was born in Cortland
Co., N. Y., and is the son of Henry and
Sally Greene. His birth occurred Dec. 18,
1823, and he was reared to manhood in the
place where he was born. At a suitable age
he acquired a practical understanding of the trade of
a carpenter, at which he passed his time until he
came to Illinois. He was married before leaving his
native State to Julia, daughter of Ora Graves. She
was born in the vicinity of the city of Rochester, N.
Y., and was married in 1853.

i On coming to Illinois they located at Prophets-
town, in Whiteside County, and there Mr. Green was
interested in the business of farming, until he came
to Geneseo in the winter of 1865. While they were
residents of Prophetstown two children were born to
them. Helen is the wife of Charles Youngs, and
they live at Geneseo.

Frank H. Greene, son of Thomas Greene, whose

sketch is presented above, was born in Prophetstown,
Whiteside Co., 111., May 28, 1857. He passed eight
years in the employ of E. P. Van Valkenburg, a
former merchant of Geneseo, and later in that of J.
H. C. Peterson & Sons, with whom he operated
three years. In 1882 he established the grocery
business in which he is at present engaged. He was
at first associated with Frank Trauger, and that con-
nection continued until February, 1855, when the
firm style became as recorded above, his father pur-
chasing an interest.

In political opinion Mr. Greene is a Republican.
He is the owner of 80 acres of land in Edford Town-
ship.

lmer E. Fitch, the editor and proprietor of
the Galva News, was born Aug. 13, 1846,
in Trumbull Co., Ohio. He is the son of
°j> 5. George and Deborah (Boleyn) Fitch, natives of
Connecticut. The former was born in Norwalk,
and died in Trumbull Co., Ohio, in 1848. The
father of our subject was in early life a teacher, but
the latter* years of his life were devoted to farming.
He was married twice, and the father of five chil-
dren, viz. : Jane, Martin B., Alice A., George W.
and the subject of this sketch. His mother, 13
years after the decease of her husband, was married
to O. W. Hageman, and now resides at Elgin, Iowa.

Our subject was brought from Ohio to La Porte,
Ind., in 1854, and in 1856 the family removed to
Fayette Co., Iowa. He was educated primarily at
the Upper Iowa University, located at Fayette, and
completed his education at the Iowa University at
Iowa City, at which he graduated in June, 1874.
After he had accomplished this, the event of his
early ambition, he went to Burlington, Iowa, where
he was Principal of the West Hill School. A year
later he came to Galva, and was engaged as Super-
intendent of the Galva schools, which position he
■filled successfully for eight years. Desiring to re-
tire from his profession, in April, 1833, he bought
out the Galva News, a Republican organ which was
established in 1879. Since then he has conducted
that paper with credit to himself and satisfaction to
its many readers.

Mr. Fitch was married at Decorah, Iowa, July 5,
1876, to Miss Rachel Helgesen, a native of Wiscon-

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HENRY COUNTY.

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sin, where she was born April 23, 1850, and is a
daughter of Thomas Helgesen, a native of Norway.
The three children born to them are George H.,
born June 5, 1877; Rachel L., Sept. 26, 1878; and
Robert H., Jan. 17, 1881. Mrs. Fitch is a member
of the Congregational Church. Mr. F. is a member
of the G. A. R., having served faithfully during the
late war. He enlisted at the age of 16, at West
Union, Iowa, in the 38th Iowa Vol. Inf., Co. A, Aug.
13, 1862, and was honorably discharged Sept. 8,
1865. During the last year and a half of his service,
he was detailed as a drummer. He participated in
many of the important engagements of the war,
among which are the siege and capture of Vicks-
burg, Yazoo City and Fort Morgan, and the famous
charge at Blakeley.

*^°

ust. Alfred Swanson. Among the numer-
ous persons in Henry County bearing the
name of Swanson, the subject of the fol-
lowing biography is both a leading and a
prominent one. His home is upon section 34,
of Western Township, where his attention is
given to farming and stock-raising. He was born in
Linkoping Lan, Sweden, Sept. 16, 1839. His father,
John Swanson, and his mother, Catherine Swanson,
were natives of the same State, where they followed
farming. In 1853, they came to America, with their
family of seven children. They made their way to
this county, and settled in Lynn Township, where
they purchased 80 acres of Government land, upon
which the elder Swanson lived until his death. (See
sketch of J. V. Swanson )

Our subject was the youngest member of the
family, and was given the advantages of the com-
mon schools wherein to receive an education, and
remained under the care of his parents, working on
the farm, until his marriage. This event occurred on
the 25th of January, 1869, at Andover, this county,
when he was married to Miss Carolina C. Larson,
daughter of Lewis J. and Mary C. (Munson) Lar-
son, natives of the State of Kalmar Lan, Sweden,
where they now reside, being by occupation farmers.
Mrs. S. is the eldest of seven children in her parents'
family, one of whom is deceased, and one sister and
two brothers now living in the 'United States. She

came to this country with her eldest brother, John
A., when 19 years of age, having been born Jan. 12,
1849. They stopped at Andover, where the follow-
ing year she was married. To them have been born
eight children, bearing the following names : Joseph
E., Luther A., Sophia C, Alfred N, Amanda C,
John P., Otto S. and Lida A., the latter being de-
ceased.

After their marriage, Mr. and Mrs. S. located on
160 acres of wild land on section 34, Western Town-
ship. Here Mr. S. immediately began to make im-
provements, and he now has it all under excellent
cultivation, and well improved. He has been a
prominent and progressive farmer, and is well known
throughout the community. His name was origin-
ally Gus Alfred, but at the time of his enlistment in
the army during the late Rebellion, he was induced
to add to it the name Swanson, which he has since
borne. On the 14th of August, 1862, he enlisted in
Co. H, 1 1 2th 111. Vol. Inf., and served in the Army
of the West, and participated in all the active bat-
tles of his regiment, being about 20 in number.
Among these were Franklin, Nashville, Wilmington,
N. C, Resaca, New Hope Church, Kenesaw Moun-
tain, Atlanta and Columbia, Tenn. He was honor-
ably discharged June 20, 1865, at Greenborough, N.
C. He at once returned to Western Township,
where he has since lived. Both himself and wife are
members of the Swedish Lutheran Church at Orion.
Politically, Mr. S. is a Republican, and has served
his township as Collector.

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I obert W. Fleming, a successful farmer, a
respected citizen of Henry County and
the owner of 412 acres of tillable land in
V^Osco Township, residing on section 35, is a son
of John and Elizabeth (Mealman) Fleming,
natives of Pennsylvania. John Fleming,
father of the gentleman whose name appears at the
beginning of this sketch, died in Pennsylvania, and
his widow is at present residing in Missouri.

Their children were six in number, of whom
Robert W., whose life sketch we give, was second in
order of birth. He was born in Indiana Co., Pa.,
March 29, 1847. His education was acquired in the
common schools and his years prior to the age of 18
were passed in his native State. At this age in life

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368

HENRY COUNTY.

Mr. Fleming came to Henry County, and in 1865
engaged in farming for others by the month, and
continued in that vocation for four years. He then
purchased 80 acres of land on section 16, Osco
Township, and engaged in its cultivation and im-
provement and continued to reside thereon for two
years, when he removed to section 35, same town-
ship, where he is at present residing. Mr. Fleming
came to this county, as will be seen by the perusal
of his biography, a poor man. He possessed no
means to purchase land or procure a home for him-
self and family ; but, with a firm determination to
succeed in life, he engaged in working for others, and
by energetic effort and economy has succeeded in
becoming the proprietor of 412 acres of good farm
land in this county, the major portion of which is in
an advanced state of cultivation. He has a fine
residence on his farm, together with good and sub-
stantial outbuildings. He keeps about 100 head of
cattle on his place, 15 head of horses and fattens about
140 head of hogs annually. Thus we see what has
been accomplished by one possessed of the qualities
of energy, perseverance and good judgment; and we
see, further, that his accumulations are not the out-
growth of a gift of inheritance but of honest toil, tact
and good judgment.

Mr. Fleming was married in Davenport, Iowa, to
Zipporah West. She was born in New York, Feb.
22, 1836. Two children, Robert W. and Blanche,
have been born of their union.

Politically, Mr. Fleming votes with the Democratic
party.

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*W"^«— S—

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illiam J. Smith is a veterinary surgeon at
Geneseo, and Mrs. L. Smith is the man-
ager of the green-house in the same place.
Dr. Smith was born in Jefferson Co., Tenn.,
May 31, 1820. Barton and Fatha (Moore)
I ' Smith, his parents, were farmers in that State,
and he was brought up at home and trained in the
avenues of employ common to an agricultural life
until he was 15 years of age. In 1830 he went to
the State of Indiana, and came thence to Illinois in
1836. The family settled in Joliet.

In the spring of 1843 Mr. Smith united with the
Methodist Church, and in the year r848 he joined

the Rock River Conference and was assigned to min
isterial duty on the Aurora Circuit. He was con
nected therewith one year, and was next appointed
to Sugar River, where he remained the same length
of time. He was next sent to the Marietta Circuit, ij
and officiated in its relations two years. The next
two years he was at Macomb. His appointments
subsequently were as follows : Kaneville, one year;
Sheffield, one year; Victoria, two years; Wyoming,
two years ; La Fayette, two years ; Oneida, two years ;
Woodhull, two years. His health having become
impaired, he then removed to Galva, in this county,
where he resided about five years, although he had
been placed on the " superannuated " list by the
Conference. During the last r5 months of his resi-
dence at Galva he preached on Saxon Circuit, in
Stark County, he having been again made '' effective,"
and then started the business of a veterinary sur-
geon, and conducted a drug store therewith three
years at Galva. He went thence to Miami Co.,
Kan., and passed three years there. In 1875 he
came to Geneseo, and this has since been his home.
On his arrival here he opened an office for the prac
tice of his professional knowledge as a veterinary ^
surgeon. He began the study of that branch of*=
business at 18, and through all his subsequent career y
kept pace with the progress made by veterinarians in
the theory and practice of the art. He gave his en-
tire attention to it as a business until 1848, when he
entered the ministry. The practice of Dr. Smith has
become extensive, and his hospital stalls are filled
with patients. His uniform success is his best
recommendation in his line of business, and he is
specially adapted for the duties, of a practitioner
from a natural love for horses and a thorough under-
standing of their attributes, nature and diseases.

Dr. Smith was married in Joliet, 111., June 19,
r845, to Lydia Harrington. She is a native of
Canada, and was born Dec. 14, 1827, near the line
of Vermont. She was the daughter of Marsh T.
and Lucy (Mott) Harrington, and has borne six chil-
dren : Lucretia F. is the wife of J. H. Simmons, fo
and they reside in the State of New York ; Lucy J.
married John Dunkle, and lives in Rice Co., Kan.;^
Mary L. is the wife of W. B. Foster, of the same /jjj
county; Charles W. married Annie Joslin, and they \(
are living in Geneseo ; Mark B. married Mary B. ®
Baker, and they have removed to McPherson Co., J
Kan. ; Fred F., now residing in Rice Co., Kan. "^

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HENRY COUNTY.

In 1882 Mrs. Smith began to operate as a florist
at Geneseo, and is conducting a prosperous business.
Her conservatories have a roofing of 1,000 feet of
glass. She made a small beginning, and, meeting
with a satisfactory degree of encouragement, she has
gradually extended her stock and facilities until she
has an excellent assortment and a large patronage.
She has resided at Geneseo since March, 1875. She
is a member of the same Church in which the Doctor
is a minister. He became a Republican in i860,
and in later years has adopted the principles of the
Prohibitionists.

-O—

Vi)

ohn M. Hanna, who is engaged in agricul-
ture and 'in the raising of live stock on sec-
tion 9, of Western Township, is a native of
the Keystone State, being born in Westmore-
land Co., Pa., March 15, 1835. His father,
Robert Hanna, a native of the same State, and
of Irish descent, was a farmer by occupation, and
was married in the above mentioned county to Pris-
cilla Hamilton, also a native of that county, and of
similar ancestry.

Mr. John M. Hanna, the second in a family of
four, was two years old when his parents moved to
Richland Co., Ohio, and three years later, in 1840,
came to Illinois, settling in what is now Cornwall
Township, this county, near Shabbona Grove. This
was before the Indian Chief, Shabbona, left this sec-
tion of the country. The first land was taken here
when there were no settlements by the whites, and the
Indians were numerous at Shabbona Grove. Both
Mr. Hanna's parents died in Cornwall Township, his
mother in 1843 and his father in r86o. The latter
had been officially connected with the township and
county. Both parents were members formerly of the
Presbyterian Church and later of the Methodist
Episcopal Church.

Our subject received but a limited education.
After the death of his mother, he resided a short time
with Capt. Charles Jack, well known in the early his-
tory of Cornwall Township; but, owing to the un-
sympathetic and tyrannical disposition of the Captain,
he left him and returned home. Nov. 6, 1856, Mr.
Hanna was married, in Cornwall Township, to Miss

Martha Bleeks. Her parents were John and Maria
(Chrisman) Bleeks, natives of Pennsylvania, of Ger-
man descent, who settled in Crawford Co., Ohio, in
which county Mrs. H. was born Aug. 16, 1838. Her
father, with the family, moved from that county to In-
diana, and in 1855 came to this county, settling in
Cornwall Township ; her mother, however, died be-
fore the last removal. Her father has since died.
Mr. and Mrs. Hanna have two children — Charles R.,
who married Emily Finley, and resides on a farm in
Western Township ; and George, who is yet at home,
assisting in the cultivation and management of the
farm. After his marriage, Mr. Hanna lived two
years in Cornwall Township, and then in Atkinson,
Geneseo" and Colona. In 1870, he purchased a
quarter of section 9, where he now resides, and has
a well improved farm; he has also a good farm of 86
acres under cultivation on section 1 7 , Western Town-
ship. He is also a dealer in swine to a considerable
extent.

In political principles, he is independent, and pub-
licly, he has been Township Assessor for about nine
years.

Mr. Hanna's three brothers are: Hamilton, who
resides in California ; Alexander B., a farmer living
in Audubon Co., Iowa; and James, married, residing
in the same county.

ev. Philip K. Hanna, deceased, was one
of the pioneers of Henry County in the
fullest sense of the term. He came here
before the organization of the county and was
a factor in each and all of the earliest move-
ments to adjust its municipal affairs. He was
the head and guardian of the moral and spiritual
welfare of the community, and he was foremost in
the organization of the Methodist societies in Henry
and Rock Island Counties.

He was born in Kentucky in 1810, and came to
Henry County in 1835. At the organization of the
county he was made one of the first Commissioners,
and afterward he was prominent in the official man-
agement of the townships of Hanna and Geneseo in
the capacity of Supervisor. In 1868 he was elected
to represent the 46th District in the Legislature of
Illinois. In all the official stations which he was

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HENRY COUNTY.

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called on to fill he discharged the obligations in a
manner consistent, with his own character and with
the nature of the duty incumbent on him. A de-
tailed account of his career in Henry County, if it
were possible to obtain it in its completeness, would
supply a large blank of interesting matter that has
passed into hopeless oblivion. At his residence, in
the pioneer home of 1835, the first religious so-
ciety in the county was formed. He became an ex-
tensive land-holder, and there was every .prospect
that he would be permitted to close his life in the
county in which he had been among the most useful
and valuable of its citizens ; but in the stringencies
of 1873 and 1878 he was compelled to succumb to
the shrinkages, and he surrendered all he had accu-
mulated. True to his character, he prepared to
commence anew, and he went to Kansas to start
once more under the auspices of another State. One
of his labors there will for ages to come constitute a
noble monument to his memory, — a forest of 3,000
trees set out by his own hands and nourished by his
own care.

Mr. Hanna was three times married, and he was
survived by his last wife. Eight of his 1 2 children
are still living. His death took place at his home
near Peabody, Kan., Thursday, Jan. 17, 1884, when
in the 74th year of his age.

enry D. Keel, a general farmer and stock-
raiser, residing on section 16, Western
Township, and owning three separate and
well improved farms of 80 acres each, was born
in Indiana Co., Pa., Jan. 16, 1833. His father,
whose name was Jacob Keel, was also a farmer
and an active and zealous minister of the Baptist
Church. He also was a native of that State, and, in
Indiana County, married Elizabeth Dewalt. The
ancestry on both sides were American, and of Ger-
man origin. Rev. Jacob Keel gained a fair, local
reputation as a Pastor of his flock in Indiana County,
which relation he sustained most of his life. He
died there in 1879, a highly respected citizen and an
ardent laborer for the cause he so ably advocated.
The widow yet survives, and is living with her
youngest daughter and child, Rebecca Lukehart.

She is very aged, and has been an invalid for five
years.

Mr. Henry D. Keel, whose name heads this arti-
cle, passed the days of his boyhood as a faithful son
on his father's farm, but having very limited oppor-
tunities for securing a school education. At the age
of 19 years, October, 1852, he married the object of
his first love, Miss Sarah Pearce, who was born .in
Pennsylvania, April n, 1834, of American parentage
and of German ancestry. The newly married couple,
with hearts in unison, set out the following spring
for the great unbroken West, determined to have a
home of their own, in a section where they could
grow up with the country, and become honored citi-
zens and financially independent. They arrived in
this county with no goods but what they could carry
under their arms, and $12.75 >n cash- After stop-
ping for a short time with the wife's relatives, who
came with them, Mr. Keel obtained work, and with
the strictest economy he soon made a good start.
He was first employed by Mr. T. W. Huston, who
is now a prominent Justice of the Peace at Orion, a
well respected citizen and an old settler.

Mr. K.'s first investment, out of his sinking fund
of $12.75, was 75- cents for a ham of meat, and the
$12 for a yoke of yearling calves, which he at once
set to work, hauling, marketing, etc. Dr. Trego,
now deceased, then one of the first settlers of the
county, and considerably aged, met Mr. Keel one
day with his diminutive ox team, and, although a
comparative stranger to him, suggested, in a jesting
way, that he should take the calves home and " let
them suck." This was too much for the feelings of
Mr. Keel, and, rising up in his wrath, and, forgetting
the respect he had been taught to give to old age,
raised his hand, placed it upon the Doctor's shoul-
der, told him he "would have plenty to do if he
minded his own business and let other men's busi-
ness alone!" He afterward, however, found the
Doctor so great a friend and gentleman that to this
day he has a pang of true regret for showing the
aged man any disrespect.

Being too ambitious to be a laborer for others for
any great length of. time, Mr. Keel soorr secured
money by which he was able to purchase a little
lumber, for the erection of a small, portable cabin,
on the school section (No. 16), which had not at
that time come into market, but a portion of which
he had some hopes of buying when it was sold.

1=3

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HENRY COUNTY.

371

I
* ■■*

Without any assurance that he would obtain the
land, he ventured to commence making improve-
ments on 40 acres of it ; and when the land was
placed in market he obtained the indorsement of Mr.
Huston as security for the tract, and learned also
that Mr. Huston had so great confidence in his
fidelity that he would have indorsed him for twice
the amount had he asked for it. Mr. Keel says
that he -shall ever owe a great debt of gratitude to
the man who thus helped him get his start in the
world. Since then, he has been remarkably success-
ful in the pursuit of his chosen calling and in the
improvement of his chosen homestead. The land is
beautifully undulating, and is situated in the best
farming community in the county. Soon after he
secured the ground, and before he attempted to pay
for it all, he set about the work of putting in drain
tile, and he now has more than 1,200 rods of tiling
on his three farms ; and this is demonstration to the
modern farmer that his is a first-class farm.

Officially, Mr. Keel has consented to serve the
public in only the minor offices of the township. He
was made Sexton of the Western Township Cemetery
16 years ago, and his care arid successful manage-
ment of that most quiet retreat has made him
actually essential to the position. Politically, he
sympathizes with Republican principles.

He has had five children, two of whom are now
deceased. Annie E. married H. J. Scheasley and
now resides on her father's homestead, which her
husband helps to manage; M. D. married Jennie
Keer, and they reside on one of Mr. Keel's farms in
Western Township; Vina B. is yet unmarried and
lives at home.

>rs. Juliet t Cox, widow of John W. Cox, a
prominent and early settler of North-
western Illinois, still owns the old farm
-, homestead, but lives at her home in Alpha,
"A* at the advanced age of 73 years. Mr. Cox
{ was born in Wayne Co., Ind., in 1807. In
1836 he came into Illinois, and settled on the banks
of the Mississippi, at a place called Tippecanoe, near
Hampton, Rock Island County. There he lived and
labored hard in the development of the country for
r3 years, when he came into Oxford Township, and

purchased 160 acres of land on section 16. Here he
was one of the first pioneers, and was an honored
and respected citizen. He lived on the old place,
which he had brought to a good state of cultivation,
until his death, which occurred March 2, 1864.
Politically, Mr. Cox was a Republican, and religious-
ly, an ardent Methodist, and for 40 years had been
connected with that Church.

In 1832, while living in Indiana, Mr. Cox was
married to Miss Juliett Williamson, the lady whose
present name heads this sketch. She was born in
Kentucky, in 1812, and passed through all the hard-
ships and privations of pioneer life attending them
on their removal to Illinois in so early a day. She
can scarcely realize the remarkable transformation
that has taken place in this section of Illinois since
she and her husband came here in 1836. Mrs. Cox
is and has been for many years connected with the
Methodist Episcopal Church. She reared a family
of respected and useful children, some of whom are
well known in the community in which they reside.
The following list gives their names and to whom
they have been married : Eliza, the eldest, is the
wife of John Henderson ; Joseph F. married Jennie
Sutton ; John W. was united in the bonds of matri-
mony with Mary Wagner; Samuel K. has for his
wife Miss Ella Patterson ; Evarald S. became the
husband of Hattie Epperson.

illiam S. Charles. One of the very ear-
Jiest pioneers of this part of Illinois, is
William S. Charles, an Englishman by
birth, having been born in London, Nov. 1,
1813. He has, however, passed all of his
active business career in this country. When
he was quite young his parents moved to Wales,
where he lived until 1832, when he crossed the
ocean for America. For four years he remained in
the East, most of the time in New York, and in 1837
came West and located in what is now Stark Co.,
111. At this early period the face of the white man
was rarely seen upon the broad, unbroken prairies of
Northern Illinois. Mr. Charles was a sturdy young
man and endured the hardships and privations which
are necessary accompaniments of pioneer life, nobly.
He did not remain in Stark County long, however,

*<$fl!l«^§ ^&^-

iS&

HENRY COUNTY.

2i
i:

for in the autumn of 1840 we find him on his way to
Henry County, and in Burns Township he made a
location, being one of the very earliest pioneers, not
only in Burns Township but also in Henry County.
He now resides on section 32, where he owhs a good
farm of 200 acres of land.

The year before he left Stark County, April 18,
1839, his marriage to Miss Esther L. Stoddard oc-
curred. This was the first marriage ceremony that
was performed within the borders of Stark County,
which fact in itself tells of the unsettled condition of
that country when Mr. Charles and Miss Stoddard
carried on their courtship. His wife was a native of
Goshen, Conn., and was born on the 6th of October,
1815. For many a year they traveled together
along the journey of life, but on the 5 th of May,
1879, this union was broken by the death of Mrs.
Charles. Her demise occurred at her home in
Burns Township. Five children had come to bless
their home in those early pioneer days, only one of
whom, however, is living. Their names are George
S., Elizabeth M., Frank H., RhodaTl. and Mary A.
Elizabeth is the only one now living.

Mr. Charles has been a prominent, active pioneer
and citizen, and has acted as School Director, and in
other positions has served the public. Politically,
he is a Republican.

ohn V. Swanson, who is engaged in gen-
f eral farming and stock-raising upon sec-
tion 36, of Western Township, was born in
the central part of Sweden, Sept. 6, 1835. His
father, John Swanson, was a farmer by occu-
pation, and came to America with his family,
consisting of his wife and seven children — three sons
and four daughters. He soon found his way to
Henry County, and located in Lynn Township,
where the elder Swanson remained until his death,
which occurred Sept. 13, 1869, at the age of 71
years. The mother is still living upon the 80-acre
homestead, purchased by her husband when they
first came to the country. She is at the advanced
age of 86 years, yet resides alone.

Mr. Swanson, of this biography, was about 17
years of age when his parents crossed the ocean for
the New World. He continued to reside at home,

helping his father to develop the farm, until 1862.
On March 28, of the following year, he was married
in Andover, to Miss Anna M. Peterson, who, like
himself, was born in Sweden, and came with her
parents to America in 1 849. The family came West
and settled in Western Township, where her mother
died in the antumn of 1883. The father still resides
on the old home farm. The home of Mr. Swanson
has been blessed with nine children, seven sons and
two daughters, all of whom are living.

After his marriage Mr. Swanson settled on the farm,
which he now owns as a renter, but purchased it in
1864. He now has 320 acres, all pretty well im-
proved, and well stocked with a good grade of cattle.
He ranks among the large farmers of Western Town-
ship, and is a thoroughgoing and enterprising man.
The family are members of the Swedish Lutheran
Church, of which Mr. S. is a Deacon. He is now,
and has for many years, served as Director of his
district. Politically, he is a member of the National
Greenback party.

-<~ £.

Eli Holland, one of the large land-owners,
successful farmers and respected citizens
of Henry County, residing on section 30,
5S. Osco Township, is a son of Reazon and Joanna

(Wilson) Holland, natives of West Virginia.

The gentleman whose short biographical sketch
we write, was the fifth in order of birth of a family
of r3 children. He was born in Monongalia Co.,
W. Va., Dec. 1, 181 6. His years prior to attaining
majority, and in fact until he was 23 years old, were
passed on the farm, and his education acquired in
the common schools. On his attaining his 23d year
he was engaged in the saw-mill business during
winter seasons, and in the summers followed farming
for different parties for a time. He then engaged
extensively in agricultural pursuits in West Virginia
and followed that occupation until 1864. In the fall
of that year he came to Henry County, and pur-
chased 160 acres of land located in Osco and West-
ern Townships, in partnership with a gentleman
named Elijah A. South. They cultivated this land
together for about three years and soon thereafter
divided the same. By honest toil and economy Mr.

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HENRY COUNTY.

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373

Holland has succeeded in adding to his original
purchase of land in this county until at present he
is the proprietor of 423 acres, the major portion of
which is under an advanced method of cultivation.
He keeps about 80 head of cattle, 10 head of horses
and fattens over 100 head of hogs on his farm an-
nually. He is meeting with success in his chosen
vocation, agriculture, which, in fact, he has followed
all his life, and to-day enjoys the comforts which a
life of labor and economy, coupled with the active
co-operation of his helpmeet, has brought him.

The marriage of Mr. Holland took place in Monon-
galia Co., W. Va., Jan. 3, 1839, at which time Miss
Louisa Tarleton became his wife. She was a native
of West Virginia, having been born in that county,
June 8, 1822. Their union has been blessed by the
birth of 12 children. The living are: Hannah M.,
Sarah H., Elmos T., 'Mary J. and Margaret L.
Hannah M. is the wife of Thomas Lanham, a resi-
dent of Iowa; Sarah H. married Jackson Steel, who
lives in Kansas ; Elmos T. is a resident of Iowa ;
Mary J. became the wife of Harvey Lough, and they
are living in Osco Township; Margaret L. married
Notley S. Cole, and resides with him in Iowa. The
deceased children are: Thomas A., William E.,
George P., Willie and James E., besides two who
died in infancy. The wife and mother died in Osco
. Township, March 26, 1883. She was a member of
the Baptist Church, and was a kind mother, a loving
wife and a respected and honored neighbor.

Politically, Mr. Holland, votes with the Republican
party. He has held the office of School Director in
his township, and in his religious views is an ad-
herent to the doctrines of the Baptist Church.

Qririst.tf

H. Lowry, M. D., a physician, practicing

at Woodhull, was born Feb. 1, 1847, in

Erie Co., Pa., his parents being Samuel

and Ruth A. (Parsons) Lowry, natives of

army for half a year, he received an honorable dis-
charge. In 1866 he commenced the study of medi-
cine, under the guidanceof Dr. Parsons, of Kewanee.
After remaining there two years he pursued a course
of study for three years at Cornell University, Ithaca,
N. Y. ; then in 1870 he came to Chicago, entered the
Hahnemann Medical College (homeopathic) and
graduated there in 1872. Coming then to Woodhull,
he commenced the practice of his chosen profession,
and has since pursued it at that place with an in-
creasing patronage and satisfactory success. He, in
company with D. K. Colburn, his brother-in-law, is
the proprietor of a quarter of a section of land in the
townships of Rio and Oxford, and a half section of
land in Cedar Co., Mo. ; he is also interested in the
rearing of Jersey cows and Hambletonian horses.
He is a Republican in his views of national policy,
attends the Presbyterian Church, is a member of the
G. A. R., and is one of the ''city fathers."

July 10, 1872, at Ithaca, N. Y., the Doctor mar-
ried Miss Grace C. Fairman, a native of Rhode
Island, and they have four children, viz. : Fayette
C, born Aug. 18, 1873; Harry L., born Oct. 24,
1875 ; Annie G., born April 25, 1881 ; and Dan K.,
born Feb. 15, 1883.

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While very young, Mr. Lowry lost both his
parents, and he came to Alton-a, Knox Co , 111.,
with an uncle, when ten years of age, and there he
attended the common and high schools. In May,
1864, he enlisted in Co. G, i32d Regt. 111. Vol. Inf.,
for the 1 oo-dav service; and after remaining in the

" -**$yz &^M&M?>*r9 ^^^

ohn H. Everett, born Jan. 6, 1832, in
Litchfield Co., Conn., is a resident on sec-
tion 25, Gal va Township. His great-grand-
father was Ebenezer Everett, a native of
Hebron, Windham Co., Conn., whose ances-
tors were of English extraction. He had three
sons — Isaiah, Ebe and Eliphalet, the two latter of
whom were soldiers in the Revolutionary War.
Eliphalet Everett was for several years Steward of
Washington's military family. He spent the last
years of his life in Watertown, N. Y. Isaiah Everett
died Aug. 4, 1834, at the age of 82 years, leaving six
sons, — Adolphus, Asa, Gamaliel, Russell, William
and Roswell. Ebe Everett died Jan. 5, 1840, aged
86 years. He left four sons — Samuel E., Augustus, |
Elmore, Hovey and John. The latter three are /fa
physicians. Adolphus Everett, son of Isaiah, was <nS
the grandfather of the subject of this sketch. He ^
married Lydia Studley, who was born in Sharon, ~J
Conn., and who died there in 1864, aged 83 years. 4^.

;>T^'-:

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374

>^Ti>t*/ ^

HENRY COUNTY.

Their children were Thomas A., Ichabod S., Russell
A., Ruby, Betsey A., Abby C. and Caroline P., none
of whom are living.

Of their children, Thomas A. was the father of our
subject. He was born in April, 1806, in Sharon,
Conn., and died March 22, 1845, aged 39 years. He
was a farmer by occupation and married Mary Ann
Hatch, who was born in Washington, Litchfield Co.,
Conn., May 17, 1806, and who died Feb. 12, 1880.
She was the daughter of John Hatch, a Revolution-
ary soldier and patriot, who" died June 5, 1839, aged
88 years. She bore to her husband three children,
as follows: Lydia, Elizabeth and John H., the latter
of whom is the subject of this sketch and the only
one of the three children living.

At the age of 13 years, John H. Everett was
orphaned by the death of his father. He worked on
farms in his native State until 1868, when he came
to Galva Township, this county, where he has con-
stantly resided until the present time, engaged in the
occupation of farming. He has a farm of 80 acres
of improved land and four acres of timber located
on section 25, Galva Township, and is meeting with
success in its cultivation.

The marriage of Mr. Everett took place March 1,
1879, in this township, and the lady to whom he
was united was Miss Elizabeth Gadd, the accom-
plished daughter of William and Sarah Gadd, natives
of England, who died in Kewanee, this county. *
Politically, Mr. Everett votes with the Democratic
party.

lanson K. Morgan, Presiding Elder of the

., Methodist Episcopal Church, residing at

Orion and engaged in the drug business at

that place, was born in McDonough County,
this State, Feb. 8, 1844. His father, Joseph
Morgan, was a farmer by occupation and also
a local preacher in the Methodist Episcopal Church,
in McDonough County. He was a native of New
York, of Welsh descent and extraction, and was born
in 1799. His marriage took place in his native
county, and the lady chosen to share his joys and
sorrows, his successes and reverses, was Miss Lydia
Thomas, a native of Dutchess Co., N. Y. (native
county of the father), and the ceremony was solem-
Ar.

nized in the year 1822. The parents, after living in
Dutchess County a few years, came to Illinois in
1832. In the fall of 1833, after the Black Hawk
War, they removed to McDonough County, and pur-
chased 80 acres of land near the present village of
Table Grove. The county at that time was new and
undeveloped, and they had to haul their wheat to
the city of Chicago, where they realized only 50
cents per bushel, and the journey would require
some 20 days. In 1848 the father went to Fulton
County, this State, and improved another new farm,
on which he resided until 1863, from whence he
moved to Bushnell, McDonough County, where he
died, April 18, 1877. The mother still survives and
is 82 years of age, and resides with her son, Reuben
A., in Fulton County, this State.

Alanson R. Morgan, whose name heads this sketch,
received a good education 'at the district schools,
and at the schools in Cuba, Fulton County, this
State. July 25, 1861, soon after the news had
flashed across the continent that rebel guns had
poured forth their shot and shell upon Sumter, and
the President had called for brave hearts and strong
arms to battle in defense of a nation's honor, Mr.
Morgan enlisted in Co. F, 8th 111. Vol. Inf., com-
manded by Col. R. J. Oglesby, better known as
Uncle Dick, and present Governor of this State.
His regiment was assigned to the Army of the West,
and participated in the battles of Ft. Henry, Ft.
Donelson, Pittsburg Landing, Corinth, Ft. Gibson,
Raymond, Jackson, Miss., Champion Hills, siege of
Vicksburg, and others of less import, together with
many skirmishes. He was, at no time during the in-
terval he was engaged in service, wounded. After
the expiration of his three years' service, he was hon-
orably discharged, July 25, 1864. Returning home,
he attended school for a time, and afterward, Jan.
25, 1865, at Cuba, Fulton County, was united in
marriage to Miss Hattie Shaw. She was born in
Rock Island Co., 111., Feb. 24, 1847. Her father,
Robert Shaw, was at one time Treasurer of Rock
Island County, and died there in the year 1858.
Mrs. Morgan lived with her mother after the death
of her father until her marriage. She and her hus-
band are the parents of four children, — Dell E.,
Arthur C, Robert H. and Harry W.

In the fall of 1865, Mr. Morgan joined the Cen-
tral Illinois Conference at Onarga, Iroquois County,
this State, and from that time until the present has

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been preaching actively in the Methodist Episcopal
Church. In 1881, he was appointed Presiding El-
der at Canton, 111., for the Rock Island District, and
has since filled that position. In 1884, he also en-
gaged in the drug business at Orion, and is still
conducting that business at that place. He is a
member of the A. F. & A. M., the I. O. O. F.,the A.
O. U. W. and the G. A. R. He is a man gifted with
fluent speech and possessing knowledge which is
the accumulation of hard study for years ; he pre-
sents an argument in such a forcible and attractive
manner as not only to be convincing, but as to win
the respect and esteem of his hearers. His reputa-
tion as a public speaker, out of the pulpit as well as
in it, together with his rhetoric, is appreciated by
the many who have heard him. Politically, he is
identified with the interests of the Republican party.

eander Chilberg, engaged in general farm-
ing and stock-raising on section 19, Lynn
Township, where he has located his resi-
dence, is a native of Sweden, in which country
he was born, Dec. 12, 1845. His father, N. M.
Chilberg, was also a native of Sweden, and a
shoemaker by trade. He was married in that coun-
try to Margaret E. Bergeson. The family emigrated
to the United States when the subject of this notice
was but three years of age. They located in Swe-
dona, where the parents are at present residing, and
where the father was engaged in working at his
trade for a period of 16 years. He then purchased
the tract of land on which Leander is at present re-
siding, but subsequently sold the same to his son,
and is now living in retirement at Swedona. He
and his family came to this county in 1849, being
the first family of his nationality who located in
Mercer County. He and his wife are connected
with the Swedish Lutheran Church, of which de-
nomination he was Trustee for many years.

Leander Chilberg resided at home, alternating his
labors on the farm with attendance at the district
schools until he attained his majority. One year
after that event, when 22 years of age, he was mar-
ried to Miss Amanda Kinsey, in Richland Grove
Township, Mercer County, the date of the ceremony
being Sept. 24, 1867. She was a daughter of War-
ner and Ann (French) Kinsey, natives of Pennsyl-

vania and New Jersey respectively, of American
parentage and of Welsh and English extraction,
and members of the Society of Friends. Her par-
ents were married in Bulington Co., N. J., and a
few years thereafter came to this State," locating in
Mercer County at a time when the same was very
meagerly settled, the date thereof being 1841.

They located in Richland Grove Township, and it
was there that Mrs. Chilberg was born, Nov. 28,
T844. She was reared under parental influence, and
remained at home attending the district schools, at
which she received her education, until her marriage.
Her father was a farmer by occupation, and died
June 5, 1878; and her mother at present resides in
the village of Swedona, Mercer County. Mrs. Chil-
berg is the third child in order of birth of a family
of six children.

The union of Mr. and Mrs. Chilberg has been
blessed by the birth of three children, — Harry W.,
Anna M. and Charlie K. All reside at home and
attend the public schools. After Mr. and Mrs.
Chilberg were united in marriage they located on
the farm on which they at present reside, which at
that time comprised 140 acres. Mr. C. has subse-
quently sold 20 acres, and at present is the pro-
prietor of r2o acres, which is in a fair state of
cultivation. In addition to devoting his time to
agriculture, he raises considerable stock of a good
quality, and is meeting with success in his chosen
vocation, agriculture. He has held the position of
Assessor of his township for some time, together
with other minor offices. Politically, he is a believer
in and a supporter of the principles of the Repub-
lican party.

Frederick A. Hurlbutt, residing in Galva
Township, was born in Nov. 9, i83i,in
Dalton, Coos Co., N. H. He is the son
Alba and Laura (Osgood) Hurlbutt. His
father was born in Canada, and was a physi-
cian and farmer. He came West in 1840, and
settled in Peoria County, this State, where he rented
land, and was engaged in the vocation of farming
for three years. He then purchased land in Knox
County, on which he resided with his family until
his death, which occurred Oct. 1, 1858, while he was"
in his 64th year, an honored and respected pioneer.

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378

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HENRY COUNTY.

He was married in New Hampshire, and his wife
died in Galva, March 14, 1871, aged 64 years. She
bore him eight children, — Hubbard, Edmund, Na-
thaniel, Laura, Frederick A., Susan, Frances and
Charles.

Frederick A. Hurlbutt was educated in New
Hampshire, and Knox County, this State, and has
followed the occupation of farming all his life, meet-
ing with success in his chosen vocation. Mr. Hurl-
butt is, strictly speaking, a self-made man, and what-
ever he has accumulated of this world's goods is
attributable to his own indomitable energy, good
judgment and perseverance. His first purchase of
land consisted of 80 acres in Burns township. Suc-
cess has crowned his efforts to such an extent that
he is now the proprietor of 624 acres of land in this
county. This fact, of itself, considering that he
started with comparatively nothing, speaks in better
and stronger language than any words we can use of
the energy and perseverance he possesses, as well as
the aid and assistance given him by his wife.

Mr. Hurlbutt was married in Knoxville, Knox
County, this State, to Miss Caroline Osgood, Oct. 31,
i860. She was born April 15, 1840, in Littleton, N.
H., and is a daughter of Willard and Mary (Perry)
Osgood, natives of New Hampshire. Mr. and Mrs.
Hurlbutt are the parents of nine children, namely :
Edgar L., born Dec. 20, 1861; Elmer E., May 14,
1863; Levi H., Oct. 5, 1865; Minnie L., Oct. 24,
1867 ; Jennie M., July n, 1870; Frederick N., Jan.
2, 1873 ; Zelda D., Aug. 31, 1875 ; Charles H., Dec.
11, 1878 ; and Frank Lewis, Dec. 12, 1880.

As a splendid representative of that worthy class,
the self-made men, — with whom Mr. Hurlbutt may
justly be classed, — the publishers take pleasure in
presenting his portrait to] the patrons of this Album.

,«a&27®^©'

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™|; eter Hammond, deceased, formerly a resi-

dent of Geneseo, was the oldest citizen in

liSF"^ Henry C°untv at tne tmie of his death, and

iffi was probably the oldest Mason in the world.

•H He expired at 12 o'clock, noon, April 9, 1878,

aged 102 years. He was born April 9, 1776,

at Newton, Mass., and was the senior of the United

States of America by three months. He survived

the centennial anniversary of his country two years.

The detailed history of his ancestors in America
would make a most interesting exhibit, from the fact
that he came of stock of historic renown in the Colo-
nial history of this country in both lines of descent.
His father, Samuel Hammond, was a member of the
"Tea Party" in Boston Harbor, Dec. 10, 1773.
The name of his mother before her marriage was
Mary Rogers. Samuel Hammond died in Wards-
boro, Vt, in the 95 th year of her age.

After Peter's birth his parents went to Windham
Co., Vt. The Green Mountain State, or the terri-
tory that became such in 17 91, was at that time in
a tumultuous condition through the disputes of the
adjoining States of New York and New Hampshire,
and Peter was left at Newton, with his grandparents.
When he was but a small lad his mother came from
Wardsboro after him, journeying thither on horse-
back. The distance was 125 miles, and the son
walked the entire distance beside the horse that his
mother rode.

He received the training and instruction which it
was the custom of those days to bestow on farmers'
sons, when agriculture was the common heritage of
succeeding generations. He was 26 when he was
married to Charlotte, daughter of Col. Holbrook,
who had acquired the distinction of a patriot in the
troublesome times in which his manhood's prime
was passed. The marriage was celebrated in Octo-
ber, 1802. The wife died in Troy, N. Y., in 1856.
She had borne eight children, — three daughters and
five sons : John R. becam-e a lumber merchant of
extensive relations in the city of St. Louis, Mo., and
died in Illinois in April, 1857 ; Joseph is a resident
of Geneseo, and is represented by a personal narra-
tion on another page ; Martha is now the widow of
Alfred Taylor, and resides at Geneseo; Caroline is
now the widow of Alphonso Bills, and resides at
Troy, N. Y. ; Charlotte now resides at Geneseo;
Caroline and Charles were twins.

The Hammond family reached prominence in
business affairs in Wardsboro. The location where
they operated took their name, and was called Ham-
mond's Mills, through the establishment of the rela-
tions of Mr. Hammond of this account. The place
is now called West Wardsboro. He had a farm,
and owned and operated a grist and saw mill. His
abilities brought him into prominence in the adjnin-
istration of local affairs, and he held many official
positions of honor and trust. He was Postmaster in

B
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HENRY COUNTY.

the place where he lived and transacted his busi-
ness, and resigned the office after a continuous ser-
vice of 1 8 years. He officiated many years as Jus-
tice of the Peace, and in all his dealings in his
public or private capacities he was conspicuous for
undeviating probity.

On arrival at the period on which he entered on
the privileges of citizenship, he adopted the princi-
ples and issues of the Whigs. He kept pace with
the march of progress in public opinion, and after
the founding and organization of the Republican
party, he became its adherent and inflexible sup-
porter. He cast his first Presidential vote for the
elder Adams.

Mr. Hammond was made a Mason in the fall of
1799. He was one of the moving spirits of the local
body at Wardsboro, and officiated a- series of years
as its Master. During the excitement attending the
"Morgan" affair the lodge was disbanded, though he
strenuously objected to the action. He was the
chief official at the time, and when the organization
became defunct he retained his " Master's " jewel.
When the order came again into good repute he
gladly resumed his obligations, and was ever after-
ward in full harmony with its workings. April 9,
1876, he reached his centennial year, and Stewart
Lodge at Geneseo commemorated the occasion by
presenting him with a beautiful gold-headed cane.
The event was made the cause of a special commu-
nication in order to take place on the day desig-
nated. The inscription on the cane was as follows :
"Peter Hammond, from Stewart Lodge, No. 92, A.
F. & A. M., on his rooth birthday. April 9, 1876.
Born, 1776; made a Mason, 1799."

All his life he preserved the simplest habits in all
things. He never used tobacco in any form, and his
strength and physical endurance were continued to
a wonderful degree. When he was 100 years old he
was in the habit of walking to church. In later life
he professed a belief in the vital principles of Chris-
tianity, and passed his remaining years in the con-
sistent exercise of its views. He was a member of
the Methodist Episcopal Church.

He came to Geneseo m 1856, to visit his son, and
after that he divided his time between that place and
Vermont. For several years prior to his death he
remained with his daughter, Mrs. Taylor, at Gene-
seo, and died at her house April 9, 1878. His re-
mains were tenderly and reverently borne back to

the scenes of his active life, and he was laid in the
family burial-place of the Hammonds, as was suit-
able and appropriate. At Geneseo a monument has
been raised to his memory, by his son Joseph, in the
lovely city of the dead, Oakwood Cemetery.

-S3

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ohn Love, deceased, formerly a resident
of Bucks Co., Pa., and a blacksmith by
occupation, was born in County Antrim,
Ireland, of English parentage and ancestry.
He was educated in his native country, and
was married there April 30, 1825, to Miss Mary
A. Duncan, who was born in the same county, June
18, 1 810, the daughter of a farmer of Scotch par-
entage. He had come from Scotland to Ireland on
account of religious persecution in his native coun-
try, he being of the Presbyterian faith.

The early history of Mr. Love is only that which
is characteristic of poor, hard-working and honest
people in the North of Ireland, which county had
during his day undergone some radical changes in
the habits, etc., of the people. His father had be-
come a skillful smith in his native country, and after
his marriage he lived in his native country until
1849. The family were all born near Belfast, Ire-
land, near the channel separating that island from
Scotland. The ten children who were born there
were Ann, who was born May 24, 1827 ; Eliza, who
married John Blair, and died in Millville, N. J.,
leaving two children, J. B. and Anna L. ; the latter
is a teacher ; the third child in the family above
mentioned was Jane W. ; the fourth is Mrs. Nancy
Watson, now residing in Western Township, this
county ; Mrs. Matilda A. Finlay is now a resident of
Orion, this county; Mrs. Mary Garrity resides in
Philadelphia, Pa. ; William is also married and re-
sides in Western Township ; Maria L. and James ;
Alexander is married, and is yet residing at the
parental home.

On arrival in America the family located in Bucks
Co., Pa., near Trenton, N. J., July 2, 1849. The
father died there September 3, following, aged 46.
Mr. Love was a Presbyterian in religious principles.
After the death of the head of the family the mother
and children were obliged to maintain themselves.
They secured a farm in Bucks Co., near Trenton,

380

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<?BD§DDi>

HENRY COUNTY.

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consisting of 95 acres, where they made their home
until 187 1 ; selling out in that year, they came to
Illinois, and purchased the southwest quarter of sec-
tion 8, Western Township, where they have since

f^ resided, and where they are now enjoying prosperity.

\ . They have a good brick residence, and fine out-
buildings on the farm. The family were all bap-
tized in what is called the " Associate Reformed
Presbyterian Church of Ireland."

Gil

illiam Cornell, a retired farmer, residing
at Woodhull, was born in Frederick Co.,
Md., Sept. 14, 1814. His parents were
Thomas and Mary (Paxton) Cornell, natives
of Maryland. They came to Ohio in 18 19,
where they purchased land, and where his father
engaged in the occupation of farming. His father
was a soldier in the War of 1812, and he and his
wife resided in Ohio until their death.

William Cornell remained on the old homestead
in Ohio, assisting in the labors on the farm and at-
tending school, until he attained the age of 24 years.
He was the main stay of his parents in their old age,
and lived with and cared for them until their deaths.
He then sold the farm that they had purchased and
bought another of 80 acres in Morgan County, con-
sisting of timber. He cleared this land and fenced
it and engaged actively and energetically upon its
improvement, and continued to reside thereupon for
about five years. He then sold it and purchased
200 acres of timber land. This he mostly cleared,
and erected two houses upon the same, together with
barns, outbuildings, fruit trees, etc., and there resided
for ten years. He then sold 100 acres, and subse-
quently exchanged the other 100, in 1859, for 320
acres of land in Iowa.

In 1861 he came to Illinois, and remained one year
with his son, William C, who had previously come
here, and on his son's entering the army and losing
his life in defense of the Union cause, Mr. Cornell
concluded to stop in this State. He finally rented
land in Henry County, and followed farming in that
manner for about four years. He then purchased 80
acres of land located on section 6, Clover Township,
on which he resided four years ; then he sold it and'
purchased 160 acres, on which he resided for five

years more. At the expiration of this time, in 1872,
he left the farm, and has since rented it. He has
purchased a house and three lots where he is at
present residing in Woodhull, and also a house and
four lots at that place which he rents.

Mr. Cornell was married in 1837 to Miss Nancy
Jeffers, and their union has been blessed with five
children,— Mary J., Martha L., Hannah, Cynthia
and Joseph — all married. Mrs. Cornell died Feb.
2, 1856, aged 37 years and ten months. His second
wife, Jane Coriners, whom he married Oct 20, 1857,
died Feb. 19, 1883. He was married again to Mrs.
J. Anderson, a daughter of David Patterson, in 1884.

Mr. Cornell, politically, is a believer in and a sup-
porter of the principles of the Republican party. He
and his wife are members of the Methodist Episco-
pal Church.

eorge W. Johnson, general manager of the
stock company's general store at Orion,
K was born in Andover, Henry Co., 111., Oct.
8, 1857. His father, S. P. Johnson, was a
farmer, residing on a farm in Lynn and a na-
tive of Sweden. When a young man he emi-
grated to America, and was united in marriage in
Andover Township to Miss Christina Peterson. She
was also a native of Sweden, and came to America
when a young woman. She became the mother of
eight children, five of whom yet survive, and four of
whom are sons, — George W. is the oldest of the
family and made his home with his parents until his
marriage, attending the common schools, where he
received a fair education.

At Andover, on the 31st of May, 1882, Mr. John-
son was married to Miss Carolina F. Hogg, who was
born in Lynn Township, this county, and is the
daughter of J. P. and Catherine Hogg, both natives
of Sweden. Both were formerly married in Sweden,
but after the death of each of their companions, Mr.
and Mrs. Hogg were united in marriage in this
country. Mr. Hogg died in. Lynn Township, 1874,
and his widow resides in Andover. Mrs. Johnson
was the youngest of their two children. She re-
ceived a good education in the common schools of
Andover.

After marriage, Mr. Johnson engaged in farming

\®5«

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■6V^llD®llP&,/c) j^h?

HENRY COUNTY.

381

(9*

in Lynn Township for two years, upon his farm of
120 acres, which is well improved. In 1884, he
connected himself with the stock company, organized
for the purpose of carrying on a general mercantile
business at Orion, and in June, 1885, became man-
ager of the concern. The company carries a very
large stock of goods, amounting to about $20,000.

Mr. and Mrs. J. are the parents of two children, —
Mabel T. and Morris W. Mr. Johnson has held
several minor offices of the township, and politically
is a straight-out Republican.

:uenos Ayers, a retired farmer, resident at
Geneseo, was born in Chester, Hampden
Co., Mass., Jan. 17, 1810. His parents,
Asa and Mary (Wait) Ayers, were both na-
tives of the Bay Stace, and were of English
descent. The first of the family in this
country were three brothers, who came hither from
England in the early part of the 17th century. They
settled in the State of Massachusetts, and the fam-
ily to which Mr. Ayers belongs traces its descent to
Capt. John Ayers, of Brookfield, Mass. The latter
removed thence to Ipswich, Mass., in 1662. He
settled in the former place in 1648, and lost his life
in one of the struggles with the Indians to which the
earliest settlers in the East were subjected. His
death occurred Aug. 3, 1675. He had two sons:
John Ayers, the older, died at Ipswich, Dec. 24,
1685 ; his son Samuel was successively a resident at
Newbury and Rowley, in the same State, and married
Abigail, daughter of William Fellows, at Ipswich, on
the 16th of April, 1677. They had ten children.
Their son Joseph resided at Brookfield, but there are
no other particulars about him to be obtained. His
son Samuel lived at Brookfield, was a weaver, and
married Martha Bell, Jan. 21, 1742. They had the
regulation number of children, which was ten. Asa,
their son, was born June 5, 1761, and married Mary
Wait. They had ten children, of whom the subject
of this sketch is the youngest, and he is in the
seventh generation from his ancestor of Brookfield
memories.

When Mr. Ayers was a lad of ten years his father
removed his family and interest to the Western Re-
serve, Ohio, and there bought 100 acres of land,

which he cleared from the stump, as the saying went
in those early days. The location was then Geauga
County, but the town of Chester, in which they
lived, has been by a more recent division assigned to
Lake County. The son became a carpenter and a
mill-right, and grew to the estate of manhood in the
vicinity where his father settled. He was married
Sept. 1, 1833, to Miss Sarah Osborne. She was the
daughter of Ransom and Sarah (Hurd) Osborne, and
was born at Oxford, New Haven Co., Conn., Sept.
2, 1 81 6. In descent she is of English extraction,
and her ancestors were residents of New England
for several generations. To them have been born
1 1 children. Seven are now living.

Soon after their marriage they removed to Wil-
loughby, in the Buckeye State, and there their two
oldest children were born. Sheldon H. was born
April 23, 1835, and was twice married. He was
first joined in marriage to Louisa Emery, Jan. 22,
1857. Her decease took place at Galva, in Henry
County, March 12, 1864. Sarah Fronk became his
wife in May, 1865. Sheldon Ayers went to Kan-
sas during the troublesome times in that State, and
took a prominent part as a Free-State man. The
second child, Orlando B., was born July 26, 1836.
He married Annie L. Stone, and is engaged in the
practice of law at Knoxville, Iowa. In the spring
of 1837 Mr. Ayers and his family removed to Hicks-
ville, Defiance Co., Ohio, where six of their children
were born, as follows: George W., Jan. 6, 1839,
died Oct. 10, following; Mary A. Nov. 22, 1840,
died Nov, 25, 1840; Samuel P., May 16, 1842, mar-
ried Mary Englefield, April 6, 187 1, and is a prac-
ticing attorney in Knoxville, Iowa; Esther E., born
May 14, 1845, is the wife of J. D. Hill, a farmer of
the township of Munson, to whom she was married
Sept. 30, 1868. Mr. Hill was a soldier of the late
war, and a member of the 112th Rtgt. 111. Vol. Inf.
He served three years. Roderick W. was born April
26, 1847, and he was married Feb. 12, 1874, to Sa-
die M. Englefield. He is a farmer in the township
of Bussey, Marion Co., Iowa. His first wife died, and
he was again married Dec. 27, 1877, to Edith Swain ;
Ransom O. was born in Bureau Co., 111., Oct 24,
1852; he was married Jan. 18, 1878, to Fannie Rea-
ber, and is engaged in the pursuit of a farmer in
Knoxville, Iowa ; Azoline was born in Munson, 111.,
Aug. 24, 1854, and died three days later; John C.
was born in Munson, III., Aug. 26, 1856; he was

©a$?b n® tin^s — s^g^t

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>382

HENRY COUNTY.

-^fKsS

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married Dec. 25, 1879, to Allie Martin, and is a
farmer of Munson Township; Helen E., the young-
est, was born in Munson Township, Sept. 3, 1859,
and died Oct. 13, 1862.

Mr. Ayers remained in the State of Ohio, and
operated as a mechanic until 1850, when he went to
Fond du Lac, Wis. He operated there as a mill-
wright about a year, and was engaged in the con-
struction of some important mills. In 185 1 he came
to Illinois, and passed two years in Bureau County.
He worked at his trade there, and in 1853 came to
Henry County, and purchased a farm in the town-
ship of Munson. He is still the owner of 320 acres
of land there, which is in an excellent state of culti-
vation. Besides, he is the owner of t6o acres in
the township of Cambridge in Henry County. Mr.
Ayers continued a resident of Munson Township
until 1877, when he took possession of the pleasant
residence his family have since occupied in the city
of Geneseo. He has been an energetic, upright
business man, a first-class mechanic, and a farmer,
the excellence of whose methods and judgment is
proven by the results he has achieved. He has
passed the space allotted to human life, but is still
vigorous and is in unbroken physical vigor. With
the exception of impaired eyesight, he is still in the
possession of all his faculties.

In the days of his early political connections he
was a Whig; he is now a Republican. In religious
opinions he is a liberal.

#>#

-8-

ee Chamberlin, stock buyer and shipper,
located at Alpha, was born in Morrow Co.,
Ohio, Aug. n, 1845. His parents, who
were John and Mary (Titus) Chamberlin, were
natives of New Jersey and Pennsylvania re-
spectively, came to Illinois in the year 1850,
and settled in Whiteside County, near Morrison.
They remained there for three years, when they
moved into Henry County, locating in Oxford Town-
ship, where they purchased a quarter of section 32.
To this they subsequently added 80 acres. In 1883
they sold out their Henry County property and re-
moved into Iowa, settling in Taylor County.

Lee, of whom we write, remained until 23 years of
age with his parents, receiving during that time a

good education in the ordinary branches. His first
enterprise after leaving home was to embark in farm-
ing on a rented place in Oxford Township; here he
remained for five years. In 1874 his mother died,
when he returned to the old homestead and worked
the farm until 1883. At that time he came into
Alpha village to live, where he has since been en-
gaged in buying and selling stock. Here he is well
known and respected, and is recognized as one of
the leading citizens of the place.

During the year 1869 an important event occurred
in the lives of Miss Urania M. Bundy and Mr. Lee
Camberlin. This was their union in the holy bonds
of matrimony. Their home has been blessed with
three children, to whom they have given the follow-
ing names: Howard E., Mary B. and Clarence H.

eroy Woodruff established his business as
a dealer in ice, at Geneseo, in 1864, and is
still interested in the same enterprise, and
has been since that time without intermission.
He has the exclusive control of the trade in ice,
and sells annually an average of 300 tons, which
is obtained from Green River. He is also a iftember
of the firm of Way & Woodruff, manufacturers of the
" Little Gem Creamer."

The article which the firm of Way & Woodruff are
manufacturing is one of the most popular in the dairy
business, and is their own invention. They took out
letters patent July 20, 1880. The " Little Gem " is
an entire success, and bears comparison with the
various creamers in use. It is used with cold water.
Mr. Woodruff was born Oct. 13, 1839, in Oswego
Co., N. Y., and is the son of Rev. George C. Wood-
ruff, of whom a personal account is given elsewhere
in this work. His father being a minister in the
Methodist Church, the childhood of the son was
passed in the migratory manner which is a feature of
the existence of that class of men. He was a few
months past his majority when the infatuation of the
South culminated in the attack on Fort Sumter, and
he entered the service of the Union within the first
year of the war. He enlisted Sept. 13, 1861, in Co.
M, Fourth III. Cav. He was one of the first men to
enter Fort Henry after its capture, and was almost
immediately made one of the aids of Colonel Wal-

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^r^llll^llPi^v^c) J^sr

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HENRY COUNTY.

383

lace, and was the Orderly of that officer. He was
also a participant in the siege of Fort Donelson. At
Shiloh and at Corinth he was in the advance guard
of Sherman. After the latter battle he was sent to
the hospital at St. Louis, and was discharged at
Memphis before the termination of the first year of
service, because of his inability to perform military
duty.

Mr. Woodruff was united in marriage with Jennie
M. Barse, Dec. 24, 1862. Their marriage took place
at Burlington, Vt. Mrs. Woodruff was born in St.
Albans, Vt., Sept. 7, 1842, and she is the. daughter
of Eli Barse. The three children now included in
the family of Mr. and Mrs. Woodruff were born as
follows: Amasa D., Dec. 28, 1866; Cora M., Nov.
13, 1872; and Edna F., Oct. 4, 1880.

Mr. Woodruff came to Henry County in June,
1855, and has continued a resident within its limits
since that date, with the exception of the time he
passed in the army. He passed eight years in farm-
ing in the township of Edford. In the fall of 1864
he fixed his residence at Geneseo.

In political preference he is a Republican, and
both he and his wife are members of the Methodist
Episcopal Church. He is prominent in the Order
of Odd Fellows, and has represented Lodge No. 172,
of Geneseo, in the Grand Lodge. He is also Secre-
tary of the Independent Order of Mutual Aid, and
has been a representative of that body in the Grand
Lodge. He is the Assessor of the city and township
of Geneseo.

-S3-

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w. V. Fisher, hardware merchant at Geneseo,
MB was born Oct. 15, 1848, at Wilkesbarre, Pa.,
and is the son of C. V. and Elizabeth V.
Fisher. His father was a native of the State
of New Jersey, and in his early life went to
Pennsylvania. He was one of the first to be-
come interested in the coal business in the Keystone
State, and he became one of the leading operators in
that line of business.

Mr. Fisher came from his native State to Aurora,
111., in 1869; and, after a short stay three, he came in
1870 to Geneseo. He established the hardware
trade, in which he has since been engaged, in the
same year of his arrival, under the firm style of C. B.

& H. V. Fisher. The firm was changed in 1875, its
factors being H. V. and S. A. Fisher, and they are
still the proprietors. They are transacting a heavy
business, and are carrying a stock whose estimated
value is about $12,000. Mr. Fisher is also one of
the proprietors of the Eagle Stove Works, of Gen-
eseo.

He is one of the reliable and trustworthy citizens
of Geneseo, and considered one of the most enter-
prising and liberal-minded of its business men. He
takes a practical interest in its affairs, and has served
nine years as a member of the Board of Education.
He has also officiated as one of the Council. He
has been a straightforward and consistent Republi-
can from the period when he assumed the privileges
of his citizenship. He is connected with the Con-
gregational Church by membership.

ohn Lewen, residing on section 26, Galva
£ Township, was born in February, 1842, on
the Isle of Man. He came to Galva, this
county, at the age of r4 years, where he re-
ceived all the schooling he has acquired, not
having attended school any in his native
country.

On arriving here he worked on a farm at $ro per
month for two years, and after that worked by the
month for other wages for several years. Then he
rented land, which he cultivated for his own indi-
vidual benefit, and by energetic labor and economy
he succeeded in acquiring sufficient means to pur-
chase 80 acres in the northeast corner of Knox
County. He soon afterward sold that, and in the
spring of 1880 he purchased 240 acres, located on
section 26, Galva Township, which he still owns.
He has improved the same, and last summer erected
a barn on it, which cost him $2,000. He has fenced
the land, set out trees and otherwise improved the
place until it to-day presents an attractive appear-
ance, and is not only indicative of good taste and
judgment, but a fair representative of what may be
accomplished by laborious toil combined with a wise
foresight.

Robert Lewen, deceased, father of the subject of
this notice, was born in Ramsey, Isle of Man, and
died in Galva, this county, Sept. 20, 1857, aged 51

TiS'i&(ir"f '■— '

t<^m& ii n^>v^ — -^a

384

HENRY COUNTY.

)

years. He was a son of William and Isabella (Ker-
ruish) Lewen, whose father was a hatter in his na-
tive country and there died. His wife afterward
married James Collins, a Sergeant in the British
army, who participated in the battle of Waterloo.
Robert Lewen was a millwright and carpenter on
the Isle of Man. He was married in that country,
June 6, 1835, to Miss Isabella Kissick, who was
born May 12, 1811, in Kirk Maughold, Isle of Man.
They resided for about 20 years on the island, where
he followed his trade, and then they emigrated to
this country, arriving here June 1, 1856. Oncoming
to this country, Mr. Lewen followed his trade at
Galva, this county, until his death. He was a lib-
eral-minded man, and religiously was a member of
the Methodist Episcopal Church, as is likewise his
widow, who resides on the homestead with her son,
John. Robert Lewen and wife became the par-
ents of nine children, three of whom are yet living :
Robert, Jr., a resident of Ford County, this State,
where he is engaged in farming; John, the subject
of this sketch; and Isabella, the wife of John J.
Corkill. The other children were, Mrs. Jane Kneale,
who died in her 35th year; Thomas, in his 21st
year; Margaret and William, when three years old;
and William, Jr., and Catherine, who died in infancy.

~S-

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^iM.

oseph F. Cox, farmer and stock-raiser, re-
siding on section 20, Oxford Township, was
born in Port Byron, Rock Island County,
this State, Jan. 16, 1840. His parents were
John W. and Juliett (Williamson) Cox, na-
tives of Kentucky. (See sketch of the latter,
on another page.)

Joseph Cox remained at home until he became 21
years of age, when he enlisted in the war for the
Union, Sept. 3, i86r, in Co. M, Fourth 111. Cav. He
remained in the service for three years and a month,
participating in the following battles: Fort Henry,
Fort Donelson, Shiloh, Corinth, and many smaller
engagements. He was sick at the hospital in Keo-
kuk, Iowa, for a year. After returning home he im-
mediately engaged in farming. He purchased 80
acres of good land on section 1 6, Oxford Township,
and 80 acres on section 15, which land he put under
good cultivation and then sold. In 1875 he pur-

chased the land that he is now residing upon, being
160 acres; upon this he entered vigorously* and en-
ergetically on the task of improvement, and later
added to his original purchase by buying land in
Pawnee Co., Neb., where he has 320 acres of good
farming land.

Dec. 6, 1864, Mr. Joseph Cox chose for his wife
Miss Jane W. Sutton, a native of Cauada. Of their
union have been born six children, living, namely :
Wilhelmina G., Elmer S., Clinton C, Walter K.,
Daisy M. and Treva. Mr. C. in politics is a Re-
publican. Socially, he is a member of the Order of
Masons. He has been Supervisor, and is considered
one of the solid and reliable men of Oxford Town-
ship.

illiam G. Heaps. Here and there through-
out the county, one meets the gray-haired
pioneer. However, those who came to the
county and " took up " their claim upon- the
broad, unbroken prairie, or settled on some
point of timbered land, are fast passing away.
As another decade rolls by the number, though at
present small, will be still further diminished.

William G. Heaps, one of these gray-haired vet-
erans, was born on the 17th of December, 1810, in
Maryland. When a young man of 22 years, he mar-
ried Miss Hester Green, the wedding occurring Jan.
1 1, 1832. Mrs. Heaps was born in Pennsylvania in
1816, and ten years after their marriage she accom-
panied her husband to Illinois. They located near
Quincy, in Adams County, where they remained for
about six years, when they moved north and settled
on Rock River, in Rock Co., Wis. They remained
there, however, only two years, when they came into
Henry County, and located upon section 32, Anna-
wan Township, where they expected to spend the
remainder of their earthly life. Among the old pion-
eers he was well known, and always joined in aiding
every public enterprise. Though 75 years of age,
he is strong and rugged. He is temperate in every
respect, save in the use of tobacco. Though using
it since he was 1 2 years of age, it cannot be truly
said that he is intemperate with it. He is steady in
all his habits, and a devoted and faithful member of
his Church, and never so happy as when he meets

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with his brethren within its sacred walls. He is con-
nected with the United Brethren, and for the last 30
years has been a Class-leader. For over half a cen-
tury Mr. and Mrs. Heaps journeyed together in their
pilgrimage on earth, and it was not until April 12 of
this year (1885) that they were separated, by the
death of Mrs. H. They reared a respected and well
known family of children, of whom sketches are
given elsewhere in this volume. Politically, he is a
Democrat.

I homas E. Milchrist, an energetic and rep-
resentative citizen of Galva Township,
Henry Co., 111., is a son of John and Ann
Milchrist, having been born in Peel, Isle of
Man, April 12, 1841. Mr. John Milchrist, the
father, was a sailor and stone-mason, and em-
igrated to Illinois in 1848 with his family. They
loctated at Brimfield, Peoria Co., this State, where
he engaged in farming, remaining there until 1853.
In that year he removed to Valley Township, Stark
Co., where he followed the occupation of a farmer,
but later moved to Galva, and has been a resident
there since 1874. John Milchrist was born in 1804.
Ann Conly Milchrist, the mother, was born June 15,
1806. They have four children, — our subject, Mrs.
Catherine Kelley, Mrs. Margaret Speers, deceased,
and William, an attorney at Storm Lake, Iowa.

Mr. Thomas E. Milchrist, whose name heads this
notice, acquired his education by attendance at the
common schools, during the years 1861-2. Having
to assist in the maintenance of the family, he found
but little time to devote to study. Being desirous of
studying law, he began September, 1865, under the
instruction of John I. Bennett, now a Master in
Chancery of the Federal Court in Chicago, and was
admitted to the Bar April 2, 1867. He then hung
out his shingle in Galva, where he soon built up an
enviable reputation as a reliable lawyer. In the fall
of 1872 he was elected to the office of State's Attor-
ney, and was re-elected in 1876, 1880 and 1884,
filling the office with tact and ability. Mr. Milchrist
is also a member of the School Board.

He was married Oct. 29, 1867, the lady chosen
for his wife being Miss Lottie P. Ayres, daughter of
John A. Ayres, a pioneer of Henry Co., 111. She

was born in Andover, 111., Aug. 14, 1843, and is the
mother of four children, viz. : William A., born Dec.
7, 1868; Ella, born Sept. 21, 1870 ; Dora, born Sept.
28, 1878; and Frank, born Feb. 7, 1882.

Mr. Milchrist enlisted in the late war Aug. 12,
1 862, at Galva, in Co. G, 112th Regt. 111. Vol. Inf., the
regiment commanded by Colonel, afterward General,
Thomas J. Henderson. Mr. M. was commissioned
Second Lieutenant, Sept. 12, 1862, and was after-
ward promoted First Lieutenant, May 20, 1863,
taking effect March 31. Later he was promoted as
Captain, on the 29th of June, 1865, and was trans-
ferred to Co. F, of the 65 th 111. Vol. Vet. Inf. He
was in all the battles and engagements that his regi-
ment participated in, among which were the siege of
Knoxville, Tenn., Atlanta campaign, Franklin and
Nashville, and was then transferred to Fort Fisher,
N. C, and was with that army until the close of the
war. Mr. Milchrist received quite an injury in Au-
gust, 1864, by his horse falling on him, having been
shot while he was riding it. He was honorably dis-
charged July 13, 1865, having served his country
faithfully.

Mr. M. affiliates with the Republican party, and
socially is a member of the A. F. & A. M., Galva
Lodge, No. 243, Galesburg Commandery, K. T. and
the G. A. R. Mrs. Milchrist is a member of the
Baptist Church.

-13-

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(!)

enry Dewitt. Upon section 28 of Anna-
wan Township, the gentleman whose name
heads this biography, is engaged in general
farming. He was born in Durham, Greene
Co., N. Y., May 20, 1824, and in 1851 came to
Henry County and purchased 100 acres of land
in Kewanee Township. At that time there were but
little improvements made in the township, and Mr.
Dewitt became one of its pioneers. He built a log
house 12 x 16 feet in size upon his land, and began
its improvement. Here he lived until 187 1, when
he sold out the old farm, and bought the 240-acre
place in Annawan, where he now lives. Upon this
he has a good two- story dwelling 40 feet square, and
other good farm improvements. He is devoting his
attention to raising Short-horn cattle and has some
very fine Norman and Hambletonian horses. He
has one colt of the English Draft breed which is

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HENRY COUNTY.

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one year old (May, 1885), and weighs 1,300 pounds!
His hogs are of the Poland-China variety. The In-
dian trail leading from the Mississippi to Hennepin
crossed this farm and in places is now to be seen.

Elucus Dewitt, the father of our subject, was born
at Durham, N. Y.,in 1795, and lived until November,
1877. He was married in 1817, to Miss Mary Wil-
liams, a native of the Empire State, who was born in
1794. She is of Welsh descent and is still living.

Mr. Dewitt and Miss Sarah Ann Nelson were
joined in the holy bonds of matrimony, May 5, 1849.
She was born Oct. 18, 1831. She was the daughter
of James Nelson, who was born in New York
State in 1801, and died June 9, 1844. His wife was
Miss Elizabeth Kinney, a native of New Brunswick,
where she was born in 179s. Their marriage oc-
curred in 1882. The wife, after becoming the
mother of four children, died. Their names are
Israel, Lovina, Sarah Ann, the wife of our subject,
and William B. Of these, Sarah Ann is the only
survivor.

Mr. and Mrs. Dewitt's marriage occurred in Upper
Canada, where they lived but a short time after that
event. To them have been born six children,
namely: Harriet E., Feb. 22, 1851; Orin D., June
19, 1853; Elucus N., June 22, 1857; Lovina J.,
Sept. 15, i860; Ada B., Sept. 14, 1868, and Henry
S., Nov. 29, 1872.

-Hifep-4-

Albert P. Kemerling. At this compara-
tively early day in the history of this sec-

tion of Illinois, it is rarely that one meets
an active business man who was born here.
The biographical writers of this Album in their
travel through the country meet but few such.
Among this limited number, and one who is also to-
day a prominent farmer of Burns Township, is Mr.
Elbert P. Kemerling, of section 35. He was born in
Burns Township, Feb. i, 18^1. Here he was reared
and received a good common-school education, and
has thus far in life resided. His parents, Jacob and
Sarah (Albraight) Kemerling, were natives of Ohio,
and early in the history of this county became resi-
dents here. They had a family of nine children, of
whom Elbert was the youngest. They were : Levi
J., Barbara S., Sophronia, Ellen, Henry H., Prudence

H., Charlotte and Elbert P., besides one who died in
infancy. The elder Kemerling died Jan. 13, 1882;
he was born May 18, 1807. His wife was born July
9, 1807, and died Sept. 25, 1864.

Elbert was married in Lawrence Co., Pa., Oct. 3,
1878, to Elvira Deaa, who was a native of that
county, and who was born Sept. 17, 1852. William
J. is their only child. Mrs. K. is a member of the
Baptist Church, and Mr. K. affiliates with the Dem-
ocratic party.

eginald H. Hinman. This gentleman has
been foremost in the affairs of Osco Town-
ship for many years, even prior to the or-
ganization of the county under the township
law. His residence is located upon section
27, where he has a large and valuable farm.
His father, Willis Hinman, was a native-of Connect-
icut, where he met and married Olive Atwater, also
of the same State. In May, 1851, they came West,
and found a desirable location in Osco Township.
Here they lived and farmed until 1858, when they
moved into the village of Geneseo. Subsequently
they moved to Cambridge, where they now reside.
They are the parents of three children, — C. R., Regi-
nald H. and William W.

Reginald H. was born in Connecticut, Feb. 4,
1828. He received an ordinary education, and, his
father being a carpenter, he learned that trade, but
for the past 37 years has been engaged in agricul-
tural pursuits. In January, 185 1, we find him in
Henry County, preceding his parents. In 1854 he
settled on a quarter of a section of land entered by
his father in 185 1, being section 27 of Osco Town-
ship, where he now resides. Here he has erected
splendid farm buildings, and has 253 acres of till-
able land.

His first marriage occurred in Troy, Ohio, Oct. 9,
1852, Miss Elizabeth Miller being the lady who
joined him in the holy bonds of matrimony at this
time. She was the daughter of Christley and Han-
nah (Wright) Miller. She accompanied him to his
prairie home, and in Osco Township, on the 4th of
October, 1866, she died. She had become the
mother of three children, William Elliott, Frank M.
and Jennie M. Mr. Hinman was subsequently

Hj;>^ agg*:

HENRY COUNTY.

387 "

married to Mrs. Susan Corl, widow of Henry Corl,
and daughter of Thomas and Ann (Fraly) Combs.
Their wedding occurred in Osco Township, Oct. 18,
1867. Henry Corl was a member of the 112th 111.
Vol. Inf., and died while in the service of his coun-
try at Knoxville, Tenn., Nov. 18, 1864. Mrs. H.
was born in Germantown, Pa., May 2, 1832.

Mr. H. has occupied more than two ordinary
positions in the affairs of his township, and is re-
garded as a man of superior judgment and thor-
oughly honest in person. He has held the office of
Supervisor for several years, has been Collector, and
was the first man to fill that office after the organi-
zation of the township. He has also served as Jus-
tice of the Peace for many years, and also been
Chairman of the Board of Supervisors. He has
been Secretary of the Henry County Agricultural
Society for 13 years. In politics he is a Democrat,
is a member of the Masonic Order, and both himself
and wife are members of the Episcopal Church.

ornelius Hayes. This gentleman, who
resides at Annawan and who has retired
from the active labors of farm life, has
been for many years one of the extensive
and prosperous agriculturists of Henry
County. He was born in Tipperary, Ireland,
Aug. 1, 1832, and came to America when a young
man of 20 years of age. He located in New York,
where the following five years were spent at farm
labor, working by the month. He then came to
Springfield, 111., and for two years more worked in
the same way. In 1859 he came to Henry County,
and on the 4th of March the following spring, moved
here and purchased 80 acres of land on section 32,
of Alba Township. This he improved and brought
to a high state of cultivation. In 1869 he purchased
240 acres on sections 20 and 21. Two years later he
secured another 240-acre tract, and now owns 490
acres in Alba Township, and r6o acres on section 10
of Annawan Township. He also has a good dwell-
ing at Annawan, where he lives, which is large and
commodious, and well suited for a hotel. Besides
this property he has horses, cattle and hogs, valued
at $5,000.
The marriage of Mr. Hayes'and Miss Maggie J.

Smith was celebrated Dec. 1, 1872, the Rev. Father
Smith, of Geneseo, officiating. Mrs. Hayes was born
in County Antrim, Ireland, Feb. 24, 1850, and was
brought to America by her parents. Alice, who was
born April 22, 1883, is their only child.

Mr. Hayes has held almost all the township offices,
and is recognized as an excellent business man. He
has been Assessor of the Township 14 years, served
as Supervisor for six years, and Treasurer for eight
years. He has been Highway Commissioner for
nine years, and Director of his school district for
four years. He is now engaged in handling agricul-
tural implements in Annawan, among which is the
McCormick Harvester. Religiously, the family are
members of the Catholic Church.

* -«- *

homas Franklin McKane, editor of The
Standard, at Galva, was born at French
Grove, Peoria Co., 111., Oct. 15, 1855. The
McKane family is traced back to the Isle of
Man, where the parents of our subject were
born. They were Francis and Mary (Gawne)
McKane, and were by occupation farmers. They
came to America and located at Rochester, N. Y.,
where they were united in matrimony. Shortly after
their marriage they removed to Peoria Co., 111., where
they conducted a hotel, and finally, in 1856, they
came to Galva and settled on a farm near that city.
The elder McKane was engaged in the mining and
gardening business during the latter years of his life.
He died at Galva, Jan. 17, 1873, aged 56 years.
His wife, who survives him, is the mother of five
children now living, namely: Mrs. Jane Kissick, a
resident of Holt Co., Mo. ; Mrs. Anna Kermeen, of
Nemaha Co., Kan. ; Rufus H., of Galva; the subject
of this sketch and Mrs. Lillie Reed, of Galva.

Mr. McKane received a good common-school edu-
cation at the public schools of Galva, and at the age
of T4 years entered the office of the Galva Republi-
can. He remained in that office until it was removed
to Chicago, when he went to work in the Galva
Journal office, where he continued until after the
big fise. In 1873 he went with his employer, W. J.
Ward, to Wenona, Mich. At the latter place he re-
mained, following his trade most of the time, until
the spring of 1880, when he returned to his old home

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HENRY COUNTY.

at Galva. Here he worked in different printing of-
fices in the vicinity until in August, i88r, when, in
company with F. M. Riggen, he embarked in the
newspaper enterprise for himself. At that time they
started the Galva Standard, with which paper he
has since been connected, getting up a very credit-
able paper, to which Mr. McKane devotes all his
energies, giving it his undivided attention. He man-
ages the office, and also does the editorial work.

Mr. McKane is a public-spirited, enterprising
young man, and does much to advance the interests
of his town. At present he is filling the office of
Town Clerk, and Clerk of the Board of Highway
Commissioners.

-*»>*-

■ ohn T. Tineh. When the present line of
the Chicago, Burlington & Quincy Rail-
road was being projected and built from
Galesburg to Chicago many shrewd men from
the older settled portions of the country saw
the advantages offered by the section it passed
through and rapidly came in to improve them.
Among those who were thus attracted was John T.
Finch, who is now engaged in general agriculture on
section 34, of Burns Township. The first 14 years
of his life were passed in Hamilton County, Ohio,
where he had been born, on the 23d of July, 1828.
His parents removed to Clinton County, in the same
State, where he passed the following ten years, when
he came West, and in the springof 1852 we find him
making preparations to prepare for a home in Burns
Township. He possessed but little or nothing in
the way of wealth, but by his own exertions has been
quite successful, and is to-day the owner of a mag-
nificent tract of land consisting of 480 acres, all of
which is tillable and provided with fine farm build-
ings. He is looked upon as one of the prosperous,
well-to-do farmers of Henry County. He has taken
considerable interest in school matters, and has
served his district as Director.

The parents of Mr. Finch, William and Elizabeth
(Farris) Finch, were natives of Connecticut. In an
early day they removed to Ohio, and both died in
Clinton County. The number of their children were
1 1, of whom John T. was the youngest. Before leav-
ing for the West, Finch and Miss Caroline Schoon-

over were united in marriage in Washington Co.,
Ohio. The wedding occurred on New Year's Day
of 1852. Miss Schoonover was a daughter of Henry
and Eunice (Hopkins) Schoonover, and was born in
Washington Co., Ohio, Dec. 14, 1834. Her parents
were natives of New Jersey and Connecticut respect-
ively, and her father was killed while living in Wash-
ington County, on the 4th of March, 1842, being
thrown from a horse. Her mother still survives.

Mr. and Mrs. Finch have had born to them three
children, — Hattie, who was born Oct. 1, 1852;
Henry, Oct. 16, 1859; and Adolphus, Feb. 2, 1862.
Hattie was the wife of Henry F. King, and resided
in Fillmore Co., Neb., where she died Feb. 6, 1876.
She was the mother of two children— Walter and
Ralph. Henry C. and Adolphus reside in Burns
Township.

Mr. Finch has been School Director in his town-
ship, nnd politically affiliates with the Republican
party.

I |P§'1 [ braham Huffman, an enterprising and pro-

gressive farmer, residing on section 13,
^ Galva Township, Henry County, was born

April 13, 1820, in Green Co., Pa., and is the
son of George and Julia (Fry) Huffman, na-
tives of Pennsylvania and of German ances-
His parents' family consisted of 14 children,
only three of whom survive, namely: George, Mrs.
Mahala Wilson and our subject.

Our subject was reared on a farm, alternating his
labors thereon by attendance at the public schools
in the acquisition of an education. In 1865, after
the close of the war, he emigrated West, locating on
section n, Galva Township, and afterward removed,
purchasing 320 acres, which he is the owner of at
present and on which he resides. Mr. Huffman
commenced in the world without a dollar, and by his
good judgment, economy and perseverance, has ac-
cumulated a considerable amount of this world's
goods.

Mr. Abraham Huffman was married in Pennsyl-
vania, the lady of his choice being Miss Hannah
Bowen, daughter of Mason Bowen. Of their union
12 children have been born, ten of whom survived, —
George was married twice, his present wife being
Casa. Jane (Bowler), and they are the parents of four

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*<m®W>**9 — ^^-

HENR Y CO UNT Y.

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children, viz : Lucy, Ella, Maggie and Walter ;
Mason, who took for his better half Miss Nancy
Plants, of Pennsylvania, and whose home circle has
been bleesed with seven children, — George, Levi,
Seely, Abraham, Mary, Ollie and Minnie ; Julia Ann
married Rollin Bryan, a native of Iowa, and they
have eight children, — Abraham, George, Johnny,
Lizzie, Anna, Katie, Jimmy and Ross ; Dilla was
united in the bonds of matrimony with William
Bryan, and their family consists of n children,
namely: George A., David M., Celia, Abraham,
May, Minnie, Charly, Mason, Delia, Harry and Ef-
fje; Eliza is the widow of Zenith May, and is the
mother of three children, — Peter, Maggie and George
Zenith; Mary married Gharly White, of Stark Coun-
ty, and they have become the parents of a family of
five children, — Jane, Harvey, George, Hattie and an
infant girl ; Haley was united in marriage with
Robert Sprague, and the following are the names of
their children: Mary, Abraham, Nellie, Johnny,
Willie and George; and John, Willie and Frank are
unmarried.

Mrs. Huffman is a member of the United Brethren
Church, and Mr. H. is a supporter of the principles
advocated by the Democratic party.

*«fr

-!-

illiam W. Hinman, a successful farmer,
as well as one of the respected citizens of
Henry County, is a resident on section 27,
Osco Township, where he follows his chosen
vocation. The parents of Mr. Hinman,
Willis and Olive (Atwater) Hinman, were na-
tives of Connecticut. In 1838, they emigrated to
Miami Co., Ohio, where they resided until 1850,
when they came to this county. On arriving here
the father entered 360 acres of land in Osco Town-
ship. He located 6n this land and continued to re-
side thereon until 1858, when he removed to
Geneseo and retired from the active agricultural la-
bors of life. Previous to his removal to Geneseo, he
was severely kicked by a horse, which has since pre-
vented him from manual labor, and he has made his
home since that time in Geneseo and Cambridge.
He and his wife were the parents of eight children,
three of whom attained the age of maturity, namely:
Clara R., R. H. and William W. Clara became the

wife of Nelson Gaines, and died in Geneseo in Octo-
ber, 1877.

The gentleman whose name stands at the head of
this notice was born in Hartford Co., Conn., April
11, 1833, and was five years old when his parents
removed to Ohio, in which State his education was
acquired in the district schools. In 1849, Mr. Hin-
man went to Dayton, Ohio, to learn the harness-
maker's trade, but did not complete the same,
concluding to come to this county, where he arrived
in the spring of 1851. His first purchase of land in
this county consisted of 80 acres lying in Geneseo
Township, which he afterward exchanged with his
father for the farm on which he is at present resid-
ing in Osco Township. Mr. Hinman is at present
the owner of 200 acres of land in Osco Township,
all of which is in an advanced state of cultivation.
His farm is indicative of what energy and persever-
ance may accomplish in the improvement of land,
and his success in his chosen vocation of what econ-
omy and energetic effort may bring about.

Mr. Hinman was united in marriage in Andover
Township,' this county, Oct. 22, 1867, with Clara
Olmstead, daughter of Daniel and Almira Olmstead,
natives of New York. Her parents came to Henry
County about 1853, and settled in Andover Town-
ship, where her father died in 1866, and her mother
in Cambridge, this county, April 7, 1885. Mrs.
Hinman, wife of the subject of this notice, bore her
husband two children, — -.Daniel O. and Heber, the
latter of whom died in infancy. The wife and mother
departed this life, Dec. 9, 1870, in Osco Township,
and Mr. Hinman was again married, Feb. 21, 1872,
at Geneseo, to Miss Elizabeth, daughter of Eusebius
and Elizabeth (Pratt) Townsend, natives of Pennsyl-
vania, where her father died, April 18, 1863. The
mother still survives. Her parents' children were
nine in number, — Anna F., George B., Theo. E.,
Lacy D., Sarah E., Joseph, Elizabeth, William H.
and Robert D. Mrs. Hinman, wife of William W.,
of. this sketch, was born in Chester Co., Pa., March
6, 1842. She and her husband are the parents of
three children,— Willis T., E. Parker and Ralph B.

Mr. Hinman has held the office of Township As-
sessor and others of minor import. Religiously, he
and his wife are members of the Episcopal Church.
Socially, he is a member of the Order of Masonry,
and politically, he is a supporter of the principles ad-
vocated by the Democratic party. Aug. 9, 1862,

^A4>n mw$*<$ — ^^

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^aS'-T^i'-lik.

HENRY COUNTY.

Mr. Hinman enlisted in the 112th 111. Vol. Inf. and
served in defense of his country's honor until the
close of the war. After the close of the war and the
cause for which he fought was victorious, he returned
home, doffed his uniform, cast aside his accoutre-
ments of war and once more entered upon the peace-
ful duties of a farm life and has since continued to
reside on the old home farm on section 27, Osco
Township.

eorge D. Palmer, of the firm of Palmer &
Walker, dealers in groceries and provis-
ions, Galva, 111., was born July 6, 1854, in
Otsego Co., N. Y., near Schuyler's Lake.
The parents of Mr. Palmer, of this sketch,
were Dudley W. and Laura (Bard) Palmer,
natives of Otsego Co , N. Y., and of English extrac-
tion. A reunion of the Palmer family residing in
America was held at Long Island, in August, 1883,
and over 5,000 families were represented. Their
great-grandfather, Christopher Palmer, resided in
Connecticut, where he died at the advanced age of
103 years. He was a soldier in the War of the
Revolution. His son, Nathan S. Palmer, was born
in 1800; was a farmer by occupation, and died in
Galva, this County, Feb. 14, 1883, aged 83 years.
He came here from New York State in April, 1858,
and married Eliza Smith, daughter of Ezra Smith,
who died here in 1877, aged 77 years, having been
born in Connecticut in r8oo. One thing most re-
markable in the history of the Palmer family, from
which George D. is directly descended, is that all
four of his grandparents were born in the year 1800.
His grandmother bore her husband three children, —
Dudley W., Louisa E., and Christopher C. Of these,
Dudley was born in Otsego Co. N. Y. He was a
mechanic in early life, and later a farmer in this
county. He came here in April, 1858, where he fol-
lowed the occupation of farming for ten years and
until his death, which occurred in February, 1868,
while in his 42d year. He was married in New
York to Laura Bard, who was born there in 1830.
She is yet living, and resides in this county, and is
the daughter of Wilson and Lasina Bard, both of
whom were born in 1800, in New York. She bore I

her husband four children, — Louisa E., wife of A. G.
Bruce; George D., subject of this biographical notice;
William H. and Delia M.

George D., subject of this notice, came to this
county with his parents when he was but four years
old. His education was partly received in the dis-
trict schools of this country, but he finished his edu-
cation in the Galva High School. His years of
manual labor prior to majority were spent on the
farm. At the age of 26, in 1880, he became the
junior partner of the firm of Regnell & Palmer, en-
gaged in the grocery business, and has continued in
that business until the present time. In January,
1884, the name of the firm was changed to Palmer
& Walker, and the business is conducted under that
name at the present time. By honest and straight-
forward dealings with their fellow -men, and they are
meeting with success in their business.

Mr. Palmer was united in marriage Nov. 4, 1874,
with Miss May L. Walker, a daughter of Joseph A.
Walker. She was born Nov. 5, 1857, and has borne
her husband two children — Rena M., born July 6,
1879; and an infant unnamed, born June 30, 1884.
Mr. and Mrs. Palmer religiously are members of the
Baptist Church. Socially, Mr. Palmer is a member
of the I. O. O. F., Galva Lodge, No. 408, and Galva
Encampment, No. 174, and is also a member of the
Fire Company. Politically, he is identified with the
Republican party.

jj hilip Emmert, dealer in grain at Osco,
Osco Township, is a son of Andrew and
Margaret (Smith) Emmert, natives of Ger-
11 j many. They were married in the old country
jr and there resided until their emigration to the
United States, which took place in 1833. On
their arrival in this country they located in Bedford
Co., Pa., where the mother died March 10, 1855.
The father afterward sold his farm in Pennsylvania
and came to this county to live with his son, the
subject of this notice, and with whom he resided
until his death, which occurred Sept. 29, 1875. The
issue of their union was seven children, — Elenora
C, Philip, Caroline, John Valentine, Margaret, John
and Dorothy.

Philip Emmert, subject of this notice, was born in

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HENRY COUNTY.

39i

Germany, July 17, 1822. He came to the United
States with his parents in 1833. He received a fair
education in the common schools and continued to
reside under the parental roof-tree until he attained
his majority. On becoming his own man he en-
gaged in the occupation of farming on his own ac-
count, which vocation he followed from 1842 to
185 1. From 1851 to i860 he was engaged the
major portion of his time in carpenter's work. In
the fall of 185 r, Mr. Emmert came to this county,
accompanied by his wife and eight children, and lo-
cated in Osco Township, where he purchased 1 60
acres of land located on section 8, and on which he
resided until 1855, when he sold the same and
bought a farm of 200 acres on section 17 ; there he
lived until 1875, when he sold that also. Mr. Em-
mert has been a resident of Osco Township since
1851. After selling his farm in 1875, he removed
to the village of Osco, where he erected a fine resi-
dence and where until the present time he has been
engaged in buying grain, meeting with success in
that business.

Mr. Emmert was united in marriage, in Bedford
Co., Pa., Jan. 20, 1842, with Miss Margaret S. Weid-
lein, a native of Germany, in which country she was
born Jan. 22, 181 9. She was the daughter of John
and Sybilla Wiedlein, who had five children, namely :
John, John S., Margaret A., Nicholas and Lovina.
Mrs. Emmert, wife of the subject of this notice, was
about 22 years of age when she accompanied her
parents to the United States and located with them
in Pennsylvania, where she resided until her mar-
riage. She and her husband are the parents of ten
children, — Barbara, George S., Rebecca, John Philip,
Valentine W., Andrew J., William H., Margaret A.
and Charles F. Rebecca died Oct. 28, 1880, in her
38th year. She was the wife of Wm. E. Hill, a res-
ident of Iowa, but died at the residence of her par-
ents in Osco Township, this county. One child was
born of their union, named Philip. Barbara is the
wife of J. H. Conrad, and resides in Dodge City,
Kan. ; Margaret A. married Aaron Hill, a resident
of Herkimer, Marshall Co , Kan.

Mr. Emmert of this sketch has held the office of
Highway Commissioner, School Director and other
minor offices within the gift of the people of his
township. He and his wife are active, leading mem-
bers of the English Lutheran Church. Politically,

Mr. Emmert is an advocate of the tenets of the
Democratic party.

George S. Emmert, son of the subject of this no-
tice, enlisted in August, 1861, in the 37th 111. Vol.
Inf. At the battle of Prairie Grove, Ark., in Decem-
ber, 1862, he was wounded by a minie ball in the
leg, in consequence of which he was obliged to have
his leg amputated just above the knee. He resides
in Herkimer, Marshall Co., Kan., where he is en-
gaged in farming and stock-raising.

John P. Emmert enlisted in August, 1862, in the
37th 111. Vol. Inf., and served until the close of the
war, receiving no serious wounds, although he was
in many a hard-fought battle. He was 175^ years
old when he enlisted. His residence at present is
Kansas City, Mo., where he is engaged in stock
and commission business. Valentine W. Emmert
resides in St. Joseph, Mo., and is likewise en-
gaged in the stock and commission business ; An-
drew J. Emmert is a resident of Kearney, Mo.,
where he is engaged in farming and stock-raising;
William H. is a farmer, following his vocation in
Marshall Co., Iowa, where Philip also resides, en-
gaged in the same occupation ; Charles F. is a
farmer, residing in Jasper Co., Iowa.

— •&>-

enry Herman, senior member of the busi-
ness firm of Herman & Waterman, at Gen-
eseo, was born in Wurtemberg, Germany
Nov. 26, 1831. His parents were Philip and
Carrie (Neuberger) Herman. Mr. Herman
came to the United States in the same year in
which he attained his majority. He went to the
State of Kentucky, and made his home there until
1857, when he came to Geneseo, and formed a part-
nership with Mr. Waterman in the sale of clothing
and the lines of merchandise common to a gentle-
men's furnishing store.

Theirs is the oldest establishment of the kind in
the county. Mr. Herman is also one of the found
ers of the Farmers' National Bank. Messrs. Her-
man & Waterman are the owners of two-thirds of the
Geneseo Brewery, and Mr. Herman is the secretary
of the stock company who are its owners. He has
occupied the position since its incorporation. In his

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political relations Mr. Herman is a Democrat.

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HENRY COUNTY.

He was married in Cincinnati, Ohio, Dec. 23,
1863, to Addie Hirschland, and they have had four
children. Samuel was born Dec. 4, 1864; Carrie
was born Feb. 12, 1865 ; Sadie died in infancy ; Felix
was born Sept. 4, 1874. Mrs. Herman was born in
Nassau, Germany, and is the daughter of Samuel
Hirschland. The family are adherents of the Jew-
ish faith.

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and.

obert Looney, deceased, formerly residing
on section 36, Galva Township, where he
followed the vocation of farming, was born
in Kirk Maughold, Isle of Man, Nov. 10,
1833, and is a son of Robert and Isabella
(Lewen) Looney, who both died on the isl-
Robert Looney was educated on his native
island, and at the age of 17 years he emigrated to
the land of greater possibilities, and soon after land-
ing at an Eastern seaport he came to Brimfield,
Peoria County, this State, where some people from
his native isle had preceded him and were residing.
He worked at his trade in Peoria County, which was
that of a carpenter and which he had learned in his
native country, for a time, and after four years spent
in this country he returned to his native isle. There
he married his old sweet-heart, school and play
mate, Eleanor Corkill, who was born there Nov. 8,
1835. She is the daughter of William and Isabella
(Jochan) Corkill, natives of that country. Her
father was a banker there and from one of the older
families. Ten children were born to her parents,
who all reached the age of maturity, but Mrs. Looney
was the only one who emigrated to this country.

Mr. Looney came again to America, with his
bride, in the spring of 1855, and went directly to
Brimfield, Peoria County. He remained there only
two weeks, and then came to Galva Township, this
county, and located on section 36, where he had
previously purchased 40 acres of land and had par-
tially improved the same. Subsequently, by ener-
getic effort and economy, he succeeded in acquiring
a sufficiency to purchase 140 acres additional, which
he did, and at the time of his death was the pro-
prietor of 180 acres. He was a great worker and a
good manager, and his success is attributable to his

own indomitable energy. He attended the Method-
ist Episcopal Church.

On coming to this country, Mr. Looney was poor
in purse but rich in will power and ambition, and
his life from the time he first located in Peoria
County until the time of his death was one of con-
tinual activity and labor. He died here, Jan. 22,
1874. His children were eight in number, namely:
Mrs. Alice Nichols, Mrs. Isabella Meikel, Hattie,
Robert H, Frederick, Fannie, Lizzie and Florence,
and two children who died in infancy.

Mrs. Looney, since the death of her husband, has
managed the farm with good judgment and success,
and has added to the same 40 acres by a subsequent
purchase, until at present the place consists of 220
acres. She is a lady of considerable business tact,
combined with good judgment, and is meeting .with
success in a financial point of view. Religiously,
she attends the Methodist Episcopal Church.

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illiam Poppy. Among the many sturdy
young men who came into Henry County
in an early day was William Poppy, who

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!' to-day is a well known farmer residing on
section 7 of Weller Township. He is a na-
tive of Prussia, and was born near Hanover,
Jan. 6, 1834. When a young man, in 1847, he ac-
companied his parents to America, landing at New
Orleans. They made their way northward, and in
June of the following year made a location in Henry
County. Here William resided until 187 r, when he
removed to Jo Daviess Co., 111. He seemingly was
not favorably impressed with the advantages offered
there, for at the end of six years we find him on his
way back to Henry County. He then located on a
farm in Weller Township, where he owns a small
farm, and in Clover Township he also owns 120
acres of land. Politically, he is united with the
Democratic party.

Jan. 28, 1862, there occurred a wedding in An-
dover Township, this county, in which William
Poppy and Sophia Neumann were the conspicuous
parties. The children who have been born of this
union number four and bear the following names : ^
Garhard, Franklin, Lena and Rosa. Franklin is
deceased.

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HENRY COUNTY.

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393

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eter Hanna, liveryman at Geneseo, came
to Illinois and to Geneseo in 1852. He

Jj£«T'J?J was born in Guernsey Co., Ohio, Aug. 8,
SiJj ^32- His parents, Andrew and Ann (Smith)
•fli. Hanna, were members of the agricultural
class, and he was brought up on a farm, re-
ceiving the education and training common in the
experience of the sons of farmers. He determined
on following another mode of life from that pursued
by his father, and when he was 2 2 he came to Gen-
eseo and began to deal in horses. In the spring of
1881 he embarked in the business in which he is
now interested. He conducts all the lines of traffic
common to the business in which he is interested,
and also runs the mail routes between Geneseo and
Cambridge in Henry County and Prophetstown in
Whiteside County. His hacks traverse the routes
daily, and facilities for the transportation of travelers
are also provided.

In political principle Mr. Hanna is now a Repub-
lican. ' He was formerly a Democrat.

June 29, 1855, he was married, in Phenix Town-
ship, to Mary J. Cherry. She was born in Licking
Co., Ohio, and is the daughter of James Cherry.
They have two children, who are named Eva and
Etta. Mr. Hanna and his wife are members of the
Methodist Episcopal Church.

iram Crossley, the proprietor of 1 20 acres
of land in Osco Township, and one of its
*** successful farmers, resides upon section 16,
where he follows his chosen vocation. The
parents of Mr. Crossley were John B. and
Elizabeth (Goldtrap) Crossley, and were na-
tives of Ohio, where they were married and resided,
his father following the occupation of a farmer. In
1850 the parents came to Bureau County, this State,
where they resided four years, and then removed to
and settled in Atkinson Township, this county, and
continued to reside in the same until 1866. During
that year they returned to Clermont Co., Ohio, where
they are still living. Their children were six in

number, of whom Hiram was the fourth in order of
birth.

Mr. Crossley, of whom we write, was born in Cler-
mont Co., Ohio, Nov. 4, r836. His education was
acquired in the common schools of his native
county, and his years prior to attaining his majority
were passed on the home farm assisting his father in
the labor thereon. In September, 1862, Mr. Cross-
ley enlisted in the 112th III. Vol. Inf., and served in
defense of his country's flag until March, 1863,
when he was- discharged on account of disability.
Receiving his discharge, he returned to this county
and continued to reside here until 1864, when he
again enlisted in the 7 2d 111. Vol. Inf., known as
the Board of Trade Regiment. He served until Oc-
tober, 1865, when, the war having closed, and the
soldiers on both sides having doffed their uniforms,
laid aside their accoutrements of war, and returned
to their peaceful vocations of life, he came home.
Mr. C. met with a serious accident in Kentucky prior
to his leaving the field of battle. .Jan 1, 1863, he
was run over by a forage wagon, which was the
cause of his receiving his discharge formerly re-
ferred to.

On returning from the war, Mr. Crossley again
settled in Osco Township, and purchased 80 acres
of land on section 1 6. He erected good buildings
on his farm, and entered vigorously and energeti-
cally upon the task of its improvement. He has
since added to his original purchase, and at present
is the proprietor of 120 acres of land in an advanced
state of cultivation.

The marriage of Mr. Crossley to Sarah F. Ham-
ilton was solemnized in Osco Township, Feb. 13,
1867. She was a daughter of Levi and Mary
(Walker) Hamilton, natives of New York and Massa-
chusetts respectively. Her parents were married
and resided in Massachusetts for a time, and in 1856
came to this county, locating in Osco Township,
where her mother died April 7, 1876. Her father
still survives, and is a resident of Osco Township.
Mrs. Crossley was third in order of birth of a family
of ten children, six of whom lived to attain the age
of majority, namely : Sarah F., William O., Mary
A., Emma W., Henry W. and Lucy J. Mrs. Cross-
ley was born in Brookfield, Worcester Co., Mass.,
March it, 1839, and has borne her husband two
children, — Hattie E. and Harry T.

Mr. Crossley has held the office of Township Col-

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394

HENRY COUNTY.

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lector, School Director, and Overseer of Highways in
his township. He and his wife are members of the
Methodist Episcopal Church. In politics, Mr.
Crossley always casts his vote with the Democratic
party.

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ohn N. Morgan, one of the self-made men
of Henry County, and an extensive farmer
and stock-raiser, residing on section 15,
Galva Township, is at present representing the
township in the Board of Supervisors. He was
born at Charidon, Geauga Co., Ohio, July 5,
1830, a descendant from English and Welsh ancestry.
His grandfather was one of several brothers who
settled in New England at an early day. His father,
Gideon Morgan, was born in Massachusetts in 1788.
He came West in an early day and in 1845 died in
Exeter, Scott Co., 111. He was twice married, hav-
ing one child by the first marriage, Seymore Morgan,
who died on the Mississippi River on his way home
from New Orleans. When a young man, Gideon
served in the war of 18 12 and afterward settled in
Geauga County, where for a time he worked at the
shoemaker's trade. In 1837, he came to Morgan
County, this State, and for a time lived at Jackson-
ville, and subsequently in a small village near that
city. He finally removed to Scott Co., 111., where he
died. He married Ruth Norris, who was born in
Tolland, Conn., Jan. 24, 1790. She died at Farm-
ington, 111., June 12, 1851. She was the mother of
five children, — Ann E., Julianna, Hope, Helen and
John N., the subject of the present sketch.

John N. had very limited school advantages, at-
tending only the old-fashioned subscription school.
Here he received a fair rudimentary education, upon
which he has built what is termed a good practical
business education. He was reared upon a farm
and spent much of his younger days in working out
as a farmer. He was brought to Illinois when only
eight years of age and passed the years of his child-
hood and youth in Scott and Peoria Counties. When
a young man of 20 years of age he came into Mar-
shall County, where, near the village of Henry, he
farmed until the spring of 1852. We next find him
among the mountains in the northern part of Cali-
fornia, where he had gone in search of gold. For
three years he worked hard as a miner in the placer

mines near Placerville, and among the Klamath In-
dians, who at the time were quite hostile. His min-
ing operations were quite successful, and fortunately
he left in due season for the States. The year fol-
lowing his departure all the settlers in that locality
were either driven off by the Indians or killed. He
came home via Panama in the spring of 1855, and
after reaching Illinois and on looking for a desirable
location, he selected one in Henry County. In the
autumn of 1856, we find him locating in Burns Town-
ship, where he had purchased 160 acres of land.
He subsequently traded this for land in Galva Town-
ship, where all of his real estate is now located, hav-
ing 560 acres of good land. 4 He has proven himself
to be a successful farmer and stock-raiser, and has
won the respect and esteem of the people of the town-
ship. He has held the various offices of his township,
and for the last 13 years has served it as Supervisor.
He is at present one of the Directors of the Kewanee
Mutual Insurance Company. Politically, he is a
thorough Republican, although he took an active
part in the late " farmers' movement." He is a
member of the Methodist Episcopal Church.

Mr. Morgan was married, May 9, 1853, in Galva, to
Miss Mary McKinney, daughter of John and Ann
Currant) McKinney, both natives of New Jersey. The
record of their eight children is as follows: Blanche J.,
born Nov. 18, 1864; Fannie E., Aug. 18, 1866; Nor-
ris E., Dec. 28, 1869; Jennie B., Nov. 3, 187 1; Lo-
renzo S., Aug. 15, 1875 ; John W., Dec. 6, 1877, and
Harold L., deceased, an infant.

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"ohn L. Piatt. The late John L. Piatt was
for many years one of the leading spirits,
*""* not only in Weller Township, but also was
well known and highly respected throughout
the county. His native place was in Butler
Co., Ohio; and the date of his birth, Dec.
9, 1809. Here he was educated, and lived until 24
years of age, when he came West, and stopped in
Indiana for about two years. In 1839 he came on
to Knox Co., 111. He stopped one year there, and
then pushed on northward into Henry County, and
made a settlement in Weller Township, where he
soon became largely identified with its interests, and
until the day of his death, which occurred in 1881,

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HENRY COUNTY.

395

where he was recognized as the leading citizen of the
township. His influence was not confined to Weller
Township, but it extended throughout Henry County,
as well as into Knox. He was the owner of large
tracts of land, and for about 18 years represented
the township in the Board of Supervisors. Prior to
the county being organized under the Township
Organization Act, he served as one of the Associate
Justices of the county. In political sentiments he
was generally independent. Both he and his wife
are members of the Christian Church.

In 1834, while living in Indiana, Mr. Piatt was
first married. Hannah Hileman, who was a native
of that State, was the lady he led to the altar, and
three children — Wycoff, Esther and Jacob — were
born of this marriage ; Esther is the wife of William
Price, and all reside in Madison Co., Iowa. Mrs.
Piatt died at her home in Weller Township, March,
1842. Mr. Piatt was subsequently married in 1844,
in Knox County, to Martha McMurtry, a member
of one of the prominent pioneer families of Knox
County. She was born in Crawford Co., Ind., Jan.
n, 1823. The record of the four children born of
this union range as follows : Ellen, the eldest, is the
wife of Joseph Fezler, a resident of Rock Island ;
James resides in Colorado* Catherine is the wife of
Anson W. Bruner; John T. is a prominent farmer of
Weller Township, and a sketch of him is given else-
where in this book. Mrs. Piatt makes her home
with him.

pel Wells, deceased, was a pioneer of West

f Illinois. He was born Aug. 1, 1775, at

Deerfield, Mass, and was reared to man-

hood in his native State, where he was married
1[T May 8, 1797, to Mary Edwards. Her father,
\ Calvin Edwards, was a lineal descendant of
Jonathan Edwards, of historic fame. The daughter
was born at Deerfield, Mass., Feb. 9, 1878. Not
long after their marriage Mr. Wells removed with
his wife to Windham Co., Vt, and they were among
the pioneer settlers of the Green Mountain State.
A few years later they went to Buffalo, and were
residents there at the time of the burning of that
city during the progress of the second war with Great
Britain. They suffered the common loss of home

and household fixtures, and went from the ruined
village, as it was then, to Cincinnati, Ohio. In 1818"
they came thence to Illinois, and located at Shawnee-
town, Gallatin Co. In the same year the State was
admitted into the Union. They were there resident
until 1827, when they made another transfer of their
relations, to Galena. They crossed the Illinois River
at the point where the city of Peoria now stands,
and where then (1827) stood a solitary log cabin.
The party was taken across Rock River at the point
where the city of Dixon is now located by an Indian
ferryman. Their stay in Galena lasted but a year,
and in 1828 they came to Moline. They were the
first family to locate there permanently. Mr. Wells
died there, Sept. 3, 1838. His wife died Dec. 4,
1847. Four sons and three daughters were living
when the family settled in Moline.

.ndrew Calhoun, residing on section 5,
Galva Township, was born May 1, 1824,
near Lisford, County Donegal, Ireland, is
of Scotch extraction, and a son of Robert and
Mary (Galbraigth) Calhoun. His mother
died in Ireland, and his father emigrated to
the United States, locating in Galva, this county,
where he died, aged 76 years, leaving a family of
four children, three sons and one daughter.

Andrew Calhoun was married in Bellendrait
Church, Ireland, May 3, 1848, to Miss Mary Gal-
braith, born near Londonderry, Ireland, Feb. 13,
1826. She was a daughter of Hugh and Susan
(Weir) Galbraith, who were prominent people in that
country, and of Scotch extraction, their great-grand-
parents having come from Scotland. Mrs. Calhoun
had three brothers and five sisters, of whom two of
the former and three of the latter are now living.
The Calhoun and Galbraith families were Protest-
ants, being members of the Presbyterian Church of
Scotland. Three weeks after their marriage, Mr.
and Mrs. Calhoun sailed for the United States. After
a journey of 45 days on the ocean, they landed at
Philadelphia, where they lived for nine years, he
working at the business of draying, and having a
considerable number of men employed. He came
West in March, 1857, and settled in Galva Town-
ship, this county, first near Toulon, Stark County,

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HEJSIR Y CO UNT Y.

and in 1864 purchasing 160 acres of land on section
5, Galva Township, where he at present resides. He
is at present the proprietor of 400 acres of land,
which he has succeeded in obtaining by his own in-
domitable energy, economy and good judgment, and
the major portion of which is in an advanced state
of cultivation. In 1885, in company with his daugh-
ter, Prudence, Mr. Calhoun went to the old country.
He arrived in Ireland in June, of this year, visited
his relatives and the old landmarks which he re-
membered in the days gone by, and, after passing a
very pleasant vacation, again returned home to this
country, arriving here in the latter part of August of
the same year.

The children ofMr. and Mrs. Calhoun are as fol-
lows : Mary A., Margaret J., wife of Thomas W.
Patterson; Andrew G., Prudence, Rebecca, wife of
James A. Ayers ; Hugh A., William J., deceased;
Susan E., William W., Henry C. and Frederick C.
Mrs. Calhoun, together with her daughters, Mary A.,
Susan E. and Prudence, are members of the Meth-
odist Episcopal Church. Mr. Calhoun, politically,
votes with the Greenback party. He has filled the
minor township offices, and has held that of Road
Commissioner for seven years.

*OCX>^

ohn Taylor, one of the energetic and pro-
gressive farmers as well as respected and
prominent citizens of Henry County, resid-
ing on section 23, Burns Township, was born
^ in Venango Co., Pa., Oct. 28, 1835. Mr. Tay-
lor received a common-school education in the
district schools of his native county and also at-
tended the academy at Utica, his native State, one
term, and likewise passed three terms at the Hills-
dale Academy.

He resided on the parental homestead, assisting
his father on the farm, until he attained the age of
2 1 years, when he engaged to learn the carpenter's
trade. He mastered that trade under the instruc-
tion of his father, and after attaining his majority fol-
lowed the same for several years. In the summer of
1857, Mr. Taylor went to Omaha, Neb., where he
spent that season and again returned to his home in
Pennsylvania. In 1859 he came to this State and
was engaged in teaching school in Warren County
one winter. He also taught school during winters

from 1856 to t86i. We next find him in Venango
Co., Pa., again, in the spring of 1861, where he re-
mained until 1866, when he came to this county and
located in Burns Township, and here he has con-
tinued to reside until the present time. He is the
proprietor of 320 acres of good farm land, and has
erected a nice residence thereon. In addition to his
landed interests in this county, Mr. Taylor is the
owner of 640 acres in Lancaster Co., Neb.

The marriage of Mr. Taylor occurred in Venango
Co., Pa., Sept. 14, 1859, and the lady selected for
his life partner was Miss Levina Deets, a native of
that county, where she was born Dec. n, 1838. The
issue of their union has been five children, — Alanson
O., Robert E , Eldin E., Vadie and Neva. Mr. Tay-
lor has held the office of Supervisor of his township
three terms, also of Township Clerk, and several
school offices. He and his wife are both members
of the Free-Will Baptist Church. Politically, he is
a believer in and a supporter of the principles advo-
cated bp the Republican party.

The parents of Mr. Taylor were David and Sarah
(Foster) Taylor, natives of Pennsylvania, where they
resided until their death. The parents of Mrs. Tay-
lor were Joseph and Sarah (Cousins) Deets, natives
of the same State and residents therein until the
time of their death. Alanson O. Taylor is a gradu-
ate of the State University of Lincoln, Neb., where
he resides and is engaged in farming and teaching.
He was married in Burns Township, this county,
Sept. 4, 1883, to Josie Porter, a daughter of William
Porter, of Atkinson Township, and they have one
child. Robert E. Taylor is a graduate of Hillsdale
College, Michigan.

When Mr. Taylor left home, the residence of his
parents in Pennsylvania, he proposed attending
school at Hillsdale College, Michigan, and did at-
tend that institution for one term. He then went to
Omaha, Neb., where he was taken sick with typhoid
fever, and his illness was protracted for six weeks.
At that time he was the possessor of only $7 in
money and a thousand miles from home. As soon
as he recovered he began to work at his trade, and
saved sufficient to take deck passage to St. Louis.
At that place he sold his watch, which enabled him
to obtain means to get to Illinois. On his return he
worked about six months at his trade, thereby pro-
curing means to enable him to return to Pennsylvania,
where, after arriving, on account of poor health and

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his limited means, he was compelled to abandon his
hopes of passing the entire curriculum of college.
During 1858-9, he worked his father's farm; and in
the summer of the latter year a heavy frost came in
the locality where he was engaged in agriculture, in-
juring his crops, and he turned over all he had raised
to his father to pay expenses.

Mr. Taylor has made his own way in the world.
In fact he is a self-made man, and is regarded as
one of the enterprising and prosperous farmers of
Henry County. He has a pleasant home, surrounded
by a good acreage of well improved land, and his ac-
cumulations of this world's goods is attributable to
his own indomitable energy, perseverance and good
judgment, combined with the active co-operation of
his good help-meet.

;ilas Crouch, one qf the prosperous and en-
ergetic farmers of Heryy County, residing
on section 16, Osco Township, is a son of
John and Margaret (Daly) Crouch, natives of
New York and Pennsylvania respectively.
Their family consisted of eight children —
Nancy A., Lovilla, Maria, Amanda, Silas, John, Fred
and Aaron.

Silas, our subject, was born in Crawford Co.,
Pa., Aug. 7, 1834, and continued to remain in the
State of his nativity until the year i860, when he
learned the cooper's trade and came to Henry
County, and for one year lived in Cambridge, en-
gaged in carpentering. He then worked a farm on
shares for his uncle about a year, and continued to
rent land until 1867, when he purchased 80 acres on
section 24. He has since increased his landed
interests until he has now in his possession 420
acres of good farming land, all tillable. When
he came to Henry County, Mr. Crouch had nothing
but his own resources to depend upon, and he is, at
the present writing, one of the most successful farm-
ers of Henry County.

Mr. Crouch was united in marriage in Cambridge,
Aug. 10, 1861, the lady being Mary Carothers,
daughter of James and Rachel (Skyhonk) Carothers,
who are both natives of Ohio. She was their only
child, born in Scott Co., Ohio, Feb. 26, 1841. Mr.
and Mrs. Crouch were the parents of n children,
nine of whom are living, as follows : Lovilla J.,

Frank, John, James, Benjamin, Lester, Frederick,
George and Ella. Two died in infancy. Mr. Crouch
has been honored by the position of School Director
in his township, and in politics he is identified with
the Republicans.

V©

illiam Weimer, a pioneer of Henry Coun-
ty of 1853, was born May 29, 1837, in
Westmoreland Co., Pa. He is the son of
Jonathan and Susan (Burger) Weimer, and
his parents were both natives of the same
State, and were of German extraction. They
removed in 1850 to Jefferson County, in the same
State, and the family were there resident until 1853,
when another removal was made to Henry County.
Soon after the father was afflicted with rheumatism
of a serious nature, which precluded his laboring any
more. He died Nov. 2-6, 1871. The mother sur-
vives and lives with her son.

The family included nine children, of whom five
are still living. Joseph is a resident in the township
of Phenix; Mary married William Ellingworth, and
they are living in Geneseo; that place is also the
home of William, Samuel and Israel. When the
family first came to the county they located in the
township of Colona. After a residence of three years
they went to Hanna Township.

Mr. Weimer commenced his career in the county
as a farm laborer. For his first work he received a
compensation of $14 a month, and as he grew
familiar with the ways and customs and the value of
his services increased, his wages swelled in propor-
tion. About the year 1863 he rented some land in
the township of Atkinson, and later he was similarly
situated in the township of Loraine. In 1865 he
made his first purchase of land by buying 160 acres
in the township of Geneseo, situated on section 2.
The tract was then in its original condition, and had
never had a furrow turned on its acres. The quality
of the prosperity of the owner may be inferred from
the fact that he is now the proprietor of 705 acres.
The place is stocked and fitted with farm fixtures of
a character in keeping with the dimensions.

Mr. Weimer was married Oct. 30, 1862, to Susan-
nah Heller. She died June 13, 1880, leaving seven
children. They are named: Emma C, Albert W.,

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HENRY COUNTY.

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Minnie C, Edith M., Frankie R., Bertha C. and
Susie L. The mother was the daughter of David
Heller, one of the earliest of" the pioneer settlers of
the township of Loraine. She was 36 years and two
months old at the time of her death. Mr. Weimer
contracted a second marriage with Paulina A. Stenzel,
in October, 1880. She was born in Germany. The
children of the second marriage are Jessie H. and
Nellie A.

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Bjenry Poppy, farmer on section 6, Weller
mt^ Township, was born near Hanover, Prus-
sia, Feb. 5, 1831. Here he lived until
about 1 6 years of age, when his parents decided
to emigrate to America. He accompanied them,
and in the spring of 1848 we find them prepar-
ing a home in Weller Township, this county. Here
Henry Poppy has become one of the substantial and
influential men of the community. He has an ex-
cellent farm of 240 acres of land, provided with good
farm buildings and well equipped. Six years of this
time he lived at Galva, where he was engaged in
gardening.

On the 30th of June, 1858, Mr. Poppy and Lis-
settie Neuman were joined in the holy bonds of mat-
rimony. » Mrs. P. was also a native of Prussia, and
was born near Berlin. Six children she bore to her
husband before her death, which occurred April 15,
1883. The names of the children are: Henry B.,
Volly J., Lucy E., Herman G., Julia C. and Clar-
ence B. Henry, Lucy and Clarence are dead.

Mr. P. has been given positions of trust and re-
sponsibility by the people. He is a member of the
German Lutheran Church, and in politics is identi-
fied with the Democratic party.

ohn T. Piatt, one of the leading agricul-
'£ turists of Weller Township, and at present
its Supervisor, resides on section 7. He
is also a native of the township, having been
born here May 9, 1848. Here he was reared
and educated, with the exception of two years
spent in Abingdon College, at Abingdon, 111., and
has long since become one of the influential and
representative men of the township. His father,

John L. Piatt, of whom a sketch is also given in this
Album, was one of the early and most highly re-
spected pioneers of Henry County. John T. owns
a fine farm of 480 acres, 400 of which is tillable.

Our subject was married in Knox Co., 111., Oct. 4,
r874, to Irena Keeler, who was a native of that
county, having been born just 18 years prior to the
day of her wedding. Her parents were Vincent and
Elizabeth (Firkins) Keeler, natives of New York and
Illinois respectively. Of their eight children, Irena
was the second. Don V. and Roy L. are the names
of their two children.

As above stated, Mr. Piatt has been prominent in
the affairs of his township and has represented it in
the Board of Supervisors. He is a member of the
Masonic Order, and in politics is independent. Mrs.
P. is connected with the Congregational Church.

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rs. Jane McKibbons, the widow of Rob-
ert McKibbons, who is engaged in the
management of her estate on section 5 in
the township of Atkinson, was born in 1828
in Ayrshire, Scotland. Her father, William Mc-
Clave, was born in the Highlands of Scotland,
and he died in Scotland in 1865. The mother of
Mrs. McKibbons is still living, and is 98.

The daughter was married to Mr. McKibbons,
Sept. 14, 1846, in the town of Derry, in Scotland.
He was a native of Lanarkshire, Scotland, and was
born in 1827. In his native country he was a coal
miner by vocation, and operated in that .line of busi-
ness aoout 25 years. In 1851 they emigrated to the
United States. After landing at the port of New
York, they went thence to the summit of the Alle-
ghany Mountains, where the husband was similarly
occupied in coal mining.

They were there resident until their removal to
Illinois, in 1856. They made their first location at
Carbon Cliff, in the county of Rock Island, where
they remained but two months. They went thence
to Minersville, in the same county, and there Mr.
McKibbons operated as a miner two years. Then
they went to Mineral Creek, and lived there about
three years, after which lapse of time they returned
to Minersville and continued to live there two years.
In 1865 they settled in the township of Atkinson.

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Mr. McKibbons at first bought 40 acres of land, and
by later purchase increased his property to 160 acres,
on which his family are still resident. He died on
his homestead in August, 1873. He was a Catholic
in religious principle-, and in politics a Demociat, as
are his sons.

Mrs. McKibbons has borne 1 1 children : Mary
was born Jnly 5, 1847 ; Henry, Jan. 24, 1849; Mar-
garet, Nov. 9, 185 1 ; Robert, May 2, 1854; William
A., April n, 1856; Robert A. (second), March 2,
1858; Sophia, Nov. 22, i860; Sarah, May 7, 1863;
Anne E., April 17, 1864; John, Nov. 30, 1867 ; Jen-
nie, Dec. 9, 1870. The death of the first Robert oc-
curred in the year in which he was born. Sophia
died May 9, 1885. Sarah died in infancy. Mrs.
McKibbons is giving considerable attention to the
improvement of the stock on the place, and shows
some fine samples of Durham cattle and Clydesdale
and Norman horses. She was in her youth a Pres-
byterian in her religious connection.

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E. Stoneberg, residing on section 2, Wel-
fc ler Township, where he follows the occu-
pation of a farmer, is a native of Sweden,
having been born in that country, Oct. 31,
IT 1835. In 1846, realizing that better induce-
ments were offered in the United States for the
accumulation of a competency, or at least to procure
a home for himself and family, he concluded to
emigrate here. Accordingly, the same year he set
sail for this, the land of greatest promise, and ar-
rived in this county in 1847, settling with the Swedish
Colony at Bishop Hill.

In 1857, Mr. Stoneberg left the Colony at Bishop
Hill and worked out on a farm by the month for a
short time. In 1859 he went to Missouri and was
there employed by the Hannibal & St. Jo Railroad
for something over two years, and in 186 1 again re-
turned to Bishop Hill and has continued to reside in
the county since that date. Mr. Stoneberg, by good
judgment, energetic effort, perseverance, and assisted
by his good helpmeet, succeeded in securing a suffi-
ciency to enable him to become the proprietor of 440
acres of land in this county, the major portion of
which is tillable. He has erected a good resi-
dence on his farm, together with barn and neces-

sary outbuildings, and his place presents the appear-
ance of a well-to-do farmer, whose accumulations are
the outgrowth of his own laborious toil and energy.

Dec. 22, 1864, Mr. Stoneberg formed a matrimo-
nial alliance, in Knoxville, this State, with Miss
Eleanor Swanson, who was born Sept. 3, 1834, a
native of Sweden. Of their union six children have
been born, — Emma M., Mary A., Carrie H. and
Charles E. Amanda J. and John F. are deceased.

Mr. Stoneberg has held the office of School Di-
rector and Overseer of Highways, and in his political
views is independent. His parents, John and Betsey
Stoneberg, reside on the farm with their son, the
subject of this notice.

zri Hellyer, a farmer on section 2, Geneseo
Township, was born in Bucks Co., Pa., Jan.
7, 1817. He has lived in the county since
1865. John and Annie (Jones) Hellyer, his
parents, were both of Pennsylvania origin. In
T823 they moved with their family to Columbi-
ana Co., Ohio. There their children grew to ma-
turity, and the sons were trained in a complete
knowledge of agriculture. In 1836 another transfer
of the household was made, to Canada. A location
was made in the part known as the Wellington Dis-
trict. Mr. Hellyer remained there two years before
he married Elizabeth Clemens: She was born in the
Dominion, and their union in marriage took place
Jan. 9, 1838. After that event Mr. Hellyer bought
a tract of timber on which he" made a clearing and
built a log house. This was their home until two
years later. In 1840 the husband bought a house in
the village of New Hope, now known as Estelle. He
sold his farm and engaged in teaming in the village,
to which the family removed. They remained there
until 1851, when they came to Illinois and located
in Whiteside County, where Mr. Hellyer was a renter
until 1865.

On coming to Henry County he at first rented
land in Geneseo Township, and passed three years
operating in that method. He went thence to the
township of Yorktown, where he passed three years.
In 1869 he bought a farm on section 11 in the town-
ship in which he has since labored as a farmer. He
has made additional purchases until he is the owner

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HENRY COUNTY.

of 240 acres of excellent land in good condition for
profitable farming.

The children of the family are two in number.
Amos is a citizen of Shelby Co., Iowa. Emeline is
the wife of Elias Zimmer, of the same place.

illiam Seibel, confectioner and baker at
Geneseo, was born in Hessen, Germany,
April 22, 1830. His parents, Adam and
Elizabeth (Seitz) Seibel, were natives of the
same province in which he was born. He
passed the years of his childhood and youth
in the manner common in his country, where the
laws dispose of the time of the youth, and on arriv-
ing at a suitable age he was apprenticed to learn the
trade of a baker. He served three years and ob-
tained a thorough understanding of the details of the
business, and in 1849, at the age of 19, he came to
the United States. He was on the ocean 40 days,
the voyage being greatly lengthened by a storm. He
landed at the port of New York and passed but one
day in the great city. He went at once to Phila-
delphia, where he passed the entire summer. In
the same fall he went to New Orleans. From that
time he traveled through various States and also in
Texas and the Territories. He finally located in
Booneville, Mo. After a brief stay there he went to
Paris in the same State and there established his
business. While there, he was married to Anna E.
Wade. She is the oldest daughter of L. B. Wade, a
prominent citizen of Madison, Mo. Their marriage
took place in the fall of 1854.

Mr. Seibel continued to conduct his affairs in
Paris for another year, and in the fall of 1855 he re-
moved to Glasgow, near Paris, in Missouri. He
remained there until 1857, when he came to Gene-
seo to make a permanent settlement. Practically,
he has since been a resident of that place, but has
been temporarily located one year at Rock Island,
where he managed a hotel for that length of time.
This was during the late war.

On his arrival in Geneseo in 1865, he founded a
bakery. He has also been interested in the grain
trade and in the sale of liquor. He has been pros-
perous in all his investments and has accumulated a
handsome property. He has erected four stores and

several dwellings. He was the builder and is still
half-owner of the building called the Keystone Block
at Geneseo. He has been prominently identified
with the growth and improvement of the place where
he is a resident, and is recognized as one of its most
enterprising citizens. He is the senior partner of
the firm of Seibel & Limle, confectioners and bakers.

Mr. and Mrs. Seibel have had two daughters.
Julia is the wife of Christian Limle, the business
partner of her father. Alice Ruth, the younger
daughter, died Dec. 7, 1857. Lena Wade is their
adopted daughter. She was received into the family
in childhood and is at present a young lady. She
receives the regard of a member of the family in very
truth. Mr. Seibel united with the Christian Church
at the age of 15 and received the ordinance of bap-
tism from Elder Henry Thomas, then located at
Paris, Mo.

In 1875 Mr. Seibel revisited the land of his na-
tivity and went to several of the most noted places
in that country. He returned to the United States
in the same year.

He is a Democrat in political connection. He
has been active in the general and local interests of
his party, and has been present at the National
Democratic Conventions for the past 16 years. In
1872 he was a Delegate by proxy to the Convention
at Baltimore.

He has taken a warm interest in educational mat-
ters and has been for a long term of years the presid-
ing official in the Teutonia Society and of the German
Schools. He is a member of the I. O. O. F., in
which he has passed the chief official positions.

honias J. McHenry, a native of Phenix
Township, resident on section 15, is the
oldest surviving son of George and Lucinda
(Council) McHenry. He is a native citizen of
Illinois, having been born in White County, 1
Sept. 16, 1830. When he was seven years old
his parents moved thence to Henry County and set-
tled on a farm. He grew to manhood under the care
and guidance of his parents, and was brought up to
follow the calling to which his father and his other
ancestors had devoted their lives.

Within the second year of the contest between the ^_

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HENRY COUNTY.

403

two sections of this country, Mr. McHenry entered
the military service. He enlisted, Aug. 20, 1862, in
Co. K, 112th 111. Vol. Inf., under Capt. E. H. Col-
cord. He was discharged, June 20, 1 865 , at Greens-
boro, N. C. His discharge papers gave ample
testimony of the quality of the service he rendered
during the period in which he was soldier. He was
in the East Tennessee campaign under General
Burnside in the fall and winter of 1863, and in the
following May his command was assigned to that of
General Sherman, and the summer of 1864 he
passed in the Georgia campaign. He was a partici-
pant in ten general engagements and 30 skirmishes.
In the fall and winter of 1864 he was in the Tennes-
see campaign with General Thomas, and in the
spring of 1865 was assigned to the command of Gen.
T. M. Schofield. The battles inscribed on his pa-
pers are Knoxville, Bean's Station, Dandridge,
Brandy Creek, Kelley's Ford, Columbia, Franklin,
Nashville, Fort Anderson, Wilmington and Greens-
boro, N. C. He enjoyed the privilege of one furlough
while his time of enlistment was unexpired. At
Burnt Hickory he was taken ill and was granted a
furlough. On his way he stopped at Nashville,
where he found his brother Charles, who was in the
hospital, suffering from the effects of a severe wound,
and the two brothers returned to their homes to-
gether.

Mr. McHenry was joined in marriage, Aug. 30,
i860, to Amanda Anderson. She was born Dec. 14,
1835, in La Salle Co., 111. She is the daughter of
William and Ann (Stadden) Anderson. Their chil-
dren are named Luella A., Virgil J., Ada N., Francis
I. and J. Arthur.

Jacob Shively, who is engaged as a general
farmer and stock-raiser, residing on section
3, Andover Township, was born in West
Virginia, June 9, 1837, and is the son of Jacob
and Catherine (Pickenpoe) Shively, both of
German ancestry. They were married in Mo-
nongalia Co., W. Va., and were prominent farmers
in the community in which they resided, where they
" took up " land which was entirely undeveloped
and woods all around them, and by energy and in-
dustry put the same under excellent cultivation and

mprovements. Here they resided until the demise
of the father, which occurred March 4, 1869, at the
advanced age of 82 years. The death of the mother
occurred about 1875, on the home farm which her
son Michael had taken charge of, she being 82 years
of age.

Jacob, of whom we write, was the youngest of a
family of nine children, three of whom were sons
and six daughters, only five of the family surviving;
he resided at home until he reached the age of 25
years, in the meantime receiving such educational
training as the district schools afforded. At the
above age, our subject was united in marriage with
Miss Emily J., daughter of James C. and Mary
(Shaver) Snider, on the 9th of January, 1862. Her
parents were farmers, the father a native of West
Virginia, of Irish descent, and the mother of Penn-
sylvania and of German ancestry. They were mar-
ried in Monongalia County, that State, and after-
ward came West, locating in Mercer Co., 111., in the
fall of 1869. Later they resided at Pre-emption, the
same county, where they both died, at the residence
of J. R. Snider, of that place, the father in the fall
of 1883, and the mother one year later, both at an
advanced age.

Mrs. Shively, of this notice, was reared on her
parents' farm in West Virginia, Monongalia County,
wriere she had resided until her marriage. She and
her husband have become the parents of nine chil-
dren, as follows: Effa D., Mary G., James R., Laura
A., Fannie B., Thornton P., Lida M., William R.
and Gertrude. After marriage, Mr. and Mrs. S. re-
sided on a farm in West Virginia until 1870, when
m March of that year they came to Illinois, locating
in Pre-emption, Mercer County, arid remained at
that place for a period of three years. They next
came to Western Township, where Mr. Shively pur-
chased a well improved farm of r42 acres, and re-
sided upon it until 1876, when he sold out, and in
the autumn of that year came to Andover and pur-
chased the E. S. Roberts farm. This place, which
is located upon section 3, consists of 173 acres, in
an excellent state of cultivation. He and his family
have lived there since, and have purchased 93 acres
adjoining on section 2. Mr. Shively is an extensive
dealer in live stock, buying, feeding and selling large
numbers of cattle and swine. He is looked upon in
the community as one of its leading and representa-
tive agriculturists. The family are members of the

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Christian Church, and Mr. S. finds his political home
with the Republican party.

As one of the representative agriculturists of
Henry County, the publishers of this Album take
pleasure in presenting to their patrons a portrait of
Mr. Shively accompanying this sketch.

,'ohn M. Houghton, station agent and Post-
er master at Nekoma, and one of the repre-
sentative business men of that thriving
little village, was born in Woodhull, this county,
July 1, 1857. The education of Mr. Hough-
ton was received in the district schools of his
native county, where he has continued to reside all
his life, excepting one year. He came to Nekoma
in April, 1879, and took charge of the depot of the
Chicago, Burlington & Quincy Railroad, and still
continues to act in that capacity. In 1880 Mr.
Houghton was appointed Postmaster of the village
of Nekoma and yet holds that position.

His marriage took place in Kewanee, 111., April
23, 1884. The lady selected to accompany him
through the pleasant and stormy trials of the future
was Miss Carrie V. Weir, a native of Clover Town-
ship, this county, where she was born May 19, 18&5.
Their union has been blessed by the birth of one
child, — Blanche B. Houghton.

Politically, Mr. H. is a believer in and a supporter
of the principles advocated by the Republican party.
The parents of Mr. Houghton, Lewis C. and
Mary F. (Monroe) Houghton, reside in Woodhull,
this county. The parents of Mrs. Houghton are
Joseph and Margaret (Davis) Weir, and reside in
Clover Township.

obert Henderson, one of the prominent
farmers of Osco Township, residing on sec-
tion 13, is a son of William and Ann (Mc-
Connell) Henderson, natives of Pennsylvania.
Robert was the fifth in order of birth of a
family of eight children, and was born in But-
ler Township, Dearborn Co., Ind., Dec. 19, 1829.
He spent about ten years of his early life in his na-
tive county, and when quite young removed to

Adams Co., 111., afterwards returning to Dearborn
Cqunty, and later again to Adams Co., Ill, where
his parents died.

Robert lived at home until about 27 years of age.
He then came to Henry County, in T863, where he
bought 143 acres, located on section 13, Osco Town-
ship, where he has since resided. All his land is in
good condition.

He was married in Adams Co., 111., March 20,
1869, to Rebecca Morton, daughter of Zelmunna
and Clarissa Morton, natives of Ohio. She was the
fifth child of a family of six children and was born
in Ohio, Sept. 25, 1840. Mr. and Mrs. H. are the
parents of nine children, — James E., Robert R.,
Laura R., Anna E., George M., Charles A, Albert
B., Maud M. and Ralph J. Mr. Henderson has
held the position of Commissioner of Highways and
other minor offices in his township. He adheres 10
the Democratic party in politics, and he and his wife
are members of the Methodist Episcopal Church.

||terling Bennett has been a citizen of
Henry County since 1856. He was born
in Wilkesbarre, Luzerne Co., Pa., Oct. 24,
1830. He is the son of Thomas R. and
Phebe (Smiley) Bennett, and in the paternal
line of descent comes of patriotic stock, her
grandfather, Rufus Bennett, having distinguished
himself in the War of the Revolution, and was men-
tioned in the history of the times and period in
which he took an active part.

Mr. Bennett attained to the age of manhood in
his native town, and after arriving at suitable age
was variously employed. When he was 23 years of
age he entered the service of the Philadelphia &
Reading Railroad Corporation as an engineer. He
operated in that capacity one summer.

On coming to Henry County he made his first
location in the town of Western, and was there occu-
pied in farming. In 1863 he bought a tract of wild
land, which included the southwest 40 acres on sec-
tion 14. Directly after his purchase he entered with
energy into the work of improvement and put it all
under the plow. In August, 1865, he bought the
southeast quarter of section 23, in the township of
Colona, which was also in an entirely uncultivated

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HENRY COUNTY.

condition. Mr. Bennett bought a small frame house
which he moved to the new farm, and of which his
household took possession and established a home.
Mr. Bennett at once commenced the improvement
of a second farm, and the place is now in the finest
condition for profitable farming. He has set out the
varieties of trees common to the locality, and built
an excellent type of farm structures. He is the
owner of 320 acres, all lying in a solid body.

Mr. Bennett was married in June, 1857, to Eliza-
beth Washburn, and they have had six children, as
follows : Olive, who is now the wife of Porter Baker,
of Smithfield, Jasper Co., Mo. ; Mary, who married
F. J. Golden, and is a resident of Barstow, in the
county of Rock Island; Winfield Scott, who lives in
Arizona; and Nathan W., Francis S. and Herbert
D. are the names of the others. Mrs. Bennett is
the daughter of N. W. Washburn, of whom a sketch
is given.

-e~-

John M. Kingdon, grain merchant at Ne-

koma, Weller Township, this county, is a

native of Devonshire, England, having

been born there Jan. jo, 1847, and emigrated

%V to this country with his parents when seven

*^ years old. On arrival in this country he lived
in Pennsylvania four years, after which he came to
Warren County, this State, where he resided for
about seven years.

In 1865 Mr. Kingdon came to this county and
settled in Weller Township, where he has resided
ever since. In 1875 he located at Nekoma, where
he has been engaged in handling grain until the
present time, meeting with success.

The marriage of Mr. Kingdon took place in War-
ren County, this State, Feb. 17, 1869. The lady
chosen to accompany him through life's journey was
Miss Fannie Bennett, a native of Columbia Co., N.
Y. The issue of their union has been one child, —
Howard J. Mrs. Kingdon died in Iowa, March n,
1872, and Mr. Kingdon was a second time married,
at Moline, Rock Island County, Dec. 1, 1879, to
Miss Josephine Westburg, who was born at Bishop
Hill, this county. Of the latter union three children
have been born, — Forest H, Claude and Fred W.

^g^r cozing®

Mr. Kingdon, socially, is a member of the Masonic
Order and the Order of United Workmen of Amer-
ica. Politically, his vote is always cast in the inter-
est of the Republican party.

amuel Goembel, of Yorktown, was born
March 12, 1850, in Tazewell Co., 111., and
is the second son of Jacob and Louisa
(Luther) Goembel. His father was born in
Hessen, Germany, then a dukedom but now a
Prussian province. His birth occurred May
1824, and the name of his parents were Sebas-
tian and Annie (Schaeffer) Goembel.

He came to America with his father and mother
in 1834. They made their location in Tazewell
County, this State, where they owned a farm, on
which their children were reared. The son Jacob
was married April n, 1846, to Louisa Luther. She
was born in Allegheny Co., Pa. They remained in
Tazewell County until the fall of 185 1, when they
removed to Henry County. They located on sec-
tion 30, where the father is still the owner of 93
acres of land. In the spring of 1875 the senior
Goembel removed to Geneseo.

To him and his wife .seven children were born :
William S. married Laura Early, and they reside in
Geneseo ; Samuel is the son whose sketch is incor-
porated with that of his father's ; Jacob E. married
Emma Rapp, and is a citizen of Yorktown ; -Peter
married Christina Rapp, and they are residents of
Geneseo ; Annie is the wife of Henry Glave, of Taze-
well County; he lives in Washington ; Lydia is the
wife of Isaac Krimble, of Bureau County; John E. is
the youngest. Wilhelmina, born Dec. 15, 1858, died
March 18, 1866; Lissa, born May 1, 1864, died
March 18, 1 866 ; their deaths took place on the
same day. The parents are members of the Evan-
gelical Association.

Samuel was less than two years of age when his
parents came to Henry County. He had the train-
ing in labor and education common to farmers'
children at that period of the county's progress,
growing up on the farm and attending the district
school. In 187 1 he was married to Rebecca Zinser.
They have seven children. They are named Harry
S., Franklin ]., Sylvia C, Lotta V„ Mabel, Emery

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HENRY COUNTY.

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and Estella. In 1871; Mr. Goembel bought the
homestead on which he grew up, and which is still
his property. It contains 244 acres. It is devoted
to the raising of stock and grain.

hristian G. Gierhart, of the township of
Atkinson, is one of the citizens of Henry
County who deserve that their names
should be put on permanent record, on ac-
count of the manner in which they have dis-
charged the entire list of duties and obligations
incumbent upon them as the sustainers of good
government and wholesome conditions of society.

He is a native of Ohio and was born in Ashland
County, April 17, 1824. Jonas Gierhart, his father,
was a native of the State of Maryland, where he was
born in 1796. He was married in 1812, to Susan
Stough, a native of Pennsylvania. They had five
sons and six daughters. They were born in the
order in which their names appear here: Henry,
Katy, Daniel B., Elizabeth, Christian G., Mary Ann,
John S., Samuel, Susan and Eliza Jane. The young-
est daughter was born when the mother was 5 1 years
of age, and was named for a little girl who was born
12 years before and who lost her life from a painful
accident in her early childhood. She was moving
about the house after the manner of little children
interested in the operations of her mother, who was
busy preparing the evening meal and anticipating
no harm to her child. She had made and removed
from the fire a kettle of mush, into which the little
one fell, thrusting her arms and breast into the boil-
ing-hot substance. S.he was so severely burned that
she lived but ten days! Jonas Gierhart died in 1876.
The death of his wife took place in the same year on
her birthday.

Mr. Gierhart, of this sketch, was married in De-
cember, 1849, to Sarah A. Gray. Their children
were born in the following order: Martha, Jane,
Lovena, Susan, John, Ida, Joseph O. and Olive.
The last named died in infancy. They are all mar-
ried but the youngest son.

The farm of Mr. Gierhart contains 248 acres of
first-class land situated on section 6. The place has
two good dwellings, and a fine and valuable feature
is an artificial fish-pond five feet in depth, It is sup-

plied with water by the wind-mill which is on the
farm, and it has been one year in stock with German
carp. The barn which has been erected by the pro-
prietor of the estate is 70 x 80 feet in dimensions.
The farm stock is of excellent grades of both cattle
and horses, and includes a good drove of swine.

In his political relations and faith, Mr. Gierhart is
a Democrat. He has been Justice of the Peace eight
years, and acted in the capacity of Road Commis-
sioner 12 years continuously.* He has officiated 28
years as School Director.

Mr. Gierhart has the uncommon record of having
twice served in the military history of his country.
He enlisted in the Mexican War in June, 1846, and
was in the service 13 months. He was enrolled in
the Third Ohio Volunteers as a private, and was
under fire at the battle of Buena Vista. He enlisted
in Co. K, 112th 111. Vol. in the Civil War, and on
the organization of the command was made First
Lieutenant. He was commissioned Sept. 20, 1862.
He went to the front with his regiment, but the dis-
ease which he had contracted in the former military
experience disabled him for further duty as a soldier,
and he received an honorable discharge in December
following.

Mr. and Mrs. Gierhart are connected by member-
ship with the Methodist Church.

athan W. Washburn, deceased, was a
pioneer of Henry County of 1836. In that
year he came to Colona Township and lo-
cated a claim on the northwest quarter of
section 29. The county was not yet organized (
and the township was designated 17. He built '
a log house and returned to his home.

Mr. Washburn was born June 28, 1802, in Wood-
stock, Conn. His parents were among the respected
class, but were not in circumstances of affluence, and
he was obliged to maintain himself. He was vari-
ously employed in his native town until he was 19
years old, when he went to Springfield, Mass , and (
obtained a situation in the armory in the employ of
the Government of the United States. He re-'
mained there until he came in the spring of 1836 to
Illinois. He passed the summer of that year in the i
county and carried the chain for the surveyors of
Henry County.

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In the spring of 1837 he came back to his claim,
accompanied by his family and his brother Abisha.
The latter brought his household with him, and Luke
C. Sheldon also.

Mr. Washburn and his family took possession of
the abode he had built on his first visit to the county
and they were its occupants 17 years. He then built
a frame house in which they lived until the date of
the death of the father. His decease occurred in
1875. After he settled in Colona Township he
passed about four years in his native State.

He was married twice. The name of his first wife
before her marriage was Olive Ashley. She was born
in Massachusetts and died in 1832. She bore two
children, one of whom is yet living. She is now Mrs.
Elizabeth Bennett, and a sketch of her husband,
Sterling Bennett, is presented elsewhere in this
work.

Mr. Washburn was a second time married, to
Elizabeth Sheldon, of Suffield, Conn. Their only
child is Olive, wife of W. W. Warner, of Western
Township. Her mother is living with her.

- owo .

-535— —

ermon G. Hier. A splendid illustration of
what may be accomplished in this country
by an honest, hard-working, energetic and
enterprising man is given in the record of the
life of Hermon G. Hier. To-day he is an ex-
tensive farmer on section 3, of Weller Town-
ship; but in his early manhood lie came from
Hanover without means, position or friends to assist
him, yet he has accumulated the vast property he
now owns by his own exertions.

He was born March 25, 1822, near Hanover,
Prussia, and in 1845 came to America, and for six
months lived at St. Louis. In the summer of 1845
he came to Henry County, and lived nine months in
Andover Township, and in 1846 came into Weller,
and three years later pre-empted 40 acres of land on
section 3, where he established his home and has
since lived. He was thus one of the first pioneers
to locate in that part of the county. To-day he is
the possessor of about 800 acre3 of land, most of
which is tillable and well improved. He has erected
upon the home farm a fine set of farm buildings.
Mr. Hier, before leaving Germany, was married to

Mary Adelaide Eltings, who was a native of that
country. Their wedding occurred Dec. 5, 1843.
They have had born to them ten children, most of
whom they reared to manhood and womanhood, and
who have become respected citizens in the commu-
nities where they reside. The following is the list
of their names : George, Sophia, Lucinda, Gerherd
W., Eliza, Henry, William, Ada, August, and Dina,
the oldest child, who died in infancy. George fell
from a load of hay, in 1875, and broke his neck ; he
was at that time 29 years of age. Mr. and Mrs. H.
are members of the German Lutheran Church, and
Mr. H. usually votes the Democratic ticket.

..040*.

ohn L. Gardiner, a resident on section 4,
Munson Township, is a pioneer of Henry
County of 1836. He was born May 13, 1817,
on Long Island, and is the son of Matthew and
Phebe (Bunce) Gardiner. His father was born
on Gardiner's Island. Lyon Gardiner, the ear-
liest known ancestor of the family in this country,
was a native of England. In 1639 he became the
owner by purchase of the island which bears the
name of the family. The date of purchase was pre-
vious to the settlement of any part of the State of
New York now included in the counties of Queens
and Suffolk. Elizabeth, the danghter of Lyon Gar-
diner, was the first white child born of English par-
ents within the entire province of New York. The
property of the progenitor of the family still holds in
their possession. The child referred to was born
Sept. 14, 1641. /

Mr. Gardiner was a resident of his native town,
Huntington, until he was in his 20th year, when he
.resolved to try another locality to see if his health
might not be improved. He came to this section of
Illinois in company with a party who were expecting
to form a colony, and they located in what is now the
township of Andover. They journeyed hither on the
Ohio and Mississippi rivers and landed just below
the present site of Rock Island. Coming at once to
Henry County, Mr. Gardiner entered a claim of about
500 acres of land, lying chiefly in the township of
Andover, or what is now included in that part of
Henry County so designated. He reached the county
in May. He was then unmarried, and was obliged
to hire his board, while he entered with vigorous en-

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HENRY COUNTY.

ergy upon the improvement of his land. A few
months later, associated with Alfred Jagger, he built
a frame house and the two entered upon the man-
agement of their own domestic affairs after the pat-
tern known as keeping " bach." They continued
together through the winter of 1836-7, and passed
the time in getting out timber and drawing it to the
saw -mill, for the purpose of supplying the necessi-
ties of the settlers. In 1839 Mr. Gardiner returned
to Long Island to fulfill a matrimonial engagement
with Adelia Whitman. He came back with his bride
to the home in the West, where they remained two
years. In 1841 they went back to the island where
they were born and where they resided until 1844.
In that year another transfer was made of their home
to Andover, and they occupied the old place, two
years. Then the estate was exchanged for a tract
of land now included in the site of the city of Gene-
seo. Of this they took possession and were its oc-
cupants until 1853, when it was sold and the farm
on which they have since lived, in the township of
Munson, was purchased. The latter was still the
property of the Government of the United States.
Its appearance is now greatly modified and the good
frame house pleasantly located on a rise of ground
with a command of a sightly outlook extending to
Geneseo. The beautiful hedges and the abundant
trees speak for themselves of the quality of the en-
ergy that has been brought to bear on the place.
There are on the farm two crystal mineral springs,
both flowing from the side of a small hill.

■* =*=,

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ndrew Stoneberg, the owner of 200 acres
I of land on section 23, Weller Township,
* where he resides, was born in Sweden,
Nov. 30, 1822. He crossed the briny waters
and arrived in this country in 1846, seeking a
new field for the accumulation of a compe-
tency. Soon after his arrival at an Eastern seaport,
we may say almost immediately, he came to Bishop
Hill, this county. He was one of the number who
composed what was known as the Swedish Colony
that located at Bishop Hill. On the dissolution of
the Colony in 1863, Mr. Stoneberg located on land
which at present comprises his farm and where he
has resided ever since. He is the owner of 200

acres on section 23, most of which is tillable. On
his farm he has erected a good residence, together
with substantial outbuildings, and is meeting with
success in his chosen vocation, agriculture.

The marriage of Mr. Stoneberg took place at
Bishop Hill, in July, 1848. The lady selected to ac-
company him through the future trials of life was
Miss Louisa Anderson, a native of Sweden, who em-
igrated to this country in 1847. The children of Mr.
and Mrs. Stoneberg were four in number, namely:
John, Andrew, Louisa and Peter. Louisa is de
ceased.

Politically, Mr. Stoneberg is independent.

-8 #-# 5—

,harles Smith is one of the citizens of
Henry County, of foreign birth, who have,
since their removal to a land of free in-
stitutions, made themselves the equal of its
best native-born inhabitants, and who have
placed themselves in circumstances of pros-
perity and even affluence.

Mr. Smith was born in Germany, May 22, 1833,
and is the youngest son of Henry and Caroline
Smith, both natives of "Das Faderland." In his
earliest childhood he became a herder of cattle, ris-
ing for the purpose at four a. m., and taking care of
his charge until the' hour for school, when he was
obliged to attend some place of school, in order to
■ satisfy the law, which, in his native country, disposes
of the minority of all male children. He was at
school from nine until one, when he resumed the
business of watching the cattle. He passed the
years of his life until he was fourteen in this method,
and then was employed on the farm of his brother,
as he must acquire a knowledge of some business.
His brother was also a blacksmith, and had a shop
on his farm, where they were in the habit of working
after the duties of the farm were attended to. When
he reached the age of 18, he determined to come to
America, and he accordingly took.passage on a sail-
ing vessel for Baltimore, where he landed after a
stormy voyage of 63 days. He went immediately
after debarkation to Cumberland, in Maryland, where
he had a brother, who was an inn-keeper. He re-
mained in his employ three years, and at the end of
that time engaged in the business of buying cattle
in Western Pennsylvania and Ohio, He had to

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HENRY COUNTY.

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cross the mountains to the city of Baltimore, and he
pursued that line of traffic until 1862, when the re-
bellion of the South made it dangerous for a man
of decided and well-known Union principles to lin-
ger on the border line between the two sections. He
was obliged to relinquish the industry which he had
found profitable. He then rented the hotel of his
brother, and conducted its interests two years. He
then acquired an interest in a mercantile business,
and passed between two and three years in the sale
of dry goods, and in the grocery and provision trade,
in Cumberland.

In 1866, he came to Henry County, and bought
112 acres of land, on section 10, in Geneseo Town-
ship. On this he set himself to the work of placing
his affairs in prosperous condition, and he is now the
owner of 340 acres of excellent land, which is all en-
closed with hedges, and is in good condition for prof-
itable farming. The buildings are of good type, and
suited for the purpose for which they were con-
structed. The farm is devoted to the rearing of
stock.

Mr. Smith was married, in October, in 1853,10
Martha L. Warfield, and they are the parents of six
children. Caroline L. is the wife of Gottlieb Ott, of
Chicago. The other children are named Mary
West Virginia, Charles Frederick . William, Harry,
Lewis B. and Jesse Howard. Mrs. Smith was born
in Carroll Co., Md. Mr. Smith is independent in
political principles and connections.

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Tohn D. Sundberg, a farmer of Weller
Township, residing on section 27, was born
in Sweden, Jan. 4, 1825. Mr. Sundberg
continued to reside in his native country, where
he was variously occupied until 1857, when,
hoping to procure a home for himself and
family, he emigrated to the United States. On his
arrival in this country he located in Mercer County,
and there resided until 1861." Soon after the news
had flashed across the wires that rebel guns had
thundered forth their shot and shell against Fort
Sumter, and the President had called for brave
hearts and strong arms to defend the country's honor,
Mr. Sundberg was one of the first to respond. He
enlisted in the 43d 111. Vol. Inf., and served three

years and four months fighting for his country, which
he had adopted. After the term of his enlistment
had expired, he returned to Mercer County, and soon
thereafter, in the spring of 1865, came to this county,
and located in Weller Townsnip, and has continued
to reside there until the writing of this work. He is
the proprietor of 80 acres of land, located on section
27, Weller Township, and is meeting with success in
his chosen vocation, that of agriculture.

The marriage of Mr. Sundberg took place in
Weller Township, and the lady selected to accom-
pany him through the trials of life was Miss Lena C.
Johnson, a native of Sweden. Of ther union eight
children have been born, — Frank A., Alfred L., John
A., Victor E., Fred N., Emila, Joseph and Hannah
M. A.

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illiam Kelly, a successful farmer and re-
spected citizen of this county, living on
section 28, Weller Township, is a Manx-
man by birth, having been born on the Isle
of Man, Aug. 19, 1844. On attaining his
2 2d year, in 1867, he emigrated to the United
States, and soon thereafter came to Knox County,
this State, where he resided for nine months. From
Knox County, Mr. Kelly came to this county and
located in Weller Township, where he has resided,
with the exception of one year, in which he lived in
Galva Township, until the present time. He is at
present the proprietor of 290 acres of land, all of
which is under an advanced state of cultivation.
His farm presents the appearance of thrift and good
management, and indicates that prosperity is the out-
growth of hard labor. The marriage of Mr. Kelly
to Catherine R. Emery, was celebrated Jan. 12,
1870, in Henry County, this State. She was born
Feb. 15, 1849, in Fulton Co., 111., and has borne her
husband eight children — Laura V. E., W. Harry?
Olive, Eugene O., Wilbur T., R Ann, Mary M., D.
Emery, and one, Katie P., died in infancy.

Mr. Kelly has been School Director of his town-
ship, and politically always casts his vote with the
Republican party.

His parents, William and Ann (Patty) Kelly, were
natives of Ireland, and of the Isle of Man, respect-
ively. His father died on his native isle, and his

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410

,-»x-xi

■6V4>HI1&HH&/G) ^«»s:

HENRY COUNTY:

mother yet survives, and is residing in Weller Town-
ship. Her parents were Henry and Olive (Jacobs)
Emery, natives of Pennsylvania and New York.
They came to this county in 1 856, and her father
died in Galva, Nov. 17, 1875, and her mother in
Weller Township, Oct. 26, 1858.

-13-

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' ndrew P. Swanson is engaged in the call-
t. ing of a farmer, on section 4, in the town-
ship of Atkinson, whither he came in 1856.

He was born in Sweden, in 1824, and emi-
grated from his native land to America, in
1852. He came from New York, where he
landed, to Rock Island, and remained there four
years. He came thence to Henry County, in the year
named. He settled on 80 acres of land on the sec-
tion where he has since been a farmer. In 1868, he
became the husband of Mary Hendrickson. She is
a native of the same country as her husband, and
was born in 1847. Annie M., Joseph H., Christina,
John A., Emeline, Virginia and David are the names
of the children who are now members of the house-
hold, and the entire number of whom they have
become the parents are still spared to them. In re-
ligious views they are Lutherans. Mr. Swanson is
an adherent of the Republican party.

■} ■xWM,

ton. James H. Paddelford has been for a
long term of years one of the most prom-
inent citizens of Henry County. He has
been a resident within its borders since the re-
moval of his parents here, when he was a child
of ten years. He has grown up with the coun-
try, which was in its primitive days and condition at
the time he first made the acquaintance of the mu-
nicipality in which he has reached the distinction of
a good and useful citizen, and as a faithfu' servitor
in the interests of his constituency.

He was born Nov. n, 1 817, in North Enfield,
Grafton Co., N. H. William and Hannah (Hoit)
Paddelford, his parents, removed to Henry County,
in November, T837. His father was born May 9,
1787, in the same town in which his son was born.
At the time of the removal of their family hither, it

included six children. The journey from New
Hampshire to Whitehall, N. Y., was made with pri-
vate conveyance, and they went thence on the
Champlain Canal to Troy, where they took passage
on the Erie Canal for Buffalo. They embarked
there on a steamer for Chicago, but were unable
to make that port on account of stormy weather.
Accordingly, they landed at Fairport, and proceeded
from there overland to Steubenville, in Jefferson Co.,
Ohio, where they again embarked on a steamer on
the Ohio River, and made their way to Rock Island.
They passed a week there, and came thence to
Henry County. They made their first stop in the
township of Colona, where they passed the first year
with a man named Brandenburg. The senior Pad-
delford had come to Henry County in 1836, one year
before he brought his family, and had bought 160
acres of land on sections 32 and 33 in the township
then designated as 18, in range 2. He built a house
of the primitive pattern common in those days, and
situated on section 32. The cabin was covered with
clapboards, and the lumber of which the doors ar.d
floor were made, was made with a" whip-saw." Of
this the family took possession, and were its occu-
pants for several years. Mr. Paddelford, of this
sketch, some years after became the possessor of 80
acres of land on section 4, on which a frame house
was standing, and into this the family moved. There
the parents resided until their deaths. The mother
died Feb. r4, 1881, in the 91st year of her age. She
was born in Laconia, N. H. The father of Mr. Pad-
delford died Dec. ro, 1858. Mr. Paddelford was
the constant companion of his parents, while their
lives lasted, after his birth. He was sent to school
in the town of his nativity, and was a bright scholar.
After the removal of the family to Illinois, he was
an attendant at the schools of Henry County. He
was sent to those of Andover and Colona. Later
he attended a winter term at Moline. On settling
to a career in life, he chose that of farming, to which
he has devoted himself without intermission. He is
at present the most extensive agriculturist in the
township in which he is a resident. His farm con-
tains 532 acres of land, and he is largely interested
in the raising of fine stock. His specialty is the
Short-horn breed.

Mr. Paddelford has been prominent in official
life, and has served in many important positions.
He has filled the office of Supervisor ten terms, and

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HENRY COUNTY.

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has also acted in the capacity of Assessor, Clerk
and Collector. In the fall of 1884 he was elected as
Representative to the 34th Assembly of the State of
Illinois, as a Democrat, receiving 13,912 votes.

During the ensuing session, in which he served, he
was a member of the committees on Mines and Min-
ing, Roads and Bridges, Banks and Banking, and
Drainage.

Sept. 17, 1857, he was married to Rachel Hanna.
Their children are named Mary C, Henry W.,
Fred L., Allie H. and Frank H. Mrs. Paddelford is
the daughter of John P. and Nancy (Dockrey)
Hanna. Her parents were early settlers in Henry
County.

ohn L. Combs, a citizen of Geneseo, resi-
dent on section 29, has been in Henry
County since 1868. He was born in Win-
chester, Cheshire Co., N. H., July 22, 1844,
It and is the son of Calvin and Delia (Taylor)
Combs. He was reared in the town where he
was born and was taught to make brooms, as it was
the custom to instruct boys in the details of a trade.
In the second year of the war he went to Massachu-
setts to enter the military service of his country. He
enlisted in July, 1862, at Winchendon, in Co. D, 36th
Mass. Vol. Inf. After a service of two years and
two months he received an honorable discharge for
disability and returned to New Hampshire. He
again gave his attention to the manufacture of
brooms in the town where he learned the business,
and in Ringe, N. H, going thence to Dedham, Mass.
He remained there until the year in which he came
to Illinois. On coming to this State he located in
Henry County and rented a farm in the township of
Geneseo. He operated in that capacity two years,
and at the end of that time took possession of the
place of which he is and has since been the owner.
He gave his attention exclusively to farming until
1882, when he erected a shop for the manufacture of
brooms and has since been engaged in the prosecu-
tion of the two callings. He finds ready market for
the sale of his wares in the county.

His union in marriage to Marinda Breed took place
in 1865, and they are the parents of six children:
George C, born Nov. 10, 1866; Frederick B., Oct.
15, 1868; Arthur L., Aug. 25, 1870; Charles A.,

^s^c ^A^OK

March 28, 1872 ; Ella M., Oct. 26, 1876, and James
F., Dec. 2, 1879.

Mrs. Combs is the daughter of Joseph B. and
Mary (Wilson) Breed, and she was born in the town
of Ringe, N. H., Oct. 10, 1836.

-* *H# 1-

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eorge Holzinger, of the township of York-
town, has been a resident of the State of
"* Illinois since he came to America from his
native country in 1852. He has been a citi-
zen of Henry County since the year in which
he attained his majority. At that time he be-
came the possessor of the property left him by his
mother, who died in' his infancy.

He was born in Baden, Germany, Feb. 24, 1833,
and is the son of John G. and Mary Holzinger, both of
whom were natives of Baden. The senior Holzin-
ger formed a second matrimonial connection soon
after the decease of his son's mother, and when the
latter was 19 years of age the family came to the
United States. They came on a sailing vessel, and
the trip consumed 44 days. They came to this
State, locating in Du Page County, where the father
rented land and engaged in farming.

Mr. Holzinger was sent to school in his native
country, in compliance with the law which provides
that all children be placed at school at the age of six
years and be kept there until 14, which was in his
case fulfilled. After coming to Du Page County he
was .also sent to an English school, and acquired an
excellent education. In 1854 he bought a tract of
land on section 20 in the* township where he has
since been engaged in the pursuit of his agricultural
interests. It was wholly untilled and in a wild con-
dition without fences. It is now in a state that
ranks fairly with the surrounding farms. The build-
ings are of the class commonly constructed on farms
in the country, and are in every way suited to the
purpose for which they were designed.

Mr. Holzinger has been much interested in the
progress of educational matters in his township, and
has served several terms in the various school of-
fices? He has also filled other local positions.

He was joined in marriage to Elizabeth Lehman,
Feb. 21, i860. She was born in the township of
Loraine, and is the daughter of Lawrence and Eliza-

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HENRY COUNTY.

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beth Lehman, who were pioneers of Henry County.
The children of the Holzinger household are eight in
number. Their names are William H., Anna M.,
Ella M., Daniel J., Emma C, Freddie C, George
A. and Harvey E.

Mr. and Mrs. Holzinger are members of the Evan-
gelical Association. Two of the ancestors of the
former were engaged in the Thirty-Years War
between the Catholics and Protestants, holding
prominent positions as officers in the cause of the
Protestants.

ohn E. Shere, of Yorktown Township, was
born in Devonshire, England. He is a
resident on section 13, and is engaged in
the vocation of a market gardener, and is also
raising small fruits. His birth occurred Sept.
20, 1 810. His father died when he was six
years old, and he was afterwards brought up by his
mother. He was the only child, and was wholly
orphaned by the death of his surviving parent when
he was 16. He was then apprenticed to learn the
business in which he is now engaged, and also ac-
quired a practical knowledge of the vocation of nurs-
eryman and florist. He served five years in the
shire in which he was born, and went then to Lon-
don. He was there employed in the National Gar-
dens until 1832, when he came to the United States.
He made his way, soon after reaching his port of
landing, to the city of Albany, and entered the ser-
vice of Buell & Wilson, the celebrated nurserymen,
one of whom is inseparably connected with the his-
tory of small fruits in this country. In his honor
the " Wilson " strawberry, which at that time led the
list in America, was named. Mr. Shere remained
with them one season, and at its close he went to
Albion, in Orleans Co., N. Y., and commenced to do
business in the line of drayman. He bought the
necessary equipments, consisting of horses and the
variety of vehicles employed in that avenue of busi-
ness, and conducted extensive relations in the public
interests. He also erected ice-houses and supplied
the city with ice. He remained there in the same
occupation until 1854, when he came to Henry
County. On his arrival here he entered a claim of
Government land on section 13, in the township in

'V£*^ ^^ — ^r^n

which he has since lived. He built a frame house
and entered upon the work of improvement, as the
land was entirely in its natural condition. He passed
some years in the employments common to general
farming, and combined with them a few experiments
in the way of gardening. He raised very fine
melons, for which he found a market at Princeton,
30 miles distant. As the growth of civilization in-
creased and towns sprang up near at hand, he in-
creased his gardening relations, and for some years
went to Sterling with his products. He is now ex-
tensively interested in the cultivation of all kinds of
small fruits common to this section of country and in
vegetables. He has made a complete success of the
enterprise.

Mr. Shere was joined in marriage Dec. 18, 1831,
to Maria E. Artlet, who was born in the County of
Kent, England, in December, 181 2. Six children
born to Mr. and Mrs. Shere are living: Thomas is
a resident of Humboldt Co., Iowa ; Carrie is the wife
of Alexander Brown, of Ottawa Co., Kan. ; Ann Eliza
married Charles Branch, of the county last named ;
William E. is a resident of Yorktown ; Emma mar-
ried Fred Landwehr, and they live in Whiteside
County; Ambrose A. is the manager of the home
farm. He was born in the township where he lives
Sept. 7, 1859, and has always lived with his parents.
He was married Sept. 6, 1877, to Linda Swanson.
She was born in Henry County, in June, 1859.
They have two children, — Jessie L. and Bessie L.
The parents have 27 grandchildren and 13 great-
grandchildren.

-43-

-et-

I ichard Floyd Everett, residing on section
25, Galva Township, where he is the pro-
prietor of 240 acres of well improved land,
was born Sept. 15, 1831, in Copake, Colum-
bia Co., N. Y. He was reared on the farm,
receiving the education given by the common
schools, and developed into manhood.

Ebenezer Everett, great-grandfather of the sub-
ject of this notice, was born in Hebron, Windham
Co., Conn., in 1745. He had three sons, — Isaiah,
Ebenezer and Eliphalet. Ebenezer and Eliphalet
were soldiers in the Revolutionary War,- and the lat-
ter was for several years Steward of General Wash-
ington's military family. He lived many years in

||j)^@2^i*#a

HENRY COUNTY.

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413

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Ellsworth, where Everett Dunbar now lives, but
spent the latter part of his life in Watertown, N. Y.
Isaiah Everett, the grandfather of the subject of this
notice, died Aug. 4, 1834, at the age of 82 years,
leaving five sons, — Adolphus, Asa, Gamaliel, Rus-
sell and William. Ebe Everett died Jan. 5, 1840,
at the age of 86 years, leaving four sons, — Samuel,
Augustus, Elmer and John. Russell Everett, father
of the subject of this notice, was born Nov. 22, 1792,
in Sharon, Conn. ; was a physician by profession, and
died there in October, 1865, aged 73 years. He
married- Caroline R. Parsons, who was born April 15,
1801, and died April 13, 1854. She had two chil-
dren,— Enoch P. and Richard Floyd.

The latter was educated in his native country,
where he attended the district and normal schools.
He was married to Catherine H. St. John, born Nov.
26, 1836, in Ellsworth, Conn. Her parents were
Henry and Catherine (Wheeler) St. John, natives of
Sharon and Dutchess Cos., N. Y., respectively. She
has borne him four children, — Walton, born Feb.
11, 1859, died May 6, i860; Leland R., born July
19, 1861 ; Bertrand, born Aug. 4, 1869, died in
Galva, April 4, 1863; and Walter B., born May 16,
1865.

Mr. Everett came West in 1865 and purchased
240 acres of land on section 25, Galva Township, on
which he located with his family and entered at once
upon its active cultivation, and on which he has
constantly resided until the present time, meeting
with success in his chosen vocation, agriculture.
Religiously, he and his wife are members of the
Congregational Church, and politically Mr. Everett
is identified with the Republican party.

^*-^H^

' homas M. Robertson, owner of 317 acres
of land, located on section 8, Weller Town-
ship, where he resides, is one of. the pro-
gressive farmers and respected citizens of
Henry County. He is a native of this State,
having been born in Knox County, May 2,
i835-

Mr. Robertson received a good education in the
common schools of his native country, and there re-
sided until 1867. During that year he came to
Henry County, and settled in Weller Township,
V where he has continued to reside until the present

time, 1885. He is the proprietor of 317 acres of
land, two-thirds of which is under an advanced state
of cultivation. In 1862, Mr. Robertson went over-
land to the Pacific Coast. Arriving in the land of
gold, he was variously occupied for two years and
eight months, when he returned via the Nicaragua
route to New York, his return being occasioned by
indisposition in California.

Mr. Robertson married Miss Mary J. Bick, in
Knox County, this State, Oct. 28, 1858. She was
born in Ohio, May 17, 1840, and the issue of their
union has been eight children, four living and four
deceased. The living are Arthur, Fannie, Harry and
Carrie. The deceased died in infancy, with the ex-
ception of Cora, who was three years old.

Mr. Robertson has held the office of School Trus-
tee, and socially is a member of the Masonic frater-
nity. Religiously, he and his wife are members of
the Baptist Church. Politically, Mr. Robertson is a
believer in, and a supporter of, the principles advo-
cated by the Democratic party.

eorge W. Buck, Supervisor of Western
Township, and one of the energetic and
progressive farmers of that township, as
well as stock-raisers, residing on section 6, is
a native of New York State, where, in Chau-
tauqua County, he was born April 9, 1834.
father, Roswell Buck, followed lumbering for
sustenance, and was a native of Vermont and of
New England parentage. He was united in marriage,
in New York, with Miss Harriet Meach, who was
born in Massachusetts, and died when the subject of
this notice was but three months old. The father
afterwards died in 1862, in the State of New York.

Left an orphan at the age of three months, and
being the youngest in birth of a family of seven
children, George W. was taken by Isaac and Nancy
Stanbro, with whom he resided until their death.
George W. resided with his foster parents on the
farm, and when four years of age accompanied them
to this county. At that time the country was new,
and the hand of civilization was hardly visible in the
locality in which they settled, and his foster father
entered vigorously and energetically upon the im-
provement of the land on which he located. When

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-^4^ &7&MM\i<>&r

HENRY COUNTY.

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George was 16 years old his foster father died, and
he set forth upon the road of adversity to fight life's
battles single-handed and alone. He first engaged
as a general laborer, which vocation he followed for
some time, and until the date of his marriage. That
event occurred in Henry County, July 8, 1863, and
the lady chosen to share his sorrows and joys, his
successes and reverses, through the storms and trials
of the future, was Miss Mary A. Glenn. She was
the accomplished daughter of James and Nancy
(Kincaid) Glenn. Mrs. Buck was the eldest daughter
and third child in the order of birth of a family of six
children, and was born on her father's original home-
stead in Colona Township, this county, July 18,
1842. She was well educated in the district schools,
and resided under the parental roof, assisting the
mother in her household duties, until her marriage.
She is a lady of remarkable ability, and socially is
one of the most hospitable in this county, making
the stay of a stranger while at her domicile as pleas-
ant as that of the most intimate friend. Mr. and
Mrs. Buck are the parents of four children, — James
D., born April 22, 1866; George B., born July 31,
1868; Mary E., Dec. 7, 1874, and Charlie G., June
7, 1880, — all of whom have received a good educa-
tion.

After marriage, Mr. Buck located on a farm of 66
acres on section 6, Western Township, where he
entered upon the arduous task of improving his land.
He has since made it his home. In addition to the
property which he individually owns, he has leased
for a term of years 669 acres in Rural Township,
Rock Island County. He is one of the progressive
and energetic farmers of the township and is meet-
ing with success in his chosen vocation.

Aug. 15, 1862, Mr. Buck enlisted in the war for
the Union, joining Co. C, 112th 111. Vol. Inf., Capt.
Mitchell. He was made Fifth Sergeant, and after-
ward he was promoted to Fourth Sergeant, which
position he filled until the close of the war, and was
mustered out June 21, 1865, receiving his discharge
July 7 of that year at Chicago. He participated in
no particular battles, as he was engaged in the
Quartermaster's Department ; but at one time during
his enlistment he, in company with more than a
hundred others, were in a very perilous situation,
when Mr. Buck, through the aid of four good legs
attached to the body of a mule, made good his es-
cape. Mr. Buck is a member of the G. A. R. He

has held the office of Justice of the Peace, Road
Commissioner, Town Collector, etc., and is at present
serving his fifth term as Supervisor. He is a gentle-
man who has always been largely interested in the
public schools of his township and has done no little,
to advance that cause. In politics he is identified
with the Republican party.

rson H. Patterson, engaged as a farmer on
section 21, Oxford Township, was born in
Columbia Co., N. Y., in 1823, his parents
having been Augustus A. and Philinda (Smith)
Patterson, natives of Connecticut and Massa-
chusetts respectively. They were farmers and
their deaths occurred in 1870 and 1877.

The subject of this biographical notice received a
fair education, and remained under the parental roof-
tree, assisting his father on the farm, until he at-
tained the age of 22 years. After leaving home he
engaged in a manufacturing establishment, where
they manufactured carpenters' tools, and there re-
mained for four years ; he next, in the fall of 1849,
came West, to Galesburg, 111., and there remained
for eighteen months, in the manufacture and ped-
dling of chain pumps. Afterward he moved into
Oxford Township, and "took up" Government land,
at first 40 acres, where he is at present residing, and
since which time he has added 160 acres. By his
industry and energy he has put the same under
splendid cultivation ; he has set out ornamental trees,
erected a residence, outbuildings, fences, etc., and
has to-day as finely an equipped farm as in the
township.

Mr. Patterson has been quite a successful phy-
sician, making a specialty of cancers, which he has
followed for 23 years, His first marriage was
solemnized Nov. 16, 1848, the lady with whom he
was united being Miss Cynthia Calkins, a native of
New York, who died in 1857. Mr. Patterson formed
a second matrimonial alliance with Miss Margaret
Taze, a native of Pennsylvania. Of the latter union
there has been one child, Philanda. She married W.
O. Allison, and they have become the parents of
three children, viz. : Ira D., Harry and Freddie.

Mr. P., in political matters, is a Prohibitionist, and

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HENRY COUNTY.

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religiously belongs to the Baptist Church. His wife
is a member of the Presbyterian Church. Socially,
Mr. P. is a member of the Order of Masons, and is
one of the leading and representative men of Oxford
Township.

ugh Eaton, residing at Cambridge, is a citi-
zen of the United States by adoption, hav-
ing been born in County Antrim, Ireland,
May 4, 1826. He belongs in blood and birth
to one of the best elements in the composite
nationality of this country, his ancestors being
among the refugees from the persecutions of James
of Scotland in 1619. They settled in the North of
Ireland, where they endured a persecution scarcely
less irksome than that from which they had fled in
their own country. They remained in the northern
counties of the " Green Isle " 100 years, holding
themselves aloof from the native people and in the
main preserved their blood and their principles pure.
In 17 19 their exodus from Ireland to America be-
gan, and the emigration of the Scotch-Irish to the
New World has since been continuous. For the
benefit of generations to come it is recorded that the
term " Scotch :' refers to their true national origin.
The term " Irish " simply means, " born in Ireland."
Sandy Eaton, great-grandfather of Hugh Eaton, of
this sketch, was born in Scotland. He was a farmer
by inheritance and a weaver by trade. His son,
Hugh Eaton, married Mary Ramsey, a lady of un-
mixed Scotch descent, and they had three sons and
three daughters. James Eaton, their son, married
Mary Moore. Their children numbered seven, Mr.
Eaton, the central personage of this narration, being
the second in order of birth and the oldest son.
Eliza, his eldest sister, is deceased. The younger
born are named Matilda (Mrs. Jingle), Margaret
(Mrs. Hall), Alexander, John and Jemima (Mrs.
Adrain).

Mr. Eaton finished his education in the schools of
the city of Dublin, where he studied four years, and
when he was 20, in July, 1846, he came to the
United States. He passed the first year after his ar-
rival in the city of New York, and he then located in
Luzerne Co., Pa., where he continued to reside about
18 years. The first five years he was alternately oc-

cupied, winter and summer, in teaching and in farm-
ing. Subsequently he gave up the former vocation.

April 15, 1865, he settled on a farm in Bureau
Co., III., and after conducting his affairs there one
year he bought a farm in Burns Township, Henry
County. The transfer of his interests resulted suc-
cessfully, and after a busy and prosperous career in
agricultural avenues, in March, r885, he removed to
Cambridge to pass the evening of his life in the en-
joyment of the fruits of a useful, well-spent man-
hood.

Mr. Eaton was married in January, 1850, in
Luzerne Co., Pa., to Phebe Munson, and they are
the parents of the following children : Mrs. Mary
Rogers, Mrs. Susan Brown, Stephen W., James W.,
Robert A. (deceased), George M., Matilda, Maggie,
Anna, Carrie, Willie and Oscar.

Mrs. Eaton was born in Luzerne Co., Pa., and is
the daughter of Walter and Susan (Bodle) Munson.
Her parents were born respectively in the States of
Pennsylvania and New. York. The religious con-
nections of Mr. and Mrs. Eaton are with the Chris-
tian Church.

:• eter Weaver, owning 320 acres of land on

section 32, Weller Township, where he re-

i55^? sides, is a native of Germany, having been

born in that country Sept. 7, 1829. Mr.

Weaver was but two years of age when he

came to the .United States in company with
his parents. They settled in Brown Co., Ohio,
where the subject of this sketch passed 24 years of
his life. He came to this county at the expiration
of that time, and settled in Weller Township, where
he has continued to reside, following the occupation
of a farmer, and meeting with success in that voca-
tion until the present time. Mr. Weaver is the pro-
prietor of 320 acres of land in this county, and 40
in Knox County. He has erected a fine residence
on his farm, together with a good barn and substan-
tial outbuildings, and his place presents the appear-
ance of thrift, and is indicative of what laborious
toil, coupled with good judgment and energetic
effort, can produce.

Mr. Weaver was united in marriage in Brown Co.,
Ohio, Nov. 7, 1850, with Miss Mary A. Mefford, a

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HENRY COUNTY.

native of Brown County, where she was born, April
24,1831. The issue of their union has been five
children, namely: Lucinda W., Charles E., Henry
L., George D. and Frank R.

Mr. Weaver has held the office of Road Commis-
sioner, School Director and -School Trustee. So-
cially, he is a member of the Masonic Order, and
politically, he is identified with the Democratic
party.

The parents of Mr. Weaver, Lewis and Mary
Weaver, are both deceased, their demise having
occurred when the subject of this sketch was quite
young. On the death of his parents Peter was
"bound out," from the age of 15 until he attained
his majority, to a farmer, and was therefore brought
up in the farmer's vocation. The parents of Mrs.
Weaver, wife of the subject of this biographical no-
tice, Henry and Elizabeth (Nickerson) Mifford, died
in Brown Co., Ohio.

. ohn Engdahl, senior member of the firm of
Engdahl & Aldeen, merchant tailors and
dealers in furnishing goods at Geneseo, is
the founder of the business in which he has
since been interested at that place, and which
he established in 1865. He was at that time
associated with Messrs. Ringquist & Smith, and in
1868 he became sole proprietor of the relations of
the concern by purchase. He managed his affairs
singly until 1878, when the present partnership was
formed. The affairs of the house have prospered,
and the relations of their trade require the assist-
ance of five men.

Mr. Engdahl is a native of Sweden, and was born
Nov. 27, 1834. He acquired a thorough knowledge
of his business in his native country, as it is the
custom there to make practical craftsmen of those
who learn trades. He conducted his business there
r2 years. In 1864 he emigrated to America, arriv-
ing in the United States in the month of August. He
reached this city on the 16th day of the month, and
15 days later he was married to Anna Larson, who
was a fellow traveler on the same ship with himself
to the New World. They were acquaintances in
their native land. Mrs. Engdahl was born in Swe-
den, Oct. 27, 1844. Their children number nine, —

five sons and four daughters. Following is their
record: Alfred, born Jan. 3r, 1865, died in infancy ;
Emma Helen was born Oct. 20, 1866; Alexander,
born Dec. 12, 1869, died in childhood ; Almina, born
Jan. 27, 1872; Martin Nathaniel was born May 20,
1874; Victor Emanuel was born Dec. 31, 1876;
Oscar Alexander was born Dec. 9, 1878; Esther
Anna Elizabeth was born Nov. 5, 1882; Nellie
Adelia was born June 14, 1844. The parents are
members of the Swedish Lutheran Church. Mr.
Engdahl is a Republican in political faith and
action.

-4-

-*-

aniel L. Keleher, general farmer and
IjL stock-raiser, residing on section 14, West-
ern Township, was born in County Kerry,
Ireland, Aug. 20, 1836 His father, Daniel
Keleher, was a native of the same country and
by occupation a shoemaker. He was married in
Ireland, to Ann Linihan, who was born and reared
in the same county in which our subject was born.

Arriving at the age of 15 years, Daniel L. set out
so early in life all alone for America. He had se-
cured a good common-school education, and knew
how to get along for himself nicely, for one so young.
He found his way to Bucks Co., Pa., where he en-
gaged to work for Samuel Holcomb, a farmer. Two
years later, he left the Keystone* State and came
West to Illinois, and soon found himself in the ser-
vices of the late M. B. Lloyd, of Western Township.
Here for two years he worked faithfully.

The date of Mr. Keleher's arrival in Western
Township was April 7, 1856. On the 19th of
January, 1863, in the city of Rock Island, he was
married to Miss Ellen Curren, who was born in
County Donegal, Ireland, and, like her husband,
came across the Atlantic to America alone. This
journey was made in 185 1, when she was quite
young. She stopped at Philadelphia for a time, when
she came West and resided at Cambridge, this
county, with her brother Bernard, who lived at that
place. There have been born to Mr. and Mrs.
Keleher four children, whom they have christened
as follows : Mary A., Ellen B., Daniel C. and Lizzie.
All have received an excellent education in the pub-"
lie schools of Henry County.

Mr. K. made his first purchase of land by buying

*-^ — e^nran^s — ^^

-6V^DD^llHi;>7^ ^&KT

HENRY COUNTY.

4i7

20 acres of Mr. Lloyd, his old employer. This was
located on section 27. He has subsequently sold
this back to its former owner and purchased 40 acres
on section 14. This piece of land was at the time an
unbroken prairie, Mr. K. being the first to undertake
the development of this township. He has been
eminently successful, and now owns 499 acres on
sections 14, 23 and 24. All of this extensive tract
he now has under the plow and otherwise well im-
proved. He is looked upon as one of the most suc-
cessful and progressive farmers of the county, and
has won by his own unaided efforts the honorable
name he now bears, and not only has he been pros-
perous himself, but has been of sterling worth to his
community and the county. He has been actively
engaged in the development of the public-school
system in this county, and is especially devoted to
the education of his children. Both he and his wife
are members of the Catholic Church.

(§*

illiam L. Neuman. Prominent among
the well-to-do farmers of Weller Town-
ship is the subject of the following per-
sonal narrative. He resides on section 6
where he owns an excellent farm of 200 acres.
He was born in Germany, Jan. 23, 1823.
There he received his education, and passed the first
20 years of his life. He then went to England,
where he remained for six years, when, feeling that
superior advantages were offered to young men in
America, he set sail, and was soon put ashore to
breathe the fresh air offered by the government of
tnis country. Without any delay he made his way
westward, and found a desirable location in Henry
County, where he has since lived, taking an active
and prominent part in the affairs of his community.
He has served in some of the minor offices, and in
politics claims to be a liberal Democrat. Mr. N. is
a member of the German Lutheran Church, while
his wife is a member of the Christian Union.

While a resident of London, Mr. Neuman was
married to Jane Ekot, who bore him four children, —
Mary A., William, Charles and Hugo. Mrs. N. ac-
companied him to America, and died at their home
in Weller Township. He was subsequently married
in Weller to Caroline Hoare, who was also a native

of England. Before her demise she became the
mother of five children, — Lena J., Sophia M., Fred
S., Frank H. and Anna L. Mr. Neuman was mar-
ried the third time Oct. 26, 1873, in Weller
Township, to Kate Moody. She is a native of Mor-
row Co., Ohio, and was born July 8, 1827. Of Mr.
N.'s children the following record is given: Lena
is the wife of Wm. Munhall, of Rock Island County ;
Sophia M , the wife of Edward Mahaffey, of Clover
Township ; Fred and Frank live in Weller Town-
ship.

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umner M. Harrington, a general farmer
on section 1, Andover Township, was born
in Joliet, 111., March 25, r84i. His father,
Mark T. Harrington, was a native of Ontario,
Can., of German descent, a farmer, and mar-
ried Miss Lucy Mott, a native of Vermont and
of New England ancestry. After their marriage they
resided in Vermont for a time and emigrated to Jol-
iet, this State, in 1840, where they lived 18 years;
they then came to Geneseo, this county, where Mrs.
H. died, March, T872. Mr. H. is yet living and re-
sides with his daughter, Mrs. Lydia Smith, at
Geneseo. They had eight children, seven of whom
are yet living. There were four sons and four
daughters.

Sumner M., the youngest but one in the above fam-
ily, was educated in the public schools of Joliet;
when 17 years old he came to Geneseo, and when
20 years old he enlisted in the war for the cause of
the Union. June ro, 1861, he became a member of
Co. H, 19th Regt 111. Vol. Inf., commanded by
Capt. Garrett, now deceased. His regiment was at-
tached to the Army of the Cumberland, and partici-
pated in the battles of Stone River, Mission Ridge,
Peach-Tree Creek, and in the campaign to Atlanta,
where Mr. Harrington was honorably discharged,
July 18, 1864, at the expiration of his term of
service. Dec. 31, 1863, he was slightly wounded at
Stone River by a gunshot in his left side.

Returning to Geneseo, he was soon afterward mar-
ried, in Sandwich, DeKalb Co., 111., Sept. 30, 1866,
to Miss Cornelia Patty, daughter of Aaron and Mary
W. (Ward) Patty, natives of New Jersey, and of New
England and Holland-Dutch descent. Her parents

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418

HENRY COUNTY.

were married in Tompkins Co., N. Y., and in 1843
settled on a farm in Fox Township, Kendall Co.,
this State.

Mrs. Harrington was the eldest of a family of
seven children, .was born in Tompkins County, Dec.
24, 1841, and was but two years old when her par-
ents emigrated with their family to this State. She
was educated in Newark, Big Grove, Kendall County,
and from the age of 18 years until she was 24, the
time of her marriage, she taught school. She is now
the mother of three children : Albert E., who was
born Sept. 20, 1869; Fay M., Nov. 27, 1874, and
Harry L., July 1, 1880.

After his marriage, Mr. Harrington settled upon
the farm in LaSalle Co., 111., and in 1869 moved to
this county, renting a farm in the township of Mun-
son one year, and afterward a year in Cambridge.
In 187 1 he purchased 92 acres on section 1, Ando-
ver Township, where he has since resided.. He has
made considerable improvements upon his place, and
lias shown himself to be an enterprising and pro-
gressive farmer. All his land is cultivated, includ-
ing 78 acres in Osco Township, adjoining his home-
stead.

In his political \iews Mr. H. was formerly a Re-
publican, but is now independent. He and his wife
are members of the Bapiist Church at Cambridge.

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rs. Mary J. Van Landschoot is engaged
in the business of a merchant in the village
1 of Atkinson. She was born in Indiana, in
1848. She became the wife of Ambrose
Bernard Van Landschoot, April 7, 1869. He
was a native of Belgium and was born March
6, 1821. He died Nov. 1, 1883, of inflammatory
rheumatism. At the time of his death he was en-
gaged in the management of the business which has
been continued by his widow since his demise. He
contracted the disease which was the final cause of
his death while a soldier in the Union service. He
was a soldier for four years, and during that period
was several times confined in the hospital by the
same disorder.

He was not only a graduate of the highest institu-
tion of learning in Belgium, the College of Ste. Ne-

clonis,but he was also especially well read in history
and versed in the Belgic, English, French, Greek and
Latin languages.

Mrs. Van Landschoot is the daughter of John Ver-
ner Vincent and Anna Catharine (Hall) Holliet. Her
father was born in Hanover, Germany, Feb. 15, 1818.
The wife and mother was born in the same country,
Dec. 17, 1812, and died Dec. 7, 1882, at Geneseo,
111. Their marriage occurred in Richmond, Ind.,
Feb. 13, 1839, and they were the parents of eight
children, viz.: Mary C, Lucinda S., James G., Mary
Jane, Mary Josephine, Henry, Eliza and Maria
Theresa. Mrs. Van Landschoot is a Catholic in re-
ligious belief, as were also all the family except her
mother, who was a Lutheran.

liiK'! eter Westerlund. Among the many

fllESI: Swedes residing in Henry County, the sub-
W^ ject of this sketch is prominent. He is an
J extensive farmer and stock-raiser, living on the
north half of section 25, Western Township.
He was born in the parish of Hasela, in
Gefleborgs Lan, Aug. 10, 1839. His father, Erick,
was a native of the same State, and by occupation a
farmer. He was married to Miss Elizabeth Johnson,
daughter of a Swedish farmer, and to them were
born nine children, Peter being the youngest. Four
of the number are still living. Andrew H., a resi-
dent of Sweden, is a brother. He was formerly a
custom-house officer, but is now on the retired list,
and is pensioned by the Swedish Government. Jo-
nas is a successful farmer of Lynn Township, this
county ; Mrs. Margaret Stolt is a sister and resides
in Crawford Co., Iowa; Erick resides in Osco
Township.

Peter Westerlund was educated in America, being
only n years of age when his parents came to our
shores. While they were on their voyage across the
Atlantic, the mother and youngest daughter died,
and their bodies were consigned to the deep. The
father and the five remaining children came to An-
dover, this county, arriving here in November, 1850,
experiencing many hardships on the route. After
their arrival here, Peter's father hired him out to a
farmer near Galesburg, for four years, but at the end

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of two years, he left his place and returned home.
On the 17th of February, 1863, in Andover Town-
ship, he was married to Miss Elnora C. S. Hultman,
who was born in Sweden, and came to America alone,
then nineteen years of age. The five children born
to them are named in the following record : Oscar
William is the cashier in the bank of Orion ; John
A., Melinda, Luther R., and Peter E. reside at
home.

In 1865, Mr. W. purchased his first 80 acres of
land, on section 25, being a part of his present farm ;
since then he has increased its borders, until it now
includes an entire half section, which is all admir-
ably improved. He is not only one of the successful
farmers of the township, but ranks among the lead-
ing agriculturists of the county. The land, when
he first began to work upon it, was in its native wild-
ness, but by hard labor and a watchful care and
shrewd management, he has developed it to a high
state. The family are members of the Lutheran
Evangelical Church, of which Mr. W. is Trustee ;
and he has held all the other offices of the society.
He has also held some of the township offices.

ames Greenlee, deceased, was a pioneer of
f Henry County, in 1856. He was born in
Rockbridge Co., Va., April r4, 1813. His
parents were members of the agricultural
class, and he was reared on the farm of his
father there and in Ohio, whither the family
removed while he was still in early youth. He was
a resident of the Buckeye State until the year named
as that in which he came to Illinois, and which was
that in which he located in Henry County. He set-
tled in the township of Munson, where he became
the owner of an entire section of land, and which is
still included in his undivided estate, with the ex-
ception of one " 40."

He was married Aug 22, 1867, in Munson Town-
ship, to Gustafva L., daughter of Swan Walin. She
was born in Sweden, and came to the United States
in 1866.

Mr. Greenlee died March 29, 1884. He was a
Republican in political sentiment, and was a mem-

ber of the Presbyterian Church. He was a prom-
inent citizen as an agriculturist, and so ordered his
life that he was the recipient of the esteem and re-
spect of his fellow-men.

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ewis Shearer. One of the well known and
prominent men of the county, as well as one
of the large land owners, is Mr. Lewis
Shearer, of Cornwall Township, whose por-
trait is given upon the opposite page. He is a
son of James Shearer, a native of Saratoga
County, N. Y., where Lewis was born, Oct. 16, i8r7.
He" continued to reside with his parents, attending
school and working on the farm, until he reached his
majority.

When he was 17 years of age the family moved
from Eastern New York and located in Liv-
ingston County, same State, where Lewis remained
until he was about 22 years of age. He then con-
cluded to move still further West, and came to Tip-
pecanoe County, Ind., and settled near the famous
battle-ground where General Harrison routed Te-
cumseh. While living here he married Miss Per-
melia Burget, March 14, 1843. He remained in
Indiana until Nov. 22, r85o, when he came to Henry
County. During the following March he bought 320
acres of land where he now resides, on section 18, of
Cornwall Township, and on the 2 2d day of that
month moved upon the farm. Though no favorable
circumstances surrounded him at the beginning of
his business career, he has so managed that to-day
he is the owner of 694 acres of good farming land,
and is one of the most influential and highly re-
spected citizens of this part of the county. His land
is beautifully located and is watered by spring creeks
which run almost through the center of his farm
north and south. Upon his home farm he has
erected a splendid two-story brick dwelling and has
good equipments for carrying on mixed farming.

Mr. Shearer has taken more than ordinary promi-
nence in the local affairs of his township, and has
been brought into considerable notice as a public-
spirited citizen and one of safe and sound judgment
in the general affairs of the county. He was the first
Supervisor elected from Cornwall, and for 18 years

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HENRY COUNTY.

since, has represented that district in the Board of
Supervisors. ' He has also served as Town Treas-
urer for nine years In his political affiliations he is
connected with the Republican party. Both he and
his wife are members of the Christian Church. They
are the parents of six children, as follows : Sarah,
Mary Ann, Norman and Lewis R., are living. Bruce,
who was killed by the fall of a horse in July, T867,
and Albert J., who died in 1872.

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'sel H. Talcott, deceased, was an early set-
tler in Henry County and a pioneer of the
State of Illinois. He was a native of the
State of New York, and was 35 years of age
when he came, in 1839, to Rock Island Coun-
ty, from northern Ohio, whither he had re-
moved in 1828. In 1844, he removed to Rock River,
and four years later he established " Talcott 's Ferry,"
in the township of Zuma, which he conducted from
that side of the river until 1857, when he crossed
the river into Hanna Township. He was a resident
there about 20 years, his death occurring Feb. 9,
1876.

He was born in Fairfield, Herkimer Co., N. Y.,
March 15, 1804. The family of which he was a
descendant was prominent in New England, where
his immediate ancestors originated and whence his
father removed to the Empire State.

Mr. Talcott was married to Jane M. Thayer, at
Rome, in Herkimer County, Aug. 15, 1823. They
went to the State of Ohio to seek wider privileges in
a new region, and in May, 1839, located, as has been
stated, in the township of Hampton, in Rock Island
County. In 1844 he bought a farm in Zuma Town-
ship and became prominent in his relations to the
community of the county through the interest he
took in the development and progress of the affairs
of Western Illinois. He was given to experiments
in agriculture, and his fruit orchard was a model in
variety and was a proof of the possibilities in that
line on the course of the river. After his removal to
Henry County he was the same in his interest in the
general welfare. He served as Justice of the Peace
a number of years. Up to the time of his death his
habits were those of an industrious and useful citi-
zen. He was a man of most correct morals and was

never addicted to the use of intoxicants or of to-
bacco.

His first wife, to whom he was married in the
State of New York, bore him five children. Dr.
Edwin Talcott, a practicing physician of Spring Hill,
Whiteside County, is the oldest ; Electa is deceased ;
Dexter is a resident of Sharon, 111. ; Catherine is the
widow of M. A. Stickney and lives at Greenfield,
Iowa. Mrs. Jane M. Talcott died in Hampton, in
April, 1841. Mr. Talcott was married, at Rock
Island, Dec. 3, 1841, to Mrs. Minerva Newton. She
was the widow of William Newton and was in
maiden life Miss Shaw. She was born in the vicin-
ity of Stockholm, St. Lawrence Co., N. Y. By her
first marriage she was the mother of a son, — Horatio,
who died when eight years old. To Mr. Talcott
she bore three children : William H. married Martha
Edwards and is a resident of the State of Nebraska ;
Lucy is the wife of Henry L. Angell, of Geneseo,
who is represented in this work; Mary M. is the
wife of F. R. Timmerman, of Spring Hill, Whiteside
Co., 111.

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euben McFarland, general farmer and
stock-raiser, section r, Andover Township
was born in Coshocton Co., Ohio, Oct.
15, 1826. His father, John, Ja farmer, and
his mother, nee Hannah Fowles, were natives
of Pennsylvania, and were married at Mifflin,
Lancaster Co., Pa. After the birth of one child, —
Elizabeth, now deceased, — they removed to Ohio,
and resided there until T853, when the family, then
consisting of three children, emigrated westward.

Two sons came to this county and settled at Cam-
bridge, but Reuben, who had previously married,
went to Louisa Co., Iowa, and located near Black
Hawk. After a short residence there, he came here
and purchased a house and lot in Cambridge, and
for a year followed the trade of carpenter, which he
had learned when a young man, in Holmes Co.,
Ohio. The first farm owned by Mr. McFarland was
a tract of 80 acres in Osco Township, this county,
which he purchased about 1856. After following
farming there until r88r, he sold out and settled /[>
upon a farm of 78 acres where he at present resides,
and which he had bought; before his'removal there.

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HENRY COUNTY.

423

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He is a progressive, enterprising and industrious ag-
riculturist. In his politics he is decisively indenti-
fied with the Democratic party, is influential in his
political opinions, and as a citizen every way. He
and his family are zealous members of the Christian
Church.

Mr. McFarland celebrated his marriage in Holmes
Co., Ohio, to which place his parents had moved
when he was but a boy. Dec. 20, 1849, he wedded
Miss Sarah Sheldon, who was born Feb. 18, 1830, at
Zanesville, Ohio. Her father, Thomas Sheldon, was
a native of the State of New York, and his mother,
nee Huldah Tharp, was born in New Jersey. Her
parents were married in the latter State, and after-
ward settled on a farm in Holmes Co., Ohio, where
her mother died in 1854; and her father died in
Hardin Co., Iowa, in 1872. Mr. and Mrs. McF.
have had 14 children, half of whom are now dead.
The living are John E. (married), William I.,
Thomas, Reuben E., Emery W., Hayden and Her-
bert L. William and Thomas completed their edu-
cation at the commercial schools at Davenport, la.
The names of the deceased are Loretta, Flora R.,
Hannah, Sarah (who died after her marriage), Frank,
Minnie B. and Burtie.

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illiam G. Hawkins, a retired farmer and
dealer in stoGk at Geneseo, was born in
Providence Co., R. I., Dec. 15, 1827. His
parents, Stephen and Abbie (Walden) Haw-
kins, are natives of the same State and are
still living, aged respectively 93 and 85. The
families of both are remarkable for tenacity of life.

Mr. Hawkins was reared to manhood and to an
age when he entered upon the course of active busi-
ness life, in his native town, and he became inter-
ested in the dairy line of farming. He was married
there to Mercy M. Wilcox. She is the daughter of
parents who were both born in that State, and were
of English extraction by birth. Their names were
John and Sarah (Whitford) Wilcox.

In March, 1859, Mr. and Mrs. Hawkins came to
Illinois and located in McLean County. There Mr.
Hawkins engaged extensively in agriculture until
1866, the year of his removal to Henry County.
During their residence there one child was born to

them, who died in infancy. He was named Byron.
Mr. Hawkins has extended his agricultural relations
until he is the owner of three farms in Champaign
County, which comprise 600 acres, all being under
advanced cultivation. He has besides 160 acres of
valuable land in Lancaster County, near the city of
Lincoln, Neb. Since his removal to Geneseo, he
has conducted a prosperous business in the sale of
agricultural implements and in traffic in stock.

In the early days of his political connection, he
was a Whig, but he cherished Free-Soil principles
and became a Republican when that party was
organized. He has filled the office of Alderman at
Geneseo two years.

yron H. Dilenbeck, a farmer of Edford
Township, has been a resident of Henry
County since 1855, a period of exactly 30
years. He is a prosperous farmer and a
useful citizen. He was born in Le Ray, Jeffer-
son Co., N. Y., March 6, 1840, and is the sec-
ond son of Abraham and Barbara (Petre) Dilenbeck.
He passed his youth after the manner in which the
children of farmers commonly do, attending school
and in rendering such assistance as he could on the
farm. The family came to Henry County in 1855,
and he was an inmate of the paternal home until he
became the head of a household himself.

His marriage to Sarah C. Spickler took place in
January, 1864. She was born in the city of Lancas-
ter, Pa., April 26, 1843. After their marriage they
located on the old homestead, which was situated on
the southwest quarter of section 15, in Edford Town-
ship. A few weeks later Mr. Dilenbeck sold his
family estate and bought the northeast quarter of
section 23, which he owned and occupied until 1878.
In that year he again sold and purchased the south-
east quarter of the same section, on which he lived
until 1 88 1. He then rented the place and bought a
home in the city of Geneseo. He removed there in
the same year and was a resident for three years. In
1884 he returned to the farm, and has since con-
tinued its management. The place is in creditable
condition and well supplied with farm appurten-
ances.

Mr. Dilenbeck entered the military service of the

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424

HENRY COUNTY

United States in the first year of the Civil War. He
enlisted in Co. I, 112th Reg. 111. Vol. Inf., and was
in the field about nine months. At the end of that
time he was discharged on account of disability and
returned to his home.

He is an advocate of " temperance," having re-
frained from the use of spirituous liquors and tobacco
all his life.

To him and his wife three children have been
born, who are named Albert C, Elvine F. and Minnie
V. The parents are members of the Methodist
Episcopal Church.

eonard Sieben, Assessor of Phenix Town-
ship, is a resident on section 28, of the
same township. He was born in Hesse-
~j£ Darmstadt, Germany, Feb. 15, 1844. His pa-
1 ^ rents, Joseph and Aboline Sieben, were also born
{ in the same part of "Das Faderland." In 1852
the family removed to the United States, and the
father made a location at first in Whiteside County.
There they lived as renters until the death of the
father. That event occurred Jan. 1, 1859. The
death of the mother took place in Chicago a few
months after coming to this country. Joseph Sieben
was married again after the death of his first wife, and
of the second marriage there was one child born.
The first wife was the mother of seven children, all
of whom are now living and are located as follows :
John, the oldest, is a citizen of Loraine Township;
Teresa is the wife of Henry H. Hamman, of Osco
Township; Valentine is represented by a sketch in
another part of this volume ; Margaret is the wife of
George Arnett, of whom a biographical notice is
given elsewhere; Leonard is the next in order of
birth; Henry lives in Montana; Jacob also resides in
that Territory.

Mr. Sieben was a lad of T3 when his father died,
and he was under the necessity of undertaking the
settlement of the question of taking care of himself
without aid, either in the merits of the problem or in
the fact that presented itself with convincing force.
He first obtained employment as a farm assistant in
the vicinity where he had lived, but he was occupied
there only a brief period. In 1864 he set out for the
territories, and he went to that part of Idaho which I

is now named Montana. In company with three
others he made the journey to the distant West over-
land, and they traveled there in three months and
seven days, landing at Virginia City.

He was first employed as a teamster and followed
that occupation until the spring of 1866. He then
bought a team and engaged in freighting goods be-
tween Fort Benton and Virginia City, to the city of
Helena and to other towns in the interior which
were then the sites of the mining camps. He oper-
ated in that line of business until the spring of 1870,
when he went to Utah and there bought a herd of
young cattle which he drove to Montana to sell. He
devoted three years to the prosecution of that busi-
ness and at the end of that time he settled in
Meagher County, in Montana Territory, where he
lived on a stock ranch until the fall of 1879. He
then sold out and returned to the East, and soon
after, in January, 1880, he bought a farm on section
28 in Phenix Township. This has since' been his
home and his field of operation as a farmer. He has
improved the place and all its appurtenances and has
one of the most desirable places in the township.
Mr. Sieben affords a good illustration of what a life
devoted to worthy effort may bring forth. With
nothing to aid him but a determination to make good
use of his time in taking advantage of the opportuni-
ties afforded in a free land, where his privileges were
not restricted beyond those of any other class, he has
made his way to a position, not only of comfort and
ease, but to one of confidence and trust in the gift of
his fellow-citizens. He was elected to the office of
Assessor in 1884.

April 9, 1878, he was married to Sarah, daughter
of Henry and Susan (Henney) Hines. She was born
in the township where she now lives. To her and
her husband four children have been born, and they
are named as follows : Olive, Sylvia, Ira and Erie.

Lr. Wilson W. Adams, a rising practitioner

of Henry County, resident at Atkinson,

commenced his business career in the

.■p place where he is now operating in 1883.

^ He is a native of the Dominion of Canada, and

was born near the city of Kingston, Nov. 16,

1853. His parents, George C. and Harriet R.

(Johnson) Adams came, when he was an infant of ,

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HENRY COUNTY.

425

two years, to the States. His father was born in
the Stat-i of New York, Jan. 31, 1826, and went to
Canada when but a child. He was there engaged
in the business of farming, and was married in 1848.
The lady who became his wife was also a native of
the Empire State. They had three children : Maria
E. was born in 1850; the subject of this sketch is
the second child in order of birth; George P. was
born in August, i860.

The family came to Henry County in 1855, and
Dr. Adams commenced the acquisition of his ele-
mentary education in the common schools of the
place where his parents settled. He passed the in-
tervals of school in farm labor. In 1873 he was
sent to the college located in the town of Abingdon,
111. He began teaching in 1872, and taught only
winters during the period of eight years, meanwhile
obtaining a slight knowledge of the principles of his
profession by desultory reading. About 1880 he
entered Rush Medical College at Chicago, where he
passed three years in study. On the completion of
his course he settled at Atkinson, and began the
practice of the business for which he had fitted him-
self. He is the owner of an excellent library and
has a good office. He is an adherent of the school
of allopathy, and is sure to obtain prominence as a
physician. He is a Republican in his political senti-
ments.

The marriage of Dr. Adams to Jennie M. Holli-
day occurred Dec. 26, 1877. They were married in
Mercer Co., 111. Mrs. Adams is a native of Illinois.
They are still childless.

* -«- *

'oseph Hammond, of Geneseo, became a
prominent resident of Henry County in
1856. He made his first acquaintance
with Western Illinois in 1854, when he came
iC to this county and, associated with his brother,
he bought 1,800 acres of land within its limits.
The railroad was completed to the place that year,
and the outlook of the adjacent region was favorable
to business projects. On the incorporation of Gen-
eseo, he was made one of its first Board of Aldermen,
and he was the second Mayor, serving consecutively
three years. He has since officiated as Alderman
several terms. He acted in the capacity of Chair-

!rV®>)^#

man of the Board of Village Trustees two years be-
fore the organization of the city. He has also been
active in school affairs and has been School Trustee
several years.

Mr. Hammond was born July 9, 18 12, in Wards-
boro, Windham Co., Vt., and is the son of Peter and
Charlotte (Holbrook) Hammond. His father was in
some respects the most remarkable individual in the
history of Geneseo, and a detailed sketch of him has
been placed on permanent record on these pages.

Mr. Hammond was a millwright and machinist in
his native State, and afier he came to Geneseo he
devoted himself to the pursuit of a gunsmith. At
that date an artisan of that craft was in demand for
obvious reasons, and he made his business success-
ful and prosperous.

His marriage to Polly Converse took place at
Wardsboro, Vt., Jan. 23, 1834. Mrs. Hammond is
the daughter of Joseph Converse, and she was born
at Palmer, Mass. John Hammond, the only child
born to Mr. and Mrs. Hammond, is a citizen of
Geneseo. The parents are Unitarians in religious
views.

Hr. Hammond was in the days of his early polit-
ical preference a Henry Clay Whig, but on the es-
tablishment of the Republican party he joined its
ranks and has since been a faithful adherent of
that element and aided as he could in support of its
issues. He is a member of the Order of Masonry.

■ acob Jacobson, deceased, formerly a resi-
" dent of Weller Township, this county, was
a native of Sweden, in which country he
was born March 18, 1817. Mr. Jacobson
spent his life on a farm in his native country
until he attained the age of 29 years. He
emigrated to this land of golden opportunity in 1846,
and came directly to this county, locating at Bishop
Hill. They came to the latter place from Chicago
with teams, the women of the company riding, Mr.
J. walking the entire distance. A Swedish colony
was located at the place named, which Mr. Jacobson
and family joined, and with whom they remained
until its dissolution. Mr. Jacobson then engaged in
general mercantile business with Swan Swanson,

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426

HENRY COUNTY.

which partnership existed until 1873, when they
sold out.

In 1872 Mr. Jacobson was stricken with paralysis,
from which he never fully recovered. He owned
about 300 acres of land at the time of his death, the
major portion of which was in an advanced state of
cultivation. Mr. Jacobson's marriage occurred at
Bishop Hill, this county, July 29, 1848, and the
lady chosen as his helpmeet through life was Miss
Helena Peterson, a native of Sweden, who came to
this county and located at Bishop Hill at the same
time Mr. Jacobson did. Their union was blessed
with four children, only one of whom survived, —
Jacob Jacobson, Jr. The demise of the three others
occurred in infancy.

Mr. Jacobson was a member of the Methodist
Church, of which denomination his wife is also a
member. Politically, Mr. J. affiliates with the Re-
publican party. He was Supervisor of his township,
also Constable, and held other minor offices. His
death occurred Dec. 15, T883. His wife survives
him, and resides on Weller Township.

esse Bolles, a manufacturer of boots and
f shoes at Orion and a Trustee of the vil-
lage, was born in Thompson, Windham
Co., Conn. His father, Dan Bolles, was a
native of the same township, of New England
ancestry and parentage, and of English de-
scent. Jesse's grandfather, same name, was a native
also of the " land of steady habits," was a shoemaker
by vocation, and married, in that State, Hannah
Nichols, a native of New England. They were con-
siderably advanced in life when they settled in
Thompson, Conn., where they passed the remainder
of their days ; the grandfather died at the age of 87
years, and the grandmother some years previous, at
about the same age. The former had occupied the
position of Steward at Brown University, in Provi-
dence, R. I., and he also was for a time a resident
of Woodstock, Conn.

Mr. Dan Bolles spent his early life at home, and
later became a trader in shoes, etc., carrying his
goods to the South and selling them to slave-owners.
For a short time he was a soldier in the War of 181 2,
being located at New London, Conn. His brother

was for some years a professor in an institution of
learning at Charleston, S. C. ' Dan was married in
Thompson, Conn., to Pamelia Comins, who was a
native of the same county, of New England parentage
and ancestry. She died in her native county when
about 37 years old, of consumption, and he died
when a little more than 70 years old, at Cleveland,
Ohio.

Jesse, whose name heads this biography, is the
eldest in a family of three children, the other two
being George, who was a sailor and was lost at sea
by being blown off the yard arm of the ship " Boy "
as it was passing around Cape Horn, S. A., and
John L., also a sailor, and probably yet living.

Jesse resided at home, attending the public schools
until he was about 16 years of age, when he began
to learn the trade of shoemaker under the instruc-
tions and guidance of Alpheus Brown, of Thompson.
After serving nearly three years he was married, and
two years afterward he went to Providence and there
followed his trade successfully from 1835 to 1852;
he then emigrated to the wide West, reached La
Salle, 111., by railroad and canal-boat, and then started
across the country in a " prairie schooner," arriving
at Rock Island city, where they made a settlement.
Mr. B. followed his trade at that place for some
time, when he crosse the river to Davenport, where
he worked at shoemaking until 1869, when he re-
turned to Rock Island and made his home there
until 1875. At that time he came to Orion, this
county, and established a shop for the manufacture
of shoes, which he has since continued, and has
proven to be an honorable and much respected citi-
zen of that place. Much of the time since he came
West he served as foreman in the larger shops where
he worked.

Mr. Bolles was married at Thompson, Oct. 7, 1833,
to Miss Lucinda N. Stanley, who was born in Wind-
ham Co., Conn., March 30, 1815. She was the
daughter of a Connecticut carpenter, and both her
parents died in Massachusetts after her marriage.
The family consists of three children, viz. : Elizabeth
P., wife of Thomas Duncan, now of Republican City,
Neb., and the mother of five children : LeonoraB.,Will-
iam E., Jessie B., James and Fred. Jessie was fatally
scalded; Edgar married Mary E. Watson, and resides
at Chicago; William A. married, Sept. 30, 1869, at
Davenport, Iowa, Miss Mary A. Salisbury, who was
born in Preston, Lancashire, Eng., Feb. 9, 1848, and

OJL

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HENRY COUNTY.

427

9
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came with her parents to the United States when a
girl 12 years of age. Her father was a tailor by oc-
cupation, and located in Davenport, but now resides
at Afton, Union Co., Iowa. Mrs. B., is the mother
of one child, Nellie A., who was born April 29, 1871.
William A. Bolles, who is at present the editor of
the Orion Times, served an apprenticeship at Daven-
port on a paper published in that city. He followed
his trade in that city until 1873, being n years since
he began as an apprentice. At that date he went to
Burlington, where he was engaged on the Hawkeye
for five years as assistant foreman. In 1877 he
came to Orion for the purpose of establishing a pa-
per; but, one having been previously started by A.
H. Chaffee, called the Orion Videite, he connected
himself with it for a short time ; then, in company
with his nephew, Nelson J. Ludi, he purchased the
paper from Mr. Chaffee and changed its name to the
Orion Times. For a time after the purchase and
while Mr. Bolles was connected with the Hawkeye,
it was run by Mr. Ludi, also during the time of his
connection with the Peoria Transcript. In 1883
Mr. Bolles became sole proprietor and editor of the
journal. He has since placed the Times on a sound
financial basis, and has been reasonably successful.
It has a good circulation, both at home and in the
West, and enjoys a fair advertising patronage. The
paper is purely independent in sentiment, although
Mr. Bolles is a Democratic of the first water. It is
just such a sheet as every person who has an interest
in the community should patronize.

j^orace W. Moses, proprietor of the Maple
City Creamery, and also a dealer in prod-
uce at that place, has been a citizen of the
county since 1869. He was born in Cumber-
land Co., Me., Oct. 15, 1839. He is the son
of William and Adeline (Harman) Moses. He
was reared to the estate of manhood in his native
State, and on entering into active life interested him-
self in the purchase and sale of produce in the city
of Portland in that State. He continued in business
there until his removal to Illinois. In the fall of
the same year he began buying poultry, and within
the first year his sales amounted to tons. Its pres-
ent estimate is about 90 tons yearly, in the single

article of dressed poultry. The aggregate of his
business, which is transacted principally in Henry
County, is estimated at an average of 425 tons. His
principal point of shipment is Boston. His sales
amount yearly to about $125,000. Mr. Moses is
associated in business with William Rideout, of
Chemung, Iowa. In addition to the business of his
creamery and that connected with the purchase
and sale of produce, he was formerly interested in
the manufacture and sale of wooden ware, but he
sold his business in that line in 1872.

The Maple City Creamery was established at
Geneseo in 1879, and was the first institution of the
kind in Henry County. Mr. Moses was its founder,
and he transacted' its relations singly until 1883,
when he admitted J. F. Dearborn as a partner.
The firm style is Moses & Dearborn. The estab-
lishment turns out a yearly product of 125,000
pounds of butter annually.

The marriage of Mr. Moses to Nellie Nelson took
place at Portland, Me., Jan. 31, 1870. Mrs. Moses
was born in Boston, and is the daughter of Samuel
Nelson. Their children, three in number, are named
Howard N, Harry S. and Drusilla A. Mr. Moses
is a Prohibitionist in his principles of social econ-
omy. His wife is connected with the Baptist Church
in membership.

ohn Owen, of the firm of Owen & Johnson,
general dealers in merchandise at Orion,
is a son of Morris and Catharine Owen,
the ftther being a native of Wales. The
father emigrated to America when he was 24
years of age, locating in Indiana Co., Pa.,
where he was united in marriage to Catharine Ash-
croft. They followed the occupation of farming, and
were enterprising and well respected citizens in the
community in which they resided. Of their union
were born n children, of whom our subject was
eighth in order of birth.

John, whose name heads this article, remained
under the parental roof-tree until he reached his
21st year, in the meantime having received his edu-
cation in the public schools of his native county.
After he arrived at his majority, he followed the trade
of a carpenter, which he learned under no special

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428

HENRY COUNTY.

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apprenticeship. He came to Illinois in 1854, locat-
ing at Orion, and engaged to work at his trade. In
1857 he removed to Missouri, where he resided at the
breaking out of the Rebellion. He enlisted in the
1 8th Mo. Vol. Inf., Oct. 2, i86r ; was captured Sept.
T4, 1863, and taken to Richmond, Va. ; served six
months in prison ; was exchanged March 21,1864,
and joined his regiment at Kenesaw Mountain, Ga.,
and was finally mustered out at Savannah, Ga., Dec
25, 1864. He then came back to Orion, in 1865.

In 1867 he estab'ished his present business as
general merchant, operating it for some lime on his
own account, but in T882 formed a partnership, tak-
ing his present partner in the business. Mr. Owen
is the possessor of considerable property, located in
the village, besides his store.

Politically, Mr. O. is a believer in, and a strong
advocate of, the principles adopted by the Republi-
can party.

H. Long, practicing physician and surgeon,
residing at Oiion, is a son of Christopher
and Elizabeth (Long) Long, natives of In-
diana Co., Pa , and of German and Scotch ex-
traction. The grandfather of Dr. Long, Wil-
liam Long by name, is yet a resident of Indiana"
Pa., being 94 years of age. He was born in
Bedford County, that State. His wife, grandmother
of our subject, was a Stanley, and came from Stan-
ley's Green, Scotland. She was the daughter of an
old Scotch silk manufacturer, and emigrated to this
country when quite young, and died in Indiana
County, in the winter of 1863. The parents of the
subject of this article always resided in Indiana
County, where the mother died March 16, 1884.
The father is still a resident of the old homestead in
that county, and is about 69 years of age. He has
been during his life one of the prominent farmers of
that county, and one of her honored and respected
citizens.

Dr. Long, subject of this biographical notice, was
reared on his father's farm in Indiana Co., Pa., al-
ternating his labors thereon by attending the dis-
trict schools, and the academy at Pine Flat, that
county, and securing a good preparatory education

previous to entering medical college. He remained
at the parental home until he attained the age of
23 years, when, having received a good education
as stated, he entered the office of Dr. Thomas Mc-
Mullen, of Greenville, his native county, to study
under his instructions for the practice of medicine.
In the winter of T865-6, he entered the Medical
Department of the State University at Ann Arbor,
Mich. After six months' study at that place, he,
late in the spring of 1866, came to Morn'stown, this
county, and entered upon the practice of his pro-
fession at that place. In the following fall, 1867, he
entered the Jefferson Medical College at Philadel-
phia, where, March 5, r868, he graduated with hon-
ors. On receiving his diploma, he at once returned
to Morristown, where he resumed his practice, which
he continued at that place until the fall of r869.
Nov. 15, of that year, he came to Orion and entered
upon the active practice of his profession. Since
that date he has continued to practice at Orion, and
by carefully diagnosing his cases, and prompt and
skillful attention to the same, he has established a
good and increasing practice. He owns two village
lots in the city, together with a good residence and
office on Bank Street. The Doctor is also the pro-
prietor of a farm of 200 acres of improved land, lo-
cated on section 22, Western Township.

Dr. Long entered the state of matrimony May 5,
1868, at Swedona, Mercer County, this State, wed-
ding Miss Mary L., the accomplished daughter of
Edwin and Lucina (Chapin) Jordan, formerly of
Vermont and Maine, and of New England parentage.
Her parents settled in Wisconsin, where her father
followed the vocation of a farmer in Green, Lake
County, and where Mrs. Long was born, March 22,
1849. Her father was a native of Bangor, Me., and
both parents are deceased. Mrs.~Long came to
Rock Island County, and received a good education
in the public schools. She is the mother of four
children by Dr. Long, — Judson H., born Feb. 15,
1870; Mabel L., Oct. 4, 1872 ; Edwin L. and Edgar
H. (twins), born July 31, r878. Dr. Long is a mem-
ber of the A. F. & A. M., and also the I. O. O. F.
He is Treasurer of the Masonic Lodge, No. 535, lo-
lated at Orion, and is also President of the Board of
Health of the village of Orion. He and his wife are
members of the First Baptist Church. Politically,
Dr. Long is a believer in, and a successful advocate
of, the principles adopted by the Republican party.

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HENRY COUNTY.

429

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eander Woodruff, who is engaged in agri-
cultural pursuits and the raising of live
stock on section 1, Andover Township, is a
son of Amos Woodruff, who was a native of
New Jersey, of New England parentage, and
emigrated to Knox County, Ohio, and was mar-
ried in 1837 to Miss Mary E. While, a native of
Pennsylvania and of Pennsylvania-German ancestry*
He died in 1841, and his widow in 1854 married Ira
Parker, and in 1852 emigrated West, settling in
Burns Township, this county, where she died March
13, 1855, aged about 37 years, and where Mr. Parker
is still living, a prominent farmer.

Mr. Woodruff, whose name heads this biograph-
ical sketch, was born June 14, 1839, in Knox County,
Ohio, and after the death of his father he continued
to live with his mother until her death in this county,
as above mentioned. He is the elder of two chil
dren by his mother's first marriage. He then set out
in the world to earn his livelihood and take charge
of his own interests. He commenced as a general
laborer and was thus engaged until he enlisted in the
war for the cause of the Union. He became a mem-
ber of Co. D, ri2th Regt. 111. Vol. Inf., under Capt.
A. A. Dunn, of Cambridge, Aug. 9, 1862. He at
once went to the front, and during his term of ser-
vice he participated in the battle of Knoxville and in
the Tennessee campaign. He escaped being wounded
or taken prisoner and was honorably discharged at
the close of the war and after the expiration of his
term of service, of nearly three years, June 20, 1865,
at Greensborough, N. C.

Returning to this county, -he at once began farm-
ing, in which pursuit he has been successfully en-
gaged. He lived in Burns Township until 1877,
when he moved upon a farm of 300 acres on section
2, Andover Township, and after five years' residence
there he removed to section 1, upon the Rockwell
farm, where he is now a resident.

Aug. 14, 1862, five days after he enlisted in the
war, Mr. Woodruff was united in matrimony, in
Burns Township, this county, with Miss Rebecca M.
Rishel, who was born in Light Street, Columbia Co.,
Pa., May 30, 1845, the daughter of a dentist by the
name of Jacob Rishel. The latter married Sarah A.
Kester, who now resides near Cambridge, this county.
S^pC Qy^fift

Mrs. R. lived with her parents in her native Slate
until 16 years old, when she came with them to Burns
Township, above mentioned, where she resided until
her marriage. Mr. and Mrs. W. are the parents of
two children, namely: Eva L., born Aug. 13, 1868,
and Albert Burtis, born Aug. 28, 1872, died June 8,
1874.

Mr. Woodruff is a Republican in his political doc-
trines, and his wife is a member of the Methodist
Episcopal Church.

John C. Woodruff, brother of the above, was killed
at Jackson, Miss., by the bursting of a shell, while
he was fighting for the cause of his country in the 3d
Iowa Inf. He was with his regiment through the
whole siege of Vicksburg, and eight days after the
surrender of that place, July 12, 1863, his birthday,
he was killed, being then just 23 years of age. His
rank was that of Orderly Sergeant. He was buried
near by, at a place which cannot now be traced, as
no monument or other sign has ever been placed
upon the grave of this hero.

Jj\i©*s«*

j^ugh W. Pritchard, a well-to-do farmer of
Alba Township, located on section 29, is
the son of Henry Pritchard, who was born
in the County Down, Ireland, in the year 1816.
He was there married June 16, 1836, to Mary
Warnock, and their union was blessed with four
sons, who were born as follows: William, Sept. 26,
1837 ; James I., March 5, 1839; Samuel, Feb. 18,
1841; Henry, March 27, 1843. The mother died
April 14, 1845, and Mr. Pritchard was again married
in September following to Mary Boyd. Their chil-
dren numbered seven: Alexander was born Oct. 15,
1846; Alice June 3,1848; Robert L., Dec. n, 1849;
Hugh W. Oct. 6, 185 1 ; Mary J., July 15, 1853; Sa-
rah, July 7, 1-856. In 1856 the family emigrated to
the United States, and came direct to Henry County,
where the father purchased 160 acres of land on
sections 29 and 32, and where he passed the re-
mainder of his life, dying March 4, 1885. The
death of his second wife occurred April 14, 1881.

Mr. Pritchard was a lad of 13 when he crossed
the ocean to his home in the United States, and he
has since been a faithful adherent of the land which
has since given him the privileges of unrestricted

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HENRY COUNTY.

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citizenship. He is a Republican, and has supported
the issues of that political element since he secured
the right to express his preference according to the
forms prescribed by the laws.

He was married Feb. 7, 1883, to Augusta S. G.
McCracken, and they have one daughter, Maud I.,
born Jan. 3, 1884. James and Eliza McCracken,
the parents of Mrs. Pritchard are both natives of
the County Down, Ireland. Her father was born in
1808; he was married to his wife there in 1831.
Their children are five in number, — John, Agnes,
Lizzie, Mary and Augusta.

Mr. and Mrs. Pritchard are members of the Con-
gregational Church. Mr. Pritchard is the owner of
a half interest in an undivided tract of land con-
taining 920 acres, all lying in the township of Alba.
He is extensively interested in rearing Durham
Short-hoin cattle, and in breeding Clydesdale, Nor-
man and English Draft horses. He exhibits fine
droves of Poland-China swine.

Four-fifths of the place is fenced with hedges and
the remainder with wire, and with three, four and
five board fences. It includes 22 fields, which are
watered by Green River and the creeks by which
they are traversed. There are 995 rods of tile ditch.
At convenient locations there are five wells and
three windmills. On the farm are two excellent
orchards and two gardens.

ijienry L. Angell, a resident of Geneseo, is
'is considered one of the model farmers of
Henry County. He is the owner of 300
acres of land, which lies in this and in Rock
Island counties. The entire tract is in a con-
dition which reflects the utmost credit on the
skill, industry and judgment of the proprietor.

Mr. Angell was born Sept. 27, 1836, in South Cor-
inth, Saratoga Co., N. Y., and is the son of Tames
and Sally Hodges (Lincoln) Angell. His father was
one of the leading agriculturists of that section, and
the son was trained in a complete knowledge of all
farming relations, which he brought to bear on the
prairies with the most satisfactory results. He came
to Illinois while he was still in his early manhood,
and was married to Lucy Talcott, at Port Byron,
July 2, 18 — . She was born in the township of

-V@>^f

Zuma, in that county, Oct. 16, 1847, and is the
daughter of Asel H. Talcott. A detailed sketch of
the father of Mrs. Angell forms a portion of these
records, and are to be found on another page.

Mr. and Mrs. Angell were occupants of the home-
stead of her father, in the township of Zuma, until
their removal, in July, 1883, to Geneseo Township.

They have ten children, — two sons and eight
daughters. Six are still living. A pair of twin chil-
dren, who were born third in order of birth, died in
infancy. Florence T., Jessie L., Edward S., Ber-
nice (drowned at the age of two), Judd S. (died in
infancy). Myrtle L., Vivia M. and Eva L. are the
names of those living.

Mr. Angell is a Republican in political relations,
and is foremost in his practice and advocacy of the
principles of temperance and morality.

>j|'l|j( ndrew Peterson, residing on section 4,
Lynn Township, where he is engaged in
18 the occupation of farming, was born in
Linkoping Lan, Sweden, Dec. 20, 1827, of
which country his parents were both natives,
and where they followed farming until their
death, which occurred when Andrew was about 8
years old.

From the time of his parents' death Andrew lived
among strangers, working around for a living. At
24 years of age he emigrated to the United States,
and after stopping a short time at Andover he went
to Knox County, this State, where he remained for a
time, following different occupations, and then came
to this county. He was -united in marriage April 1,
1854, in Andover, this State, with Christina M.
Anderson, a native of Sweden, where she was born
Sept. 16, 1826. Her parents died when she was a
young lady, and she afterward emigrated to this
country with her brother, in 1849, two years prior
to the emigration of Mr. Peterson. She located
with friends in Andover, this county, where she con-
tinued to reside until her marriage to Mr. Peterson.
Mr. and Mrs. Peterson were the parents of eight
children, five sons and three daughters : three sons
and one daughter are deceased ; Mary E. married
William Gabrielson, and they now reside in Lynn
Township, where he is engaged in farming ; Joseph^

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HENRY COUNTY.

ine resideswith her parents, as likewise do John E.
and Henry H.

The first purchase of land which Mr. Peterson
made in this county was in 1853, and consisted of
26 acres of unbroken prairie, where he at present
resides. By energetic effort, good judgment and
economy he succeeded in accumulating sufficient to
purchase 290 acres additional, and at present is the
proprietor of 316 acres of land, the major portion of
which is under an advanced state of cultivation.
His residence and outbuildings are good and sub-
stantial, being comparatively new and well built, and
his farm presents the appearance of thrift and labor.
His family are members of the Evangelical Lutheran
Swedish Church at Orion, in which denomination
Mr. Peterson has held the position of Trustee and
Treasurer for several years.

Mr. Peterson has held the rrlinor offices of his
township, Commissioner of Highways, etc., and
politically, is a believer in and a supporter of the
principles advocated by the Republican party.

-S-

smyn B. Gilbert, a farmer of Edford
Township, has been a resident of Henry
County since 1845. He was born in the
town of Italy, Ontario Co., N. Y., Dec. 12,
1828. Joseph O. Gilbert, his father, was born
in Bristol, in the same county. He was con-
verted in early life and joined the Baptist Church.
He fitted himself for the duties of a ministerial life,
and was licensed to preach in Jamestown, in his na-
tive county. His wife, the mother of Mr. Gilbert
of this narration, was named Speedy M. Tayler pre-
vious to her marriage. She was born in the town of
Middlesex, in a part of the county of Ontario, now
included in the county of Yates. She was born
Aug. 24, r8io. Her father was a native of Connect-
icut, and her mother was born in Massachusetts.
They were pioneers of Ontario County.

The parents of Mr. Gilbert removed when he was
a child of about two years to Mt. Morris in the same
county, and a year later they went to Chautauqua
County, in the State of New York, and were resident
there two years. In 1833 they went to the State of
Michigan, and settled near the present site of Man-
chester, in Washtenaw County. They were the very

first settlers in that neighborhood, and were 18 miles
distant from any white settlers. Indians and wild
game were abundant. The first home there was a
log cabin of the smallest dimensions possible for
their accommodation, and as soon as possible the
father built a hewed-log house of a quality to make
ample amends for all former inconvenience. After
the transfer of his interests to Michigan, the senior
Gilbert changed his religious views and joined the
Methodist Episcopal Church, in which he became a
preacher. The family remained in the Peninsular
State until the year named as that in which they re-
moved to Henry County — 1845.

The first winter was passed in Cambridge, and in
the following year they located in the town of Colo-
na. After a residence there of 12 years, they went
to Edford Township, and there bought a farm on sec-
tion 18. Soon after fixing his residence in Edford
Township, Mr. Gilbert was called to the Pastorship
of the Methodist Episcopal Church in Rock Island.
Later he filled the charge of Pastor of the Church'in
Moline. He held the position in both places as long
as the rules of the Church permitted, and afterwards
preached in various places. At the time of his death,
which transpired Feb. 14, 1863, he lived at Kewa-
nee. His widow still survives him, and she lives
with her son.

The latter lived with his parents until his father
became Pastor of the Church in Rock Island, and then
took charge of the farm. Later, he bought land ad-
joining, on section 17, and he has continued his op-
erations as an agriculturist until he takes rank with
the leading farmers in Henry County. His estate
now contains 320 acres of land, and he has a dairy
of considerable dimensions, which business he is
prosecuting with reasonable success. In 1878 Mr.
Gilbert purchased an interest in the Green River
Cheese Factory, and in T884 he became the sole
proprietor. The capacity of the enterprise is ar-
ranged for the use of the milk of nearly 300 cows,
and the product finds ready market in the cities
which are within easy reach.

Mr. Gilbert has been twice married. Elizabeth
Bartlett became his wife, in September, 1848. She
was a native of Chemung Co., N. Y., and her death
occurred May 20, 1863. She had borne six children.
Four are now living, viz. : Mariam is the wife of
Palmer Stafford, of Colona Township; Mortimer
lives in Richardson Co., Neb. ; Addie is the wife ot

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HENRY COUNTY.

D. P. Allen, and they are residents of Carroll Co.,
Iowa; Joseph E. lives in Richardson Co., Neb.
July 20, 1864, Mr. Gilbert contracted a second mar-
riage, with Fannie Grant. She is a native of Henry-
County, and was the daughter of Michael and Jane
(Dack) Grant. Her parents were pioneers of this
county. Osman A., May, Fannie E., Charles G. and
Jessie H. C. are the names of the children of the
second marriage.

-~3-

-&->-

ames Warnock, resident on section 33,
Alba Township, came to Henry County in
the spring of 1873. He was born in Ire-
land, in County Down, March 26, 1834. His
parents were natives of the " Green Isle " also,
and came with their son to the United States
in 1848 and landed at the port of New York. James
Warnock proceeded thence to Philadelphia, Pa., and
was a resident of that State until 1855. He was a
painter by trade and he pursued that business while
he continued in the Keystone State. The years
1855 and 1856 he passed in the city of Chicago,
where he was similarly occupied. In the fall of
1857 he went to New Orleans and also remained
until the latter part of the following year. In 1858
he came back to Pennsylvania and remained in the
Quaker City until he entered the military service of
the Government of the United States.

He enlisted April 26, 1861, under the first call for
troops, in the 29th Pa. Vol. Inf., and was mustered
in July 4, following. The regiment was ordered to
Harper's Ferry. The first battle in which Mr. War-
nock was a participant was the hard-fought field of
Antietam, and afterwards the command was assigned
to the Corps of General Banks, and took part in the
fight at Winchester and in the three-days contest at
Chanc"ellorsville. The next engagement was at
Gettysburg, where the brigade to which his regiment
belonged was commanded by General Kane. Mr.
Warnock has never recovered from the effects of
wounds received at the battle of Chancellorsville.
He was in the actions at Lookout Mountain and at
Wahatchee, in Tennessee. He also fought at Mis-
sion Ridge and at Ringgold, Ga. He held the rank
of Sergeant Major when he .went into the action at
Gettysburg, and was there promoted to that of

Second Lieutenant. In the engagement there he
was in the thickest of the fight, and came out with
clothing pierced with bullets. In 1864 he resigned
his commission and returned to his home after a
military service of three years. He continued in the
city of Philadelphia until the 30th day of March,
1873, when he came, as has been stated, to Henry
County. He bought 120 acres of land in the town-
ship of Alba, on which he has since founded a home.
Mr. Warnock is following the trade of a painter in
connection with his business as a farmer. In the
latter he is successful, and has a fine assortment of
graded stock. He is the present Supervisor of Alba
Township, and is serving as School Director, in
which latter capacity he has operated six years con-
secutively. He is the Past Commander of Post T.
T. Dow, G. A. R., located at Annawan.

He was united in marriage to Miss Sarah B. More-
land, Sept. 14, 1859, and they have had five children,
viz.: Mary Ann was born June 23, i860; James,
Feb. n, 1862 ; Hugh, Oct. 9, 1864; Sarah, Feb. 15,
1868; Jane E., April 5, 1875. The oldest child
died when seven months old. Mrs. Warnock was
born March 1, 1837, in County Down, Ireland. Mr.
Warnock is a Republican and is a member of the
Congregational Church. Postoffice, Annawan.

*»■

«
6

— cui

<-'

|nton Becht, a wagon-maker and general
blacksmith at Colona, was born in Hohen-
gp65 zollern, Germany, Nov. 30, 1830. He is
the son of Anton and Catherine (Hinger)
Becht, who were both natives of the same
Prussian State..
Mr. Becht passed through the routine prescribed
by the laws of his native country for the manage-
ment of the youth of the land, and attended school
from the age of six to fourteen years. He was then
apprenticed to learn the trade to which he has de-
voted his life, and he passed between two and three
years in the acquisition of a knowledge of. its details.
He then passed some time in doing " jour work.
He acted in that capacity until 1853, when he left
his native land and came to the United States. He
left Germany in September, and landed at the port
of New York on the nth of November following.
He had no difficulty in obtaining employment at his

-^v4>nn®niiy>^ — ^^sr

4^£<®\

(!)

HENRY COUNTY.

433

trade in the great city, and he remained there three
years. He came thence to Davenport, and there
operated as a wagon-maker until 1858. In that year
he came to Colona, and was engaged in mining one
year. In 1859 he came to the village in which he
has since resided, and opened the business which he
has since continued to prosecute. He is engaged in
the manufacture of wagons and sleighs, and main-
tains a general repair shop. His business relations
are extensive and profitable.

Mr. Becht was married in the city of New York to
Antonia Beck. She was born jin the same province
as her husband. Their children are five in number,
and was born in the following order : Josephine,
Frank, Bertha, John and Polly. The oldest daughter
is the widow of Henry Buckholz. Bertha married
Charles Pyle, and they live in Colona.

^<OC>«

illiam H. Brawley, of Edford Township,
has been a citizen of Henry County since
1856. He is the son of John and Eliza-

% beth (Carr) Brawley, and he was born April
22, 1822, in the township of Harrison, Darke

Co., Ohio. His father was a native of Green-
brier Co., Va., and his mother was born in Versail-
les, Woodford Co., Ky." Soon after their marriage
they settled in Darke County, in the Buckeye State,
and were among the earliest of the pioneer settlers
there. On their way from Kentucky they passed
through Cincinnati, where then stood three log
houses. The father bought a considerable tract of
timber from the United States Government and pro-
ceeded to improve a farm. On this place he passed
the remainder of his life. The family passed through
the experiences of pioneers whose stories have filled
the pages of fiction with tales more interesting than
those of the imagination, and which in many in-
stances have shared the fate common to the struc-
tures of fancy, being too remarkable for credibility.
But the Indians were then on the frontiers, and as
this period preceded that of the Black Hawk War,
the red-skins were still without the bounds of the
control which was in force soon after the defeat of
the haughty chief named. The senior Brawley was
accustomed to take his gun with him to the field
where he worked in order to protect himself from the

crafty and exasperated race who saw a foe in every
white man.

Mr. Brawley spent his minority on the Ohio farm,
and obtained his education in the log school-house
of that period. The structure was of the most prim-
itive kind, a log being left out to admit the light, the
aperture being covered with an oiled paper to keep
out the wind and let in the light. All his schooling
was obtained in the sessions of winter school, his
summers being passed in farm labor.

He was married Jan. r4, 1847, to Permelia, daugh-
ter of Ellis and Cerilla (James) Thomas. Her father
was born in Virginia and his mother was a native of
the District of Columbia. Mrs. Brawley was born in
Tyler Co., Va.,May 1, 1828. In the autumn of 1830
she accompanied her parents to Darke Co., Ohio,
where she was married to Mr. Brawley. Soon after
their union they set up housekeeping in Hollensburg
in the same county, and Mr. Brawley embarked in a
mercantile enterprise in which he was interested one
year. Two years subsequent he passed in the call-
ing of a hotel-keeper, and he then became interested
in the hardware business, which he followed one
year. He then assumed the management of the
family homestead, and he continued his connection
therewith until 1856. He then came to Illinois, and
located in the county where he has since operated as
an agriculturist. He came here six weeks previous
to the removal of his family and bought a claim on
section 29, of what Was then town 17, and is now
Edford. The entire tract was in a state of nature,
and when Mr. Brawley decided that the place was
suitable for a location he erected a small frame house
for the temporary occupation of his family, in which
they lived until their circumstances permitted the
enlargement and rebuilding of the little home where
the family was contented, if they could not boast of
splendor.

In the same autumn in which he removed to
Henry County the proprietor broke a few acres and
put in a crop. In 1857 he raised the first full crop
in the place, and he also rented the same year 40
acres of improved land, on which he raised a crop
of wheat. The yield averaged 40 bushels to the
acre. He was the owner and occupant of the place
until 1876, when he removed his family to Geneseo.
He had acquired the ownership of property at that
place, and he was a resident of that city until 1884.
In that year the family returned to the homestead

^^^ — ^A^>fl 11® niif>^ — s^ri

4^c@>^

<g®=>-

•^k-. G\^mu^^

434

HENRY COUNTY.

in Edford Township. The farm contains 280 acres,
and it is all under cultivation. The place is well
supplied with all necessary farm buildings and all
appurtenances for the well-being of the stock.

The record of the children of Mr. and Mrs. Braw-
ley is as follows: Ellis T. lives in Peoria; Civilla
is the wife of Fremont Allford, and they are residents
of Indianapolis, Ind. ; Melena married Felix Smith,
and they live near Lenox, Taylor Co., Iowa; Cassius
M. is at home, as is Florence L. and William H. ;
George was born April 27, 1859, and died June 9,
1879; he sustained an injury from the kick of a
horse, which caused his death ; Mary E. and two
children unnamed died in infancy.

The parents of Mrs. Brawley are still living, and
are each 81 years of age. Mr. Brawley is a Re-
publican and has been from the foundation of the
party. He has no idea of being anything else,
whether the party is triumphant or defeated.

-&©■•-

ohn Lewis, retired farmer, resident at Gen-
'•^ eseo, has been a citizen of Henry County
since 1850.. He is a native of Pennsylva-
nia, and was born in Indiana Township, in
Indiana County, April 17, 1820. His parents,
William and Elizabeth (Lydia) Lewis, were na-
tives of the Keystone State, and when their son was
three years old they effected a removal of their fam-
ily and interests to Jackson Co., Ohio. They lo-
cated in the township of Richland, and were resi-
dents on a farm.

Mr. Lewis of this sketch was reared on the Ohio
farm, and thoroughly instructed in the various details
pertaining to agriculture. He was married in that
State, to Mary Cozad. She is the daughter of Abram
and Charity Cozad, and was born in the same county
where her marriage took place. That event was cel-
ebrated May 4, 1847. She bore two sons while she
and her husband continued to reside in Ohio. After
their removal to Illinois, they had eight sons and two
daughters. William F. resides in the township of
Cornwall; Abraham is also a citizen of the same
township, as are Samuel A. and John H. ; Andrew
is unmarried, and is a resident of Geneseo ; George
W. and Francis M. live in Cornwall ; Charles A. re-
sides in the township of Atkinson ; Charity A. is the

wife of James Fell, who lives in Burns Township ;W
Stephen A. and Alfred are unmarried. Albert T. ™
died in infancy, and is the only one deceased. He
was a twin with Alfred. Robert and Mary E. are
the two younger children.

Mr. Lewis settled in Cornwall Township on his
removal to Henry County. He purchased a tract of
land on section 21, where he is still the owner of 400
acres, all in the finest possible agricultural condition,
as is the case with another farm, which includes 410
acres, and lies in the same township, with the excep- ,
tion of 40 acres. In 1878 Mr. Lewis removed to
Geneseo, but still retains the control and personally '
superintends the management of the estate. J

In former days he was a Democrat in political con-
nections, but at present endorses the principles of
the National Greenback party.

harles Baum, an extensive farmer of Col-

ona Township, was born Feb. 22, 1840, in

**" ^ Jefferson Co., N. Y., and was eight years

of age when his parents came to the State of
Illinois. John J. Baum, his father, was a
pioneer of Henry County and was • born in
Herkimer Co., N. Y., June 4, 1805. He went to
Jefferson County before he had attained to the estate
of manhood, and when he was ready to settle in life
he bought a farm in that county. He was its owner
and occupant until 1848. In that year he came to
Illinois. He had exchanged his land in Jefferson
County for prairie in Colona Township, and the lat-
ter tract included 127 acres of farming land and 43
acres of timber situated on section 2. The property
was wholly unfilled and without a house. Mr. Baum
built a board house, 12 x 14 feet in dimensions, into
which his family moved, and he turned his attention
with all possible vigor and energy to the work of
placing his land in a state of cultivation. He after-
ward made an addition to the house, and it was oc-
cupied by the family until their removal to the vil-
lage of Colona in 1854. In that year they made the
transfer referred to, and the father bought 75 acres
adjoining the village plat, on which he erected a
large frame house, and it was his home until his
death. His decease occurred in December, 1874.
He had been successful in all his business opera-
tions, and had an estate of more than 500 acres.

(!)

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■^^^ — @7^Da@iiiif>^9 — s^g^

-4*

■^V4*IMM^B^ 70&I&?

HENRY COUNTY.

43S

His wife before her marriage was Maria Petrie.
[She was born Aug. i, 1802, in Herkimer Co., N. Y.,
,and died April 9, 1876. Of the eight children born
of their union but two are living. Franklin is a resi-
dent of Hutchinson Co., Neb., and is engaged in
farming.

Mr. Baum of this sketch grew to manhood in the
township of Colona, and he acquired his education
in the public schools. The first eventful period of
his life "was his marriage, which took place in 1867.
rHis wife, who was Miss Angelina Meer before her
> marriage, was born in Ohio. At the time of their
union in the bonds of matrimony, they settled on
lthe homestead, and were associated with the parents
as long as their lives continued. Three children
were born to them, — Harvey, Amos and Ettie. The
mother died Dec. 29, 1873, at the age of 26 years.
Mr. Baum is the owner of about 500 acres of land,
^ and it is all in first-class agricultural condition. He
V ' is largely interested in growing stock.

fa.

-S3

f. A

* l

"r-?"

et-

eorge S. Wells, a prominent citizen of
Geneseo, has been identified with the de-
IHpF*1* velopment of the farming interests o'
sR?» Henry County since his removal hither in
1855. He was born in Guildhall, Essex Co.,
Vt., Oct. 27, 1834. John Sullivan Wells, his
father, was born in Durham, N. H., Oct. 18, r8c>3.
The name of Sullivan was given him because it was
the family name of his maternal grandmother, who
was the daughter of John Sullivan, of Berwick, Me.,
and the sister of Gen. John Sullivan, after whom
Sullivan's Island was named, and of James Sullivan,
who was one of the Governors of the State to which
the island belongs. John S. Wells secured by active
life in his younger days the foundation of a robust,
physical development, and obtained a sound ele-
mentary education.

He entered upon the preparatory to the profession
of a lawyer at Pembroke Academy, and was after-
: wards a student of law in the office of Hon. D. C.
*3? Atkinson, of Sanborn ton, and later he completed his

t course under the preceptorship of Hon. W. Mattox,
of Vermont. He began his practice at Guildhall,
(® and five years after removed to Lancaster, N. H. In

<5\

where he passed the remainder of his life in the
active prosecution of his business, and in the service
of his generation. He represented the town of Lan-
caster for four terms in the State Legislature, and in
1841 was the Speaker of the House. He acted in
the capacity of Solicitor of the county of Coos sev-
eral years. He was State Senator from his district,
and in the session of 1852-3 he officiated as the
President of that body. In 1847 he was made At-
torney-General of New Hampshire, but resigned the
position at the end of a year. In 1854 he was the
Democratic nominee for United States Senator, and
was elected in the Senate, but was defeated in the
House by five votes, on account of his endorsement
of the Kansas-Nebraska Bill. In 1855 he was again
a candidate for the same office, and received the un-
qualified support of his friends. In the same year
he was appointed by Gov. Baker to fill a vacancy
caused by the death of Senator Norris. In 1856-7,
he was the Democratic candidate for Governor of
the State, and managed the canvass in such a man-
ner that the Republicans failed to carry the State on
the popular vote, and the result was accomplished in
the Assembly. Mr. Wells was a Delegate to two
Democratic National Conventions, and in 1858 was
one of the Visiting Committee to West Point. He
was a man of refined tastes, scholarly attainments
and spotless character. He was a gentleman of the
old school, courtly, chivalrous and well bred, and
under all circumstances, even in the heat of political
debate, and in the ardor of a closely contested cam-
paign, he never descended from the dignity which
was his distinguished trait.

He married Rebecca E. Bellows, in 1832. The
family to which his wife belonged is well known in
the circles of influence and intelligence. She was
the daughter of Josiah Bellows, of Lancaster, N. H.,
and was a member of the same generation as the
Rev. Dr. Bellows, of New York. The family of Bel-
lows is of English origin and were Normans. They
settled in England in 1066, and fac similes of their
coats of arms are preserved by the descendants.
John Bellows, who came to America on the " Hope-
well" in T635, is the first ancestor who settled in the
United States. Benjamin Bellows, his grandson,
was the founder of Walpole, N. H., and from him
the line is distinct. He was the grandfather of Mrs.
Wells. John S. Wells died at Exeter, Aug. 1, i860.

They had six children, of whom three are yet liv-

1846 he went thence to Exeter, in the same State,

(i)

-«§

'"V

436

HENRY COUNTY.

<&i

ing. They were born in the following order : Henry
B., George S., Nellie, Kate V., John S. and Emma.
The two oldest sons and the second daughter are
the survivors. The latter married Thomas Redding-
ton, and lives in the city of Washington, D. C. H.
B. Wells is a merchant in Boston, Mass.

Mr. Wells, of this personal account, was 13 years
of age when his father removed his family to New
Hampshire. He went to sea before he reached the
age of 20. He entered the merchant service, and
sailed from Boston to Liverpool, making but a single
voyage. Later he went to the city of New York, and
there embarked in mercantile business, and was af-
terwards similarly interested in trade in the city of
Boston.

He came to Henry County in 1855, and bought a
farm in the township of Edford. It is situated on
section 23, and comprises 160 acres. The proprietor
has put the place under excellent improvements,
and has erected a good class of buildings for farming
purposes. In 1872 he removed to the city of Gen-
eseo, but retains the ownership and personal super-
vision of his farm.

Oct. 4, 1859, he contracted a matrimonial alliance
with Nellie P. Stewart, of Geneseo. She was born
in Fowlerville, in the State of New York, and is the
granddaughter of Roderick R. Stewart, one of the
earliest settlers in Henry County, and of whom a
full account may be found in another department of
this work. She is the daughter of I. N. Stewart,
who is deceased. Fred Burt, born Nov. 22, 1872,
at Geneseo, is the only child of Mr. and Mrs. Wells.

Mr. Wells is a Republican, and adheres to the
principles of temperance. He has supported the
issues of the former party since its organization. He
has served in the capaqity of Alderman of Geneseo
two years.

»<o»c . »

1 illiam McHenry, deceased, formerly a
rebident on section 22, Phenix Township,
'^a^d-j * was a pioneer of Henry County and also
of the State of Illinois. He was born in
Barren Co., Ky., Jan. 16, 1803. He was
the oldest son of Daniel and Elizabeth (Jones)
McHenry, and his parents were also natives of that
historic State.

In 1812 the family came to White Co., 111., and

there the son who is the subject of this sketch at-
tained to the estate of manhood. He was married
there, Sept. 16, 1827, to Susannah Land. She was
a native of that county and was born March 17,
181 1. Her parents, Robert and Lucy (Fike) Land,
were born in South Carolina. Mr. McHenry became
a citizen of Henry County, settling in what is now
Osco Township, where he secured a claim of land.
After making the necessary legal arrangements, he
returned to White County and remained there until
1838, when he severed his connection with that
locality and transferred all his interests to his new
home in Henry County. He removed hither with
his family and household possessions, traveling with
five horses and a wagon and living, as the custom
was in those days of no railroads or stage routes,
after the gipsy fashion of the present day, cooking
and camping by the way. They left White County
the 1 st day of April, and they passed four weeks on
the journey, arriving at the farm in Osco Township
on the rst day of May. . The father made a camp
for their accommodation and comfort, which, with
the wagon, gave the shelter until their log house was
completed. The family then included five children,
and the duties of the head of the household were of
a varied character, to suit the requirements of the
case. The first crops wer£ marketed at Chicago
and at Galena. The trips to the former city con-
sumed two weeks, and as the returns from the
products carried there were so small, there was little
left to pay hotel expenses, and those who were
obliged to go there on such errands were accustomed
to sleep either on or under their wagons.

Mr. McHenry lived but one year on the place in
Osco Township. He then removed to the present
town of Phenix, then designated on the Government
charts as town 18, range 3, in which he made a
claim on section 22, entering the land as soon as it
came into market. He at first erected a log house
for a temporary residence, which he covered with
clapboards and " shakes," both of which were split
by hand. He lived to see his family installed in a
good frame house and to place his farm in a state of
advanced cultivation ; and he also lived a sufficient
length of time to rejoice in the progress of the county
to whose development he had given the best years of
his life. His death transpired March 15, (868, at
his home. Ten of the 12 children born to him and
his wife are still living. Their present record is as

=3
1=3

;(

'V-*r#

■ *~'&:

-Z0&K — §V^>HH&!^1>^ ?€^

HENRY COUNTY.

437

follows : Francis A. lives in Phenix Township ;
Thomas C. is a resident of Pratt Co., Kan. ; Joseph
B. lives in Phenix ; Charles H. is a citizen of Osco
Township; Elizabeth A. is the widow of Isaac Staf-
ford and lives in Geneseo ; Mary R. is the wife of L.
B. Mapes, a citizen of Atlantic, Cass Co., Iowa;
Lucy G. married G. W. Imel, of Phenix Township ;
Malinda is the wife of A. Y. King, and they reside
in Merrick Co., Neb. ; Emma is the widow of S. W.
Aldrich, and resides in Phenix Township; Laura is
the wife of F. M. Cox and lives in Chadron, Neb.

Mrs. McHenry and her widowed daughter, Mrs.
Aldrich, reside on the homestead. The mother is
also the owner of 160 acres of land in Osco Town-
ship, where they first settled.

-o— =5-

-S>— »-

osseter F. Schoonover. Burns Township,
can justly boast of having many well-to-
do farmers within its borders. Prominent
among these is Mr. R. F. Schoonover, who
resides on section 34, where he has a splendid
farm of 420 acres, well equipped for agricul-
tural purposes and provided with comfortable build-
ings.

He was born in Washington Co., Ohio, April n,
1833. There he received a common-school educa-
tion, which, however, was somewhat limited on ac-
count of the death of his father, when Rosseter was
a small boy. He passed the years until he was 19
on a farm in Washington County. When he arrived
at that age he journeyed westward, stopping in Bu-
reau Co., 111., for a short time. He then went into
Peoria County, where he lived for five years. At .the
end of that time, in 1857, he came into Henry
County and located on a farm in Burns Township,
since which time this has been his home. His parents
were Henry and Eunice (Hopkins) Schoonover, the
former a native of New Jersey and the latter of Con-
necticut. On the 4th of March, 1842, the elder
Schoonover was instantly killed by being thrown
from a horse. They were the parents of six children,
of whom Rosseter was the eldest. The second child
born to them was Emeline, the wife of John T.
Finch, of Burns Township, of whom a sketch appears
in this volume.

While living in Peoria County, Mr. Schoonover was

married to Miss Margery Harlan, on the 1st of Janu-
ary, 1857. She was a native of Peoria County, and
was born March 7, 1840. Her parents, Moses and
Mary A. (Butler) Harlan, were early pioneers in that
county, where the former died, Sept. 2, 1842. Both
were natives of Pennsylvania. Mrs. Harlan after-
ward married, moved to Henry County and died
there, Nov. 21, 1876. The children born to Mr.and
Mrs. S. number ten. We give them in the order of
their birth: Mary E., Joseph W., Lee, Adolphus
A., Etta, who died when three years of age ; Emeline,
John R., Grace, Ruie A. and Olive.

' obert B.

Paul, a farmer of Geneseo Town-
ship, is a pioneer of Henry County of 1856.
WKffil On coming to Illinois he located in the
{X^S township of Edford, and removed thence to
section 20, in the township where he has since
pursued the business of a farmer.

He was born in Union Township, in Tolland Co.,
Conn., June 5, 1823. Chauncey Paul, his father,
was also a native of Tolland County, in the same
State, and Wiis born in 1798. He is still living, and
is a resident on the farm on which he was born, and
which he holds as a heritage from his father. The
maiden name of his wife was Polly Armour, and she
was born in the same county in which she was mar-
ried, in October, 1879. She died there Aug. 25,
1883.

Mr. Paul attained to the state of manhood in the
township of Union, and received a good education.
He obtained a fair knowledge of the English branches
in the common schools, and afterwards attended a
term of study at the academy at Dudley, in Massa-
chusetts, two terms at Warren, in the same State,
and the same length of time at Munson Academy.
At the age of 19 he began to teach, and was occu-
pied in that vocation in the States of Massachusetts
and Connecticut for some years. In 1852 he went
to Townsend, Mass., and there he engaged in the
business of a turner of handles for farming imple-
ments, and other irregular work. He was thus em-
ployed in that place until the spring of 1856. Then,
as has been stated, he came to Henry County. He
became by purchase the owner of a tract of land in
the township of Edford, located on section 14. He

«©

3^r^ Q/^H fl® DUf^A^ s*$^

(g»^sv|-

^^ly-^^'Wu.

438

•^

era

HENRY COUNTY.

built a good and commodious frame house, and pro-
ceeded with the improvements on the place. In
May, 1 860, the residence was destroyed by a torna-
do, being entirely blown away. It was necessary
to rebuild from the foundation, which he did on the
same site, and continued the labor of placing the
farm under the best quality of improvements. There
are 162 acres in the farm, and it is all inclosed and
cultivated. In 1882 he bought the place on which
he now resides, in the township of Geneseo, located
on section 20, and containing 80 acres. The place
is in first-class condition for profitable cultivation,
and is fitted with all necessary buildings, fruit and
shade trees.

The marriage of Mr. Paul to Ann E. Kinney took
place March 16, 1852. She was born in Union
Township, in Tolland Co., Conn., and is the daugh-
ter of Nathan and Lucy (Wales) Kinney. Addie J.
is the name of the only child of Mr. and Mrs. Paul.

-W-vs<

illiam Broadbent, one of the energetic
and progressive farmers of Annawan

NjdjS^ Township, where he resides on section 34
.JjS!' is a son of James and Betty Broadbent. He
"N was born in Yorkshire, England, in 1822.
His parents are both deceased, having died in
England, which was their native country — the father
May 27, 1871, aged 78 years, and the mother May
17, 1879, aged 8r years.

William came to America in 1849,011 the 17th day
of April, and may be called one of the pioneers of
Henry County. He iocated in the Barren Grove,
where he owns 320 acres of good land, 220 acres of
which is under excellent cultivation, and finely
equipped, and 100 acres of it is timber pasture.
Upon this land he has erected a good substantial
dwelling, 40 x 46 feet, being a two-story house. He
has a herd of 90 head of Short-horn cattle of a good
grade. His horses are of the English Draft breed,
and he has an excellent flock of Cotswold sheep.

Before Mr. Broadbent left England he was united
in ^marriage with Rose Ann Prince, their wedding
day being the 8th of May, 1844. She started with
him across tTle Atlantic to the New World, and while
in mid-\)cean died, and was consigned to a watery

grave. In 1851 Mr. Broadbent and Mrs. Martha
Booth were united in marriage. She was born in
1826, in England. The record of the children are
as follows : By his first marriage the following chil-
dren were born : Benjamin, July 1, 1844, and Wil-
son, July 2, 1846. By his second marriage the fol-
lowing were born: George H, May n, 1853; Mary
E., Nov. 27, 1855 ; Charlotte H., Jan. 9, 1858; James
E., April 30, i860 ; Thomas A., Sept. 29, 1862 ; Alice
J., Sept. 27, 1866. Mrs. Broadbent, by her former
marriage to Mr. Booth, had the following children:
Robert P., born March 7, 1846, and Eliza, May 22,
1848.

Mrs. Broadbent's father, George Prince, was also
a native of England, and was born in 1782. He was
married to Rebecca Wilson, who was born in June,
1796. They came to America, and located in the
northern part of Illinois, where, on the 4th of May,
1862, in Bureau County, Mr. Prince died. Mrs.
Prince died in Henry County. They were the par-
ents of the following ten children : Sarah, Robert,
George, Rose Ann, Martha, Mary, Anna, Rebecca,
Ruth and Emma.

Mr. Broadbent is one of the prominent and well-
to-do farmers of Henry County. He is a man highly
esteemed for his many good qualities, and one of the
old settlers of Henry County.

— »sffl » -jf • » *s& —

; liny Freeman, of Geneseo, is one of the
solid citizens of the place, where he has
||jE5^ been a resident since the fall of 1869. He
ffi*J is the proprietor of a large amount of prop-
jlb erty in the city, which includes several busi-
* ness blocks and dwellings. He is the owner
of Freeman's Hall. He has passed the allotted
term of human life by ten years, but is still actively
interested in the personal supervision of his affairs
Mr. Freeman was born in Sturbridge, Mass., in
the same town in which his ancestors had lived from
the period in which the first progenitor, so far as is
now known, settled when he came thence from New-
ton, in the Bay State. The year of his removal is
not known. His name was Samuel Freeman, and
he probably became a resident of Sturbridge about
the middle of the 18th century. The town was in-
corporated Feb. 13, 1739, and he located in what is
now the central portion of the village. His widow

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"W7
HENRY COUNTY.

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339

afterwards married again, and died in 1807 at the
age of 92. Their children were named Benjamin,
Comfort, Jared, Samuel, Walter, Rachel, Martha and
Mary (twins) and Raney. Comfort was the grand-
father of Mr. Freeman, and was born Aug. 23, 1750
(0. S.). He was married May 6, 177 1. She was
born at Sturbridge, Feb. 13, 1749 (O. S.). He died
at Sturbridge, Dec. 4, 1796 (N. S.). Her demise oc-
curred Aug. 5, 1832 (N. S.). She whs upwards of
93. They had nine children.

Pliny, second son and fifth child, was born Sept.
24, 1780. He was a farmer, and also worked to
some extent as a carpenter, as he had a natural gift
for the use of tools. He married Delia, daughter of
Silas Marsh, and lived nearly the whole of his life at
Sturbridge, where his children were born and reared.
He died at the residence of his daughter in the town
of Webster, in the same county, Oct. 10, 1855. His
wife died in 1859. Their children were named
Silas M., Pliny, Beulah, Delia, Florilla, Augusta and
Dwight. The last named and Mr. Freeman, of this
sketch, are the only survivors, and they both reside
at Geneseo.

Mr. Freeman was brought up on his father's farm,
and had only the advantages of the common-schools
of the place and period, which were hardly of the
character of the educational institutions of the State
which are now the pride and boast of New England.
However, those days were the time in which the ma-
terial on which the prosperity of the West is founded
was in its formative state, and it is a mooted ques-
tion whether what was then considered the lack of
education, was not the condition which ensured the
future of the country. It is an established fact that
those who were reared without the so-called advant-
ages of these later times came to be the bone and
sinew of the times when men were needed. Mr.
Frepman inherited the privilege and. ability for hard
work, and also the unassuming pretensions of the
family tree, of which he was an offshoot. He learned
the trade of a carpenter, finishing his knowledge of
its details under the instructions of a man named
Loren Merrick.

The limited opportunities of the East impelled
him to seek a new field of operation, and at 23 he
came to Cleveland, Ohio, where he had friends, and
he there found an opportunity to work at the trade
which he had fixed upon as his vocation in life.
Not long after he had commenced his labors in Ohio

he was seriously injured in his left knee, and he
passed some months on a sick'bed in consequence.
But his job waited for him, and as soon as possible
arrangements were made so he could go on with the
work he had planned. He saved his earnings and
bought a small piece of land in the vicinity of the
city, which he afterwards sold. He fixed his resi-
dence at Cleveland, and was a citizen of that place
40 years, and was engaged there as a carpenter dur-
ing the entire period.

Meanwhile his brother Dwight had settled at
Geneseo, and he came here to visit him about the
year 1853. He bought at that time a piece of land
in the vicinity of the village (then) and made some
improvements, with the intention some time .of mak-
ing his home thereon. In the fall of 1869 he re-
moved to Henry County to fulfill the purpose; but,
instead of building his house and making ready to
pass his life in the quiet retirement of a small place
just suited to the needs of his family, he was induced
to invest his savings in an entirely different avenue.
His brother was the owner of a business building in
Geneseo, and soon after the arrival of Mr. Freeman
it was destroyed by fire. Mr. Freeman rebuilt the
structure, and has since been occupied in the man-
agement of the property in which he so unexpectedly
became permanently interested.

He was married Sept. 8, 1835, in the city of Cleve-
land, to Marcia, daughter of Gaines and Mary (Bran-
son) Pritchard. She was born in Waterbury, New
Haven Co., Conn., April n, 18 16. Her father re-
moved his family from Connecticut to Cleveland,
Ohio, in 1820. The journey was made with an ox
team and occupied six weeks. The following year
was sickly, and the mother died in August. A month
later the father was also in his grave, and the
daughter, then six years old, was an orphan. The
generations of the families to which Mrs. Freeman
belongs were noted for tenacity of life. When she
was in early infancy she had six grandmothers. Her
grandmother Pritchard was 96 when she died, and
the grandmother on her mother's side was within a
few weeks of being 100 when her decease took place.
The latter at 90 was in the vigor of a person 20 years
younger. She had her second sight and could read
and sew without glasses. She was a woman of un-
common energy, and noted for the work in her family
which she accomplished, an array that would tire the
belles of the period to hear enumerated. The male

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HENRY COUNTY.

progenitors of both families were principally farmers,
but two of Mrs. Freeman's cousins in the Pritchard
line were Episcopal clergymen, and one was a physi-
ciah. All the women in the generations which pre-
ceded hers were well instructed in the arts common
to the period in which they lived. They spun and
wove, were fairly educated, and bore themselves
through their long and useful lives with dignity and
grace. Their noble traits are fresh and sweet in the
remembrances of their descendants. The mother of
Mrs. Freeman, Mary Pritchard, was the daughter of
Gates Bronson. The father of the latter was a sol-
dier of the Revolution, and was made a Lieutenant.
He also did the duty of an Adjutant. His son was
born in the course of the war and was named after
the noted General Gates. .Lieutenant Bronson never
received a pension, and never applied for one, but
after his death his widow received about $200 yearly
from the Government. Mrs. Freeman is a com-
municant in the Episcopal Church. She is a re-
markably well preserved woman, and is a good type
of the New England blood from which she sprung.
She would have made a heroine if circumstances
had demanded. But passing her life in the quiet
repose which the later generations in this land en-
joy, she is simply a lady who is an honor to the com-
munity in which she lives. She is prominent in
Church matters, and is known for her liberality and
genial temper.

— **^3§>

"Ww-^-

tenry Messmore is one of the prominent and
well-to-do farmers of Annawan Township,
and resides on section 34. He was born in
Pennsylvania in 1831, and in 1835 went to Ohio
with his parents. There he passed the follow-
ing eighteen years of his life, attending such
schools as the community where his parents lived af-
forded, and assisting his father at his work. In 1853
we find him in Henry County, and the following year
he celebrated his marriage. Miss Christina Blin,
who was born in Warren Co., Ohio, Oct. T4, 1833,
was his bride. They have an excellent farm of 280
acres, all well improved and equipped, and upon
which is a two-story dwelling 40 feet square,' and a
barn 30 x 60 feet. He has a fine herd of Short-horns,
five of which are thoroughbred. He is a member of

the I. O. O. F., and is connected with Lodge No.
128. The hall where the Lodge meets is in Kewa-
nee. He and the family are all members of the
United Brethren Church, and politically Mr. Mess-
more affiliates with the Democratic party.

Mr. and Mrs. Messmore became the parents of
the following named children : Daniel W., born
April r4, 1855 ; Margaret A., born May 5, 1856;
Sarah E., born Oct. 7, 1857; and Jacob N., born
Aug. 7, 1859. The following are deceased: two in-
fants unnamed; Julia E., born Oct. 28, 1863; and
George E., born March 1, 1865.

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'nomas Liken, of Munson Township, is one
of the most extensive land owners in Henry
£p* County, and is the owner of more than
1,100 acres of improved land, which is all in-
cluded in the same township. Mr. Liken was
born in 1820. Until he was T3 he was brought
up in the city of Pittsburg, Pa. In 1833 his father
removed from the city to Indiana Township, in its
vicinity, where he bought a farm. There were at
that date no free schools, and Mr. Liken was sent to
a private school, where he obtained a fair education.
This; was in the city before the removal of the family
to Indiana Township. The residence there was
maintained but three years. At the end of that time
another removal to the township of Penn was effected,
where the father also bought a farm. The mother
of Mr. Liken had died when he was eight years old,
and his father was again married. The latter died
in the township where the last farm was bought, May
7, 1839. The death of the stepmother took place
six weeks after that of her husband. Mr. Liken was
the oldest son and he took charge of the estate.
When it was settled he became the owner of a part
of it, and was a resident thereon until 1865. He
left his patrimony in the hands of a renter and re-
moved to Henry County. He located at the very
first in the same township where he has since prose-
cuted his farming projects. He made a purchase of
160 acres of land, on which there had been no im-
provements whatever, and also bought 97. acres
which had been placed under the plow. The first
purchase is all improved and is neatly hedged. The
buildings on the farm of Mr. Liken do credit to his

§ksfe#-

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HENRY COUNTY.

taste and judgment, and the place is rendered more
beautiful and valuable by the trees which have been
set out in great plenty. Mr. Liken is an adherent
of the Republican party.

His marriage to Sarah A. Sands was celebrated
Feb. 3, 1842. She was born in Allegheny Co., Pa.
To them four children have been born, whose names
are Thomas P., John F., Samuel S. and Florence K.
The latter is married to A. P. Hoffman, a resident of
Los Angeles, Cal. The oldest son, William A., was
a soldier in the late war and was killed at the battle
of Petersburg, June 18, 1864. He enlisted in Co.
E, 155th Penn. Zouaves.

The members of the family of Mr. Liken are mem-
bers of the Presbyterian Church.

-13-

-E>-

-oseph C. Webb, of Annawan Township,
came to Henry County in 1852. He was
born in the town of Bloomfield, in Somer-
. set Co., Me., Sept. 26, 1882. His father, J.
It B. Webb, was born in Maine, in the year 1797.
His mother, Martha (Weston) Webb, was born
in the same State in 1799. She died in 1869. The
death of her husband took place in the year fol-
lowing. Theodore D., Joseph C, Ellen, Esther, F.
D., Hiram, Stephen, Anna, Martha, Frank, Olive
and Mary E. are the names of their children.

Mr. Webb, of this sketch, married Elizabeth Bur-
gess, in September, 1848. She was born in March,
1825, and has been the mother of five children.
Hiram, Charles H, Lizzie and Sarah are living.
Samuel died March 3, r86i.

Mr. Webb located on the farm on which he has
since prosecuted his business schemes, in the spring
of 1853, the year subsequent to that in which he
came to Henry County. He is the proprietor of 1 60
acres of land, on which there is a good dwelling, and
the usual outfit of excellent farm buildings. On the
home place there are 260 rods of hedge. All the
stock on the place is thoroughbred. Mr. Webb has
one full-blooded' bull of the Short-horn breed, and
his horses are Normans and Clydesdales. Mr.
Webb is a farmer of the rank in that profession who
has aided in the splendid development of the county.
He is esteemed for his worth as a citizen, and his
business integrity, as well as the interest he has man-

ifested in the progress of thecommuntty of which he
is a member. In political preference he is connected
with the Republican party. Mrs. Webb is connected
in membership with the Congregational Church.

fjl'fli mariah. Withrow, a farmer of Phenix
f Township, is the oldest son of Neely
antei" Withrow, one of the pioneers of the first
year of the settlement of Henry County. The
family came to this county in 1835, and to
Phenix Township in 1836, of which they have
since been residents, and have been without inter-
mission since then connected with the history of the
municipality into which they came at a time when
its locality was designated by the number which
marked its relative position on the chart of the sur-
veyor.

Mr. Withrow, of this account, was born May 4,
1831, in White Co., 111., and he was only four years
of age when his parents came to Henry County.
They settled on a farm, and the son grew up under
the conditions which characterized the experiences of
the pioneer days on the prairie farms. He was an
attendant at the sessions of the first school taught in
the county, in the first log school-house that was
built within the limits of Henry County. It was the
most primitive sort of a building, its floor being of
slabs and the benches of the same material set up
on legs, and without backs. The entire boyhood,
youth and early manhood of Mr. Withrow were
passed in the manner common to the location, and
he has devoted his later years to the improvement
of the township in which he received his first im-
pressions of his obligations to the interests of the
world of work and effort.

He was united in marriage, Aug. 8, T856, to Mary
J. Huston, a native of Ohio. Their surviving chil-
dren are named William H., Letha A., Lucinda E.
and Jerome S. One after another of their first three
children passed away while they were in their earliest
infancy.

After his marriage, Mr. Withrow took possession
of a tract of land which he had previously purchased
on section 14, and it has since been the field of his
operations. He is engaged in the pursuits of a stock
and grain farmer. At the time of his purchase of

^€3^ ^b^H88

HENRY

the property a small frame house had been erected
thereon. To this the proprietor has made the neces-
sary additions, and it is still the family residence.
A good frame barn has also been built on the farm.

Mr. and Mrs. Wi throw are both members of the
Episcopal Church.

iilliam Clarke, a retired farmer residing at
Orion, was born in the northern part of
Ireland, March 10, 1819. His parents
were life-long farmers, and lived and died
in their native country. They were John and
Margaret (Armor) Clarke. William was the
fifth child of a family of nine children, six sons and
three daughters, all of whom are married except one.
William passed the years prior to his majority
under the parental roof, devoting the latter years of
this period to learning the carpenter's trade, serving
an apprenticeship of five years under John Maxwell.
After he reached the age of 21 years, he set out for
America all alone. He soon made his way to Mer-
cer Co., 111., where he located, his brother having
come in 1835, five years before he did. He soon
went to Rock Island, however, where he followed his
trade for nearly two years, when he returned to Swe-
dona, formerly called Berlin, Mercer County, where
he was married Aug. 23, 1842, to Miss Almira Pills-
bury. (For her parental history see sketch of Levi
Pillsbury.) She was born in Grafton Co., N. H.,
October 9, 1813. Shortly after her birth, the family
moved to St. Lawrence Co., N. Y., where they lived
for some years, when they came West and located in
Andover Township, when she was 23 years old, and
were consequently very early pioneers in this section
of the country. The five children born of her mar-
riage to Mr. Clarke are John P., who married Emma
Wilkinson, and is a farmer of Lynn Township, this
county; Esther Ann, wife of George Carnes, of
Orion ; Edward P. married Anna Cunningham and
lives at Monmouth, where he is a clerk in an agricul-
tural store; Amelia R. is the wife of William Smith,
an attorney of Orion ; Almira L. resides at home.

About two years after their marriage, Mr. and Mrs.
Clarke went to Milan (then called Camden Mills),
Rock Island County, where they resided from 1844
to 1861, and where Mr. C. erected the second house

in the village. During the time he was in Milan, he
was engaged in the wagon-making and blacksmith-
ing business. In 1855 he purchased a farm in Lynn
Township, this county, upon which he made fair im-
improvements. He followed agricultural pursuits
for two years successfully, when in 1857 he returned
to Milan and embarked in the general mercantile
business, which he continued to run for four years
and was at the same time Postmaster. In 1861 he
again returned to his farm and was there engaged,
with the exception of two years he lived at Bloom-
ington, 111., until 1879, when he came to Orion. He
then purchased the property he now occupies, and
upon which he has made great improvements, chiefly
in the erection of an elegant residence. He improved
a half section of land in Lynn Township, one-half of
which he bequeathed equally to two sons and the re-
mainder, which is well improved, he retained. His
lot in the village contained four and one-half acres.
Both he and his wife are members of the Presby-
terian Church, of which Mr. C. has been Elder for
many years. Politically, he is a Prohibitionist.

£ oseph Fronk, a farmer on section 14, in the

township of Annawan, located in Henry

?t?W^ County in 1854. He was born in Dauphin

||g Co., Pa., in 1813. He came to the State of

11L Illinois in 185 1, at settled at Tiskilwa, in Bu-

I reau County, where he resided until the year
in which he came to Henry County.

At the age of 24 he was joined in marriage to Miss
Mary Kaplar. Their union occurred in May, 1834.
She was born Aug. 30, 181 2, in Juniata Co., Pa.
Seven sons have been born to them, of whom all are
still living but one. Henry N. was born May 15,
1836; David, Oct. 5, 1838; William H, Oct. 12,
1841; James A., Oct. 30, 1843; Joseph W., Oct.
21, 1847 ; Jacob R., Jan. 13, 1851. The son who is
deceased was a soldier of the late war, and was
wounded at Stone River. He died after two weeks,
of hemorrhage, and was brought home for burial.
His remains were placed in Fairview Cemetery, in
the county where he was born.

Henry Fronk, the father of Mr. Fronk, of this
sketch, was born in the county of Lancaster, Pa., in
1775. He died in Dauphin Co., Pa., in 1867. Sarah

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^©MR^

HENRY COUNTY.

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443

<kt

Buchanan Fronk, his wife, was born in the same
county in which her son was born, in 1777. Herde-
•$• raise took place in 1865. She became the wife of
Mr. Fronk, senior, in 1809. Her parents came from
Ireland, and those of her husband were natives of
Germany. The family of which Mr. Fronk is a
member comprised the following children : Elizabeth,
Joseph, Levi, Hannah, John, Harriet and Sarah.
John and Sarah are dead.

The farm of Mr. Fronk includes 160 acres. He
became its possessor in the year in which he removed
to the county. He obtained the title of the Govern-
ment of the United States, and he has placed the
entire acreage under excellent cultivation. The farm
house is a comfortable structure, and the other build-
ings are of excellent type. On the place is a fine
grove of trees, which Mr. Fronk planted with his
own hands. He is a member of the Republican
party, and both himself and his wife have been for
more than a score of years connected with the
Church of the United Brethren.

^*HjHi^=

'illiam Smith, of Edford Township, is a
representative citizen of Henry County
in more than the common acceptation of
the term. What he is he has made himself.
He is a foreigner, and at the outset of his
career he was in the most humble circumstan-
ces. All that is included in the term "poor"
he has known in its full significance.
He was born in Prussia, Nov. 10, 1822

He was
the son of Henry and Caroline Smith, and from his
parents his only inheritance was the privilege of
bearing his own spear and shield in the battle of life.
The conflict commenced when he was a lad of ten
years. His first employment was in the capacity of
a herder of cattle, and he passed eight months in
that kind of labor. For the entire period of his
efforts in that direction he received one dollar in
cash, a pair of shoes, and ten yards of the home-made
linen, which is a common product of his native
country. He was in the habit of rising at four
o'clock in the morning, and he had charge of the
cattle until ten o'clock, after which he was per-
mitted to attend school until one o'clock. He then
resumed his vigilance over the cattle, and was on
duty from that time until nightfall. He continued

§d(3d$« *°>^ &A4*ll!l&Dll^

in this occupation until he reached the age of 14
years. During the time he acquired a good educa-
tion, or what was considered as fair in his country.
He then engaged in farming, and received a com-
pensation of nine dollars a year. He continued to
operate as a farm assistant until he reached the age
of 19 years and six months, and he then left his
native land to come to the United States. He took
passage on a sailing vessel, and after an ocean voy-
age of seven weeks, he landed at the port of Balti-
more, having only $1.50 in his possession whereon
to found his fortune in the New World.

He made his way to Cumberland, Alleghany Co.,
Md., and he passed the first summer in the employ
of a farmer, receiving for his services $8 a month.
He was employed on a farm during the winter fol-
lowing, and was paid $5 a month. He remained
with his first employer at the same rates three years,
and at the expiration of that time he o.btained a
situation as a hostler in a baiting stable. He was
there occupied one year. He had practiced the
utmost frugality and economy, and had saved nearly
the entire amount he had earned ; and, seeing what
seemed a good opportunity to start himself in an in-
dependent business, he invested his little fortune,
and, obtaining a small degree of credit, he found him-
self the possessor of a six-horse team, with which he
entered into the work of hauling goods from Cumber-
land to Wheeling and Clarksburg, and also to other
places in the interior where there was no public
means of transportation. His venture met with
gratifying success, and in the short space of seven-

yioj

teen months he cleared $575. He then formed an
association in business with his brother, and they
purchased a team together. They then commenced
their joint operations, and they passed their time in
alternately driving and loading the wagons, and they
carried on their business until the completion of the
line of railroad, which put an end to their transport-
ation service. The road was finished in 1850.

In that year, accompanied by his brother John, he
started for Illinois. They came by the Allegheny,
Ohio and Mississippi Rivers, and they landed at
Alton. Arriving there, they set out to cross the
country on foot to select a suitable location for a
home. They traveled until they came to Henry
County, and being pleased with the apparent out-
look they invested their money in a fine tract of land
which included 320 acres of prairie and 80 acres of _^=;^

444

HENRY COUNTY.

limber. It was situated in the township of Edford.
After making their purchase, they returned to Cum-
berland, and sold their teams preparatory to a per-
manent removal, and in the spring of 185 1 they
came to Henry County, bringing with them their
families. They located on section 31, and there the
brothers prosecuted their farming for two years. At
the end of that time they divided their estate, each
taking 160 acres of prairie and 40 acres of timber.
The residence of Mr. Smith is situated on the north-
east quarter of section 31. The farm buildings
made a fine display, and afford the best possible
evidence of the quality of the judgment, industry
and taste of their owner. The farm is chiefly de-
voted to the growing of grain and raising of stock.
The prosperous condition of Mr. Smith is fully out-
lined in the fact that he is the owner of more than
1,200 acres of land, all under a good order of cultiva-
tion. There is a good opportunity to contrast his
condition now with that of about 30 years ago, and
he has the proud satisfaction of knowing that he
owes it all to his own efforts.

Mr. Smith was joined in marriage to Caroline
Emmeret in 1849. She was born in Bedford Co., Pa.
They have five children. Maggie is' married to Al-
bert Lawbaugh, and they are living in the Upper
Peninsula in Northern Michigan. Her husband is
there engaged in the practice of medicine. John
was born Nov. 10, 1854. He married Mary E.
Smith, a native of Cumberland Co., Md. The son is
the owner of 200 acres of land on section 30, in Ed-
ford Township. Carrie is the wife of George Smith,
a resident in Western Township. Ella married
James Stephenson, and they live in the township last
named. Emma lives with her parents. The family
are all members of the Lutheran Church.

Hfpilliam McMeeken, farmer, section 6,
" ' Western Township, was born in North
r Ireland, March 21, 182 r. His father,
!> Jones McMeeken, was also a farmer, and
died in his native country, Ireland, in 1843.
J William learned the trade of a carpenter in his
native land, and when 25 years of age he came to
America, first settling in Philadelphia; two years later
he returned to his native home, but in 1852 he came

again to America, locating this time at Mill Creek,
Rock Island Co., 111. In 1856 he purchased a farm
of 65 acres on section 1, Western Township, and lo-
cated upon it the following year; and here he has
since made his home, being a prosperous farmer, an
industrious laborer and a judicious manager. He
found his place an unimproved tract of land, but it
is now rendered valuable in every portion. The live
stock which he raises are first-class.

July 23, 1853, is the date of Mr. McMeeken 's mar-
riage to Miss Agnes Reed, who was born in North
Ireland, of Scotch-Irish descent. Her parents died
in that country, and she came alone to America
when about 20 years of age, making her home in
Rock Island County. The family record as fol-
lows : James and Mary J. are married; . Miam
is a teacher in the public schools; Frank, j^hn,
Robert, Hugh, Sandie and Lydia. Mr. and Mrs.
McM. are members of the Presbyterian Church, and
in politics he is a reliable Republican.

form Milem, foreman of the coal-bank of
fe- Taylor Williams, in the vicinity of Cleve-
land, in Hanna Township, was born in
Norfolk, England, Dec. 4, 1828. His parents
Robert and Elizabeth (Baldwin) Milem, were
also natives of the same county.
Mr. Milem grew up in his native county, and on
arriving at a suitable age he learned the trade of tile-
maker. He also acquired a practical knowledge of
the manufacture of brick, and he was employed in
those lines of business while he remained in Eng-
land.

At the age of 2r,he came to America. He lo-
cated in Waterloo, N. Y., and there established him-
self as a tile-maker. He there ran the first tile
machine operated in the United States. He
remained in that place two years, and went thence
to Staten Island, and engaged in the capacity of
superintendent of the tile works on that island,
which he managed until 1853. In that year he came
to Illinois, and became interested in farming in Bu-
reau County. After operating there two years, he
went to Dane Co., Wis., and bought a farm!. He
was one of the earliest settlers in Dane County. He
improved his place, and was its owner and occupant

•Sis

Jh.^.^M^'

s4$ta: 6V4M&HH&i/o js&k-

HENRY COUNTY.

447 Z'

»)

until 1864, when he came to Cleveland, to engage
for a brief time in the industries of that place He
stayed but a short time, and returned to Dane
County. He continued to occupy his farm until the
fall of 1865, when he returned to Cleveland. He
was variously occupied until 1867, when he entered
the employ of Mr. Williams. He assumed the
charge of the coal-bank, and has operated in the
same capacity since without intermission. He has
met with the prosperity due to a life of effort, and is
the owner of 40 acres of land, which he bought in
1882, in Colona Township, and is also the proprietor
of considerable property in Cleveland and vicinity.
' He was married, in 1852, to Mary A. Kidd, and
they have nine children. Their names are John E.,
Mary, Emma J., Caroline, Eliza, James, Ida May,
George A. and Frank E. The eldest son is acting as
an engineer at the coal-bank. The eldest daughter is
the wife of John McCoslin, and they reside at Orion,
where her husband is engaged in the sale of Wheeler
and Wilson sewing-machines, pianos and organs.

I imam B. McClure. The subject of this
personal narrative is a native of Henry
County, having been born in Wethersfield
Township, June 18, 1850. His parents
were Daniel and Laura A. (Little) McClure.
The latter was a sister of Abner Little. She
died in Wethersfield Township. The elder McClure
has for some time been a well known resident of
Wethersfield. Two children were born to this
couple, — Thomas and William B.

Mr. McClure, whose name heads this sketch, at-
tended the district schools of Wethersfield, in which
he received a good ordinary education. He made
his home with his parents, working on the farm, un-
til about 27 years of age. From that time until
1881 he worked out by the month. By economy he
had saved a little money, and at that time bought a
farm in Burns Township, where he has since lived.
He has been eminently successful in this short per-
iod, for to-day he owns 220 acres of land.

Mr. McClure was married in Wethersfield Town-
ship, April 17, 1885, to Miss Fannie, daughter of
William and Sarah (Griffith) Bump. Mrs. McClure

was born in Wisconsin in 1853. She is a member
of the Congregational Church, while her husband
finds his religion in the principles of the Republican
party.

■4-

[?4«Mn>/

athaniel C. Gilbert, Supervisor of the
Township of Munson, is one of the most
skillful farmers in the county and is the
proprietor of one of the most valuable farms.
i(, He was born Feb. 10, 1834, in Richmond, On-
tario Co., N. Y., and is the oldest son of Horace and
Ann Eliza (Carpenter) Gilbert. His father was born
in Connecticut and his mother was a native of Her-
kimer Co., N. Y.

He grew to the age of manhood in the county
where he was born and was fully trained in the
arts of farming under the competent instructions of
his father. He obtained a fair education in the pub-
lie schools. At the age of 18 he commenced teach-
ing and passed some years in the practice of that
calling in the winter seasons, and operated as a
farmer in the intervening summers. He was an in-
mate of the homestead until 1856. In the month of
February of that year he set out for Illinois. He
came at once to Henry County and located in Gene-
eseo Township. He bought a tract of land on sec-
tion 3r, on which a small house had been built and
there had been 30 acres broken by the plow. He and
one of his brothers lived there until i860. He then
bought 80 acres of land in the township of Munson,
situated on section 5, on which he has since ex-
pended his efforts and abilities. The nature of both
may be inferred from his present possessions and
surroundings. He is the owner of 240 acres of ex-
cellent farming land, which is beautified and in-
creased in value by a variety of trees common to the
situation and also with fine buildings. The abilities
of Mr. Gilbert are recognized and made useful to the
public interests by his repeatedly being summoned
to serve his townsmen in an official capacity. In the
spring of 1880 he was elected to the position he now
fills and to which he has been successfully re-elected.
He has served in the capacity of Township Treas-
urer for the past six years, and he has officiated as
President of the Agricultural Board of Henry County
since 1878. He is a firm adherent and supporter of
the principles and issues of the Republican party

sg^e — &AgHI|®NI94$ — ;s€»c ■*«*

<£-

448

HENRY COUNTY.

His marriage to Francelia Amsden occurred in Au-
gust, i860. She was born in Woodstock, Windsor
Co., Vt, and is the oldest daughter of Richard P. and
Lora A. (Buck) Amsden. May, H. Mark and Lora
are the names of the children of Mr. and Mrs. Gil-
bert.

The public will doubtless be pleased to see a
likeness of Mr. Gilbert in this volume; and it is ac-
cordingly given, in connection with the foregoing
sketch.

-* #-#• *~

|.imeon N. Conover, station agent of the
Rock Island & Pacific Railroad, telegraph
^ operator and express agent at Orion, was
born in Somerville, Somerset Co., N. J., June
1857. His parents were Andrew J. and
Rachel (Dunham) Conover, and both natives
of the State in which our subject was born, having
been united in matrimony in Monmouth County.
They were both of New England parentage, and the
father was engaged as a blacksmith. Of their union
were born seven children, six having been born in
the State of New Jersey.

Simeon N., our subject, was the oldest but one of
his parents' family, and in 1868 came West with the
family, locating first in Wyoming, Stark Co., 111.
Afterward the family went to French Grove, Peoria
Co., 111., at which place they have made their per-
manent home. Simeon N. Conover, whose name
heads this article, was educated principally in the
public schools of Wyoming. While at the latter
place he learned the art of telegraphy and has since
been a successful operator.

In April, 1874, he became connected with the
railroad company as shop clerk, occupying that posi-
tion seven years, then one year in Des Moines, Iowa,
for the Wabash Company, filling the same position,
and in December, 1882, came to Orion, 111. He has
since had the entire management of the station of
the Rock Island & Pacific Railroad at this place.

Dec. 24, 1878, Mr. Conover was married at the
residence of the bride's parents, at Wyoming, 111.,
the lady chosen for his companion in life being Miss
Eva M. Westfall, daughter of Robert E. and Sarah
A. (Woods) Westfall, natives respectively of Ohio
and Indiana. They were married at Toulon, 111.,

and there located on a farm, where Mrs. Conover of
this notice was born Feb. 13, 1859. She was reared
and educated in the county of her nativity, and re-
sided with her parents until her marriage. The
father was Second Lieutenant in Co. F, 112th 111.
Vol. Inf., and was afterward promoted First Lieu-
tenant, and died of a fever, in Kentucky. The
mother is yet living, and resides with her daughter,
Mrs. Conover.

Mrs. C. is the mother of two children by Simeon
N., namely: Leon, born Dec. 18, 1880; and Anna
M., born Nov. 1, 1884. Mr. and Mrs. Conover are
both members of the Methodist Episcopal Church at
Orion. Politically, Mr. C. is an adherent to the
principles of the Republican party, and locally is a
member of the Village Board.

illiam £. Brainard, a prosperous and
energetic farmer, residing on section 13,
Annawan Township, was born in Medina
•V Co., Ohio, March 28, 1838, and is a son of
Deodatus and Sally Jane (Fry) Brainard.
His father, Deodatus, was born in Jefferson
Co., N. Y., in 1808, and when but a lad came with
his father to Ohio, where they settled in Medina
County, at which place he was married to Miss Fry
in the year 1829. She was born in June, 181 2, in
the Mohawk Valley, N. Y. Of their union were
born six children, as follows : Marinnes G., Mary
Ann, Vanransler, William E. (our subject), Henry
B. and Aura A.

William E. remained at home until he attained
the age of 21 years, attending school in the acquisi-
tion of an education, receiving the advantages of the
common schools of that early day, though they were
very limited, and assisted his parents on the farm.
At the age of three years he came with his parents
to the State of Illinois and located near the place
which is now called Buda, in the year 1841. He
and Miss Emma J. Prince were united in marriage
Oct. 3, 1857, at Sheffield, Bureau Co., III. Mrs. B.
was born Oct. 17, 1838, in Yorkshire, Eng., and
came to America in 1853. Her father, George
Prince, was born at Yorkshire, Aug. n, 1792. He
married Miss Rebecca Wilson in 1816. She was
I born at Leeds, Eng., in 1796. They were the par-

B
B

(

HENRY COUNTY.

449

ents of ten children, bearing the following names :
Sarah, Robert, George, Rose, Martha, Mary, Han-
nah, Rebecca, Ruth and Emma J., who became
Mrs. Brainard, and the mother of six children, born
in the following order: Kate D., born June 27,
1858; Lizzie J., Jan. 4, i860; ^Edward A., Feb.
26, 1862; Sherwin VV., Sept. 8, 1867; George D.,
Oct. 3, 1873; Roy P., Oct. 25, 1878.

Mr. Brainard is not only one of the extensive
land-owners of the township, but is also a large stock
dealer and raiser. He has 543 acres of land, 280 of
which are located in Hamilton Co., Neb., and the re-
mainder in Henry County. For the past ten years
he has been engaged in shipping stock to the Chicago
market. On his place he has a fine herd of Short-
horn cattle. His dwelling is 28x61 feet, two stories
in height. Politically, he is a Democrat, and is re-
garded as one of the representative farmers of the
eastern portion of Henry County. Both are Ad-
ventists in religious faith and belief.

(S\

ohn Long, a prominent and well-to-do
farmer of Burns Township and who owns
a farm of 373 acres on section 6, was born
in Rockingham Co., Va., Feb. 28, 1833. His
parents, Jacob and Nancy (Rhine) Long, were
also natives of Virginia. They came to Henry
County in 1857 and settled in Cornwall Township,
where they are living as respected and esteemed
farmers. They reared a family of ten children, of
whom John was the second. He accompanied his
parents to Henry County, and, as might be expected,
a great deal of hard work fell to his lot. He was
reared on a farm and has since made agriculture his
vocation. He now has one of the large number of
fine farms to be found in Burns Township. He has
a good dwelling and fine outbuildings, and is re-
garded as one of the solid men of Henry County.

Our subject was first married at Kewanee, Nov.
20, 1863, to Miss Martha Willard, who was also a
native of Virginia. She became the mother of four
children,— George B., John W., Jacob H. and Addie
A. Mrs. Long's demise occurred at her home in
Burns Township, May 28, 1873. Mr. Long lived
alone until 1876, when on the 8th day of March he

was united in marriage with Mrs. Matilda McNay,
relict of Samuel H. McNay, and a daughter of Wil-
liam and Margaret (Dugan) Hunter, and was born
in Muskingum Co., Ohio, Dec. 18, 1835. Mrs.
Long was first married to Joseph P. Lawrence, by
whom she had one child, — Maggie E. She is the
wife of Charles F. Allen, of Munson Township.

Mr. Long has served as School Director, and polit-
ically is a Democrat. His wife is a member of the
Presbyterian Church.

•>~w, «\44jaj2/®^5««'

»gfS/Zrznr»v~ -wv*

illiam Austin, a farmer of Edford Town-
ship, is a pioneer of Henry County, hav-
ing come here in 1838. He was born
Oct. 3, 1817, in Alexander, Genesee Co.,
N. Y. His parents, Richard and Laura
(Cady) Austin, were natives of Connecticut
and Went to Western New York in the pioneer days
of that locality. His father was by trade a tailor,
but after he removed to Alexander he leased a hotel
and for some years was engaged in the management
of a house of public entertainment. He was at the
same time the lessee of a farm, which he also
conducted jointly with the business of a landlord.
The parents died in Alexander. Mr. Austin was an
inmate of the parental home until the year in which
he came to Illinois. He made the transfer of his in-
terests in the month of September, and on coming to
the county he located at Geneseo. He had no diffi-
culty in obtaining employ as a farm assistant, and
soon after his arrival he secured a claim of 80 acres
of land on section 27, of township 17 north, range 3
east, now the township of Geneseo. A few years
later he built a house on the place, and also im-
proved it somewhat. He made an exchange not
long after for r 19 acres on section 19, in the same
township. He retained possession of the latter place
but a few months, and in 1852 he entered the south-
west quarter of slction 23, township 17, range 2, in
Edford Township, then designated by the numerals
by which its relative position on the charts of the
surveyors was known. In 1852 he erected a small
house on the place, and in the same year he raised
his first crop. He had done some breaking on the
place in the year previous. He continued the work
of improvement until he had put 135 acres under

>^^ — ^A<Hniraiif!>A^ — ^c^-

HENRY COUNTY.

tillage and had built all the structures needed on a
farm of that class. He also set out a generous sup-
ply of trees of the variety common to the locality
both for shade and fruit.

Mr. Austin was married in 1848 to -Luanda C.
Bartlett. She was born in Byron Township, Gene-
see Co., N. Y. The wife died in 1869, and left one
child, — Frederick P. Mr. Austin was a second time
married to S. Minerva Simmons. She was born in
Galesburg, Knox Co., 111. From the second union
there was one child, — Fayette E.

Mr. and Mrs. Austin are members of the Congre-
gational Church. Mr. Austin is the present Asses-
sor of Edford Township, and he has been the
incumbent of several other official positions in that
division of the county.

August Peterson, a general farmer of sec-
tion 26, Western Township, is the owner of

I'lfy? a £00(* °iuarter-section °f improved land.

ii J He came to this county in 1852 from Warren

Jlk. *-"°'> ^a'' wnere he nad lived three years. He

is the son of C. J. and Ann L. (Rosenmiller)

Peterson, who were natives of Sweden, farmers, and

had three children, all born in the old country.

Mr. Peterson, the youngest in the above family,
was three years old when the family emigrated to
America, settling on a small farm in Warren Co., Pa.,
in 1849. In 1852, they came to Illinois, settling
upon a farm of 80 acres, on section 35, Western
Township, where they have since made it their
home. Since their location here, two children have
been added to the family. August lived at home
until 21 years of age, when he struck out into the
world for himself, as a common laborer. His first
purchase of real estate was 20 acres of land; and,
after securing 40 acres from hjs parents, he pur-
chased 20 acres more; and in 1879 he bought 80
acres adjoining, on the same section. His farm is
is now well arranged, and in a good tillable condi-
tion. The only division is made by a road running
throught the premises. By economy and judicious
management he has been able to improve his farm
and stock, and make them valuable. He is yet
unmarried, his sister, Ann M., having been house-

keeping for him since 1869. Mr. Peterson is a mem- ^f

ber of the Lutheran Church, for which body he is 'A

now a Trustee. In his political doctrines he is a i. »

Republican. ' '

ohn C. McNeeley is one of the substantial
fc and enterprising citizens and farmers of

SSP^^* the township of Annawan, and takes a well
deserved position among the best class of resi-
dents in the county. He is the proprietor ot
520 acres of land, finely located and under the
sort of culture which proves the owner to possess the
right quality of judgment and industry to make a
success of his operations in the line of agriculture.
He came to Henry County in 1 85 2 , and has since
endeavored to add his contribution to the general
well-being of the community to which he belongs.

Mr. McNeeley was born in Jefferson Co., Ind.,
March 1, 1826. John McNeeley, his father, was a
native of the State of Ohio, and was born in 1795.
His wife, previous to her marriage with him, Miss
Margaret A. Readenbough, was born i.n 1797. Their
marriage took place in 1815. She was a native of
the Buckeye State. She bore to her husband 12
children, — James, Sarah Ann, Catherine, Frederick,
John, Jeremiah, William H., George, Thomas, Eliza-
beth, Samuel and Jacob. The senior McNeeley re-
moved in his early life to Indiana, where he died in
1869. The death of his wife transpired in the same
State in 1873.

The marriage of Mr. McNeeley to Sarah C.
Slaughter was celebrated Oct. 29, 1851. Her birth
occurred in Jefferson Co., Ind., Oct. 2, 1827, and she
is the daughter of Jeremiah Slaughter. He was a
native of the State of New York, where he was born
in the year 1788. He was married to Rebecca
Logan in 181 9. She was born in Hamilton Co.,
Ohio, in 1803. Their children, nine in number,
were born in the following order : William Logan,
Mary D., Elizabeth J., Martha A., Catherine S., John
M., Daniel S., Julia A. and Isabel C. The deaths
of the parents of Mrs. McNeeley took place respect-
ively in 1872 and 1857. The children who have
been added to the household of Mr. and Mrs. Mc-
Neeley are named and were born as stated below:
Margaret A. was born Aug. 4, 1852; John M., April

ES
«

-aj€^k CTv^Hl D® Q Df^V^— >4^

HENRY COUNTY.

45'

z6, 1854; Mary C, Jan. 24, 1856; William H., Jan.
9,1858; George W., Nov. 6, 1859; Sarah E., July

25, 1861 ; Dora E., March 28, 1863; Emma J., Jan.
18, 1865 ; Charles O., Aug. 25, 1868. George died
Sept. 13, i860.

The estate of Mr. McNeeley is located on section

26. He obtained the title to his land from the Gov-
ernment of the United States when the land sales
were made. The place is all well cultivated, and
the stock with which it is supplied is of excellent
quality, and includes a fine herd of thoroughbred
Short-horns, of which ten head is registered stock.
The horses owned by Mr. McNeeley are three fourths
Norman in blood. The farm structures that have
been erected by Mr. McNeeley are of a stamp suited
to the dimensions of the place and the character of
the proprietor.

ohn S. Swensson, Superintendent of the
Swedish Orphan Home and Farm School,
located on section 18, Andover Township,
was born in the village of Andover, Dec. 15,
1858. His father, Jonas Swensson, was a na-
tive of Sweden, of old Swedish ancestry, and a
farmer by occupation. He was born in 1828, and is
now deceased.

After the death of his father, Mr. Jonas Swensson
was educated in the schools of his native country for
the ministry, graduating at CJpsala, Sweden, in 1850,
and being ordained in October, 185 1. March 29,
1856, he married Mary Blixt, the daughter of a
Swedish soldier. During the same year they came
to America, settling in Sugar Grove, Warren Co.,
Pa., where he followed his calling, also officiating at
Jamestown, Chautauqua Co., N. Y. In the fall of
1858 he emigrated to Illinois, locating at Andover,
this county, where he took charge of the Evangelical
Lutheran Church, and retained it until his death,
which occurred Dec. 20, 1873. He was interested
in the erection of the large new church at Andover,
which stands there at the present time, and was the
first originator of the Orphan Home at that place.
He purchased the land upon which it was located,
and devoted his best energies to the interests of the
institution until it was fully established. His wife
died Aug. 20, 1874, after having become the mother

of seven children, six sons and one daughter ; three
of the former are deceased. The living are : Carl
A., who is married and resides in Lindsborg, Mc-
Pherson Co., Kan., where he is a minister of the
Swedish Lutheran Church ; the second is the subject
of this sketch ; Anna M., who married Eben Carlson,
a druggist, and resides at Lindsborg, Kan. ; Petrus
L., who lives also at Lindsborg.

Mr. John S. Swensson resided at his parental
home unlil the death of his father, and two years
later he entered the Swedish Institute at Rock Island
City, where he studied about three years ; then, in
1879, he went to Lindsborg, where he was engaged
as a clerk in a hardware store for a year, and where
he began teaching in the Swedish schools. In Janu-
ary, 1882, he assumed full control of the Orphan
Home, a fuller account of which is given towards the
close of this volume. Mr. S. has been a skillful and
judicious Superintendent. He has been credited
even with raising the home above the general aver-
age, if possible, of the previous years of its history.
He also owns an equal interest in a half section of
land in Garfield Township, Pawnee Co., Kan. In
his political sentiments he is, like nearly all the
Swedish population of this country, a Republican.

April 26, 1883, Mr. S. was married, in Andover,
to Miss Mary E. C. Olsson, who was born at Hultsjo,
Sweden, May 27, i860. Her parents were Andrew
and Johanna (Blixt) Olsson. Her mother died in
this country in 1867, very shortly after her arrival
here. She came to the Orphan Home in 187 1, as
an inmate and student, where she remained until her
marriage.

ss>3 : — »-

Ifndrew P. Lawson, engaged in agriculture
and the rearing of live stock, and residing
on section 7, Western Township, was born
in the central part of Sweden, May 25, 1824.
His parents were Lewis Gustavson and Line
Johnson, natives also of that portion of the
Scandinavian Peninsula, were farmers and lived to
be advanced in age, and both died in their native
land, — the father when about 74 years old and the
mother when nearly 80.

Mr. Andrew P. Larson, the eighth in a family of
eleven children, resided with his parents, working
upon the farm, until he was 2 1 years of age, when he
was married, in March, 1845, to Miss Anna Soberger.

(!.

^MHf^-^-

45*

HENRY COUNTY.

■X

1 She was the daughter of a Swedish brick mason, and
died in her native country Dec. 25, 1848, three years
after her marriage. By that marriage there was one
child, John A., who came to America with his father
in 1856 ; and about i860, when he was 20 years old,
he was accidentally drowned while bathing in Green
River, near Colona, this county. Mr. Lawson was
married a secotid-time in his native country in Au-
gust, 1849, to Betty Johnson, and a year afterward
they emigrated to this country, and for the first two
. years resided in Swedona, Mercer Co., 111., removing
thence to Western Township, this county, where they
' afterward purchased 80 acres of land on section 7,
I and still later 80 acres more. His present aggre-
gate of 160 acres is all under good methods of culti-
vation.

Mr. Lawson's second wife died in the fall of 1874,
after having become the mother of four children, one
of whom died in infancy. The reeord now stands :
Charles P. married Mary Olsen and resides in Orion ;
• Gustav was united in marriage with Hannah W.
1 Carlson, who came from Sweden, her native land, in
: 1875. Gustav is the manager of the home farm, and
) he and his brother are also extensive grain-threshers.
His children are Edward, Mabel, Arthur and a de-
ceased infant. Albert, unmarried and residing with
his brother, is the third child by Mr. Lawson's sec-
ond marriage.

The family are members of the Evangelical Lu-
theran Church, in which society Mr. L. has been
Trustee.

Mr. Lawson started the town of Crampton, and
erected the building where the postoffice is kept,
giving it the name it now holds. Charles P. was the
first Postmaster and Gustav is now Assistant Post-
master at this place. The family are all strong Re-
publicans.

j|olomon Minard. The subject of the fol-
yp|L lowing personal sketch, who resides in
K> ' Annawan, is one of the most respected and
best known citizens of Henry County. He is
a large land-owner, and for many years an ac-
tive and extensive farmer, but at present is
living the quiet and easy life of a retired farmer in
the village of Annawan.

He was born in Upper Canada, Feb. 14, 18 14.

Here he was reared, educated and remained a sub-
ject of the British Government until 1836. At that
time, in order to enjoy the better advantages offered
by our Government, that he might feel free to think
and act for himself, and to rear his family where
they might enjoy the better and free institutions of
learning, he came to the United States. He located
at LaPorte, Ind., where he remained a year, when he
came to the then little village of Chicago and spent
another year. At the time he lived there, John
Swigley was Sheriff of Cook County, and he offered
to sell to Mr. Minard, and make a good title to, the
ground upon which the Sherman House now stands
for a span of horses. The situation was so unfavor-
able, and the outlook for a city of any considerable
size ever being built there in the swamp so gloomy,
that he declined to accept the offer. Finding noth-
ing of interest or profit at Chicago, after remaining
there a year he moved to La Salle County and was
one of the early pioneers of that section of the State.
He took an active part in the construction of the
Illinois and Michigan Canal, which at that early day
was supposed to be the only means of transportation.
He built lock No. 13, and after remaining there six
years, during which time he superintended nearly all
the public works on that part of the Canal, he left
and came to Henry County. He arrived here in 1850
and entered 160 acres of land where the village of
Annawan now stands. He sold this to Charles
Atkinson, who laid off the town . Mr. Minard was
one of the early settlers in this part of the country,
and of course suffered many of the inconveniences
and hardships that befall the early settler in a new
country. He frequently met Shabbona, the Indian
Chief and friend of the white man. This celebrated
Indian character was highly esteemed and well
known by the pioneers in this portion of Illinois, and
they always love to talk of his many kindnesses to
the whites and relate incidents connected with him.
Mr. Minard and Miss Mary Burrow were united
in marriage in 1845. Mrs. Minard was born Jan. 22,
1822, in Randolph Co., N. C. Of the seven chil-
dren born to Mr. and Mrs. Minard, all are deceased.
Mr. Minard's parents, George and Elizabeth Minard,
were natives of the Eastern States. The father was
born near Bel'ows Falls, Vt., and died at Annawan,
in 1864. The mother was born on the Mohawk
River, N. Y., and survived her husband five years,
also dying in Annawan.

SK@^

-^©^ — @?*<*iiii@

HENRY COUNTY.

453 ""\

Mr. Minard, the subject of this sketch, owns 600
acres of good and improved land in Annawan Town-
ship. He has served his township in the various
local official positions, and politically is a Republican.
The family are members of the Methodist Episcopal
Church, with which Mr. Minard has been connected
for 28 years.

eorge T. Melvin is a farmer of repute in
the Township of Munson and came to
Henry County in 1862. He was born
Dec. 2, 1825, in Readfield, Kennebec Co.,
Me., and is the son of Benjamin and Eliza
(Sargent) Melvin. His parents were of New
Hampshire birth and were descendants of the
Scotch-Irish who came from Londonderry, Ireland,
(<■ ) and settled at Dunbarton, N. H. The posterity of
v ^ that sturdy, frugal, honorable race, scattered through-
^ out all portions of the United States and worthily
° represent the spirit of their ancestors who twice
5& abandoned their homes to secure freedom of con-
° science, and they form one of the most reliable ele-
£u ments of our mixed nationality. The parents of
>, Mr. Melvin were born in Chester, Rockingham Co.,
(JN.IL

Until he was 18, Mr. Melvin was a member of
the family of his father and was the assistant of the
latter in the duties of the homestead farm. In 1843
he went to the city of Boston to learn the details of
the business of a builder. He engaged with a firm
of good repute and remained under their manage-
ment two years, receiving $10 a month. He went
thence to Cambridgeport and obtained a situation in
a car shop. He operated there a year and then
went into a repair shop in the service of the Fitch-
burg Railroad, situated at Charleston. Six months
later he went to Portsmouth, N. H, and after work-
ing there six months he went to Laconia in the same
State and was employed in the car-shops of the
Ramlets until 1857. In that year he came to Illi-
nois. He located at Rock Island, where he had
charge of the Chicago, Rock Island & Pacific Rail-
road repair shops five years.

In 1862 he came to Munson Township and en-
gaged in farming. In 1864 he bought a tract of
unimproved land on section 11 in that township and

has devoted his energies to its cultivation. The ap-
pearance of the place does the utmost credit, to his
sense, industry and judgment. He has given his un-
divided attention to the business pertaining to mixed
husbandry. The entire farm comprises 228 acres
and is under improvements of the best character.

Mr. Melvin was married June 1, 185 r, to Miss
Lucy A. Fox, who was born in Center Harbor, N. H.,
March 4, 1832, and died at their home in Munson
Township, April 26, 1884. She was a lineal de-
scendant of the Worcesters and Chases, two New
England families who have done much to place our
country in its present advanced position. Inheriting
those sterling qualities from such an ancestry, she
won the love and respect of all. A true wife, a
noble mother and a dear friend, her loss was irre-
parable to her family and deeply mourned by a large
circle of friends. They had two children : Frank
S., born May 6, 1854, in Belknap Co., N. H. He
was married in Geneseo, Henry Co., 111., Dec. 17,
1884, to Eva J., daughter of Bradbury H. and Sophia
C. Thomas, natives of Maine, but now residing in
Illinois. He is an esteemed citizen of Munson and
for four years has been elected member of the Town
Board. (See sketch.) Fred H., the youngest son,
was born April 4, 1861, at Rock Island, 111. He
married Alice, daughter of Major Albert and Louise
McKinney, at Owatonna, Steele Co., Minn., Aug.
2r, 1884. The sons are both engaged in farming in
Munson Township, this county.

eorge Wolf, engaged as a farmer on section
32, Annawan Township, is a native of Ohio,
where he was born, in Knox County, Jan.
13, 1828. His father, George Wolf, was born
April 1, 1782, in Pennsylvania, and married
Miss Sarah Enlow in 1804. She was born
in the Keystone State, in 1787, and died in Henry
County, March 3T, 1855. George Wolf, Sr., lived to
a very advanced age, and died in Henry County,
March 7, 1884.

George Wol,f, of this sketch, was reared and edu-
cated in his State, and in the autumn of 1853 he
came to Illinois and located upon the farm where he
is now living. Shorly after his arrival here, and be-
lieving that it was not good for man to live alone, he
was united in marriage with Miss Barbara Ann

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45 4

HENRY COUNTY.

Heaps, daughter of one of the well known pioneers
of Henry County. The officiating clergyman was
the Rev. Mr. Baker, of the Methodist Episcopal
Church of Cambridge. Mrs. Wolf was born in Lan-
caster Co., Pa., June 15, 1837, and while a little
child was brought to Adams Co., 111., her parents
having located near Quincy. Four years later, Wm.
G. Heaps, her father (see sketch), moved to Rock Co.,
Wis., where he settled near Beloit. After remaining
there for 18 months, they came to this county, where
they have since made their home.

George and Barbara Wolf are the parents of three
children, all of whom are living: William P., the
eldest, was born Sept. 13, 1857 ; Sarah, May 3, i860;
Hiram M., Sept. n, 1862. Mr. Wolf has an excel-
lent farm of 240 acres in Annawan Township, upon
which is located a good farm dwelling 27 x 56 feet
in size, and farm buildings of good quality. He is
what is termed a general farmer, but gives some at-
tention to raising Poland-China hogs and Short-horn
cattle. He is one of the progressive and enterpris-
ing farmers of the township. Politically, he is a
Democrat, and his wife is religiously a Baptist.

~vvv« «\*2j2£/&j@

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orman Johnson. This gentleman is one
5, of the prominent young agriculturists of

Henry County. He resides upon section 29,
Annawan Township, where he has an excel-
lent 240-acre farm. He was born in this county,
Nov. 3, 1855, and until he reached his 21st year
remained under the parental roof. During the
meantime he attended the district schools and as-
sisted his father at farm work. He not only acquired
a fair education but became thoroughly versed in
practical agriculture, which has enabled him to bring
his farm to a high state of cultivation and manage it
profitably. He has upon the place a nice story-and-
a-half brick dwelling, 30 x 30 feet in size, with a barn
26x30 feet, an excellent orchard and a good herd of
graded Short-horns. He has also excellent horses
and mules and fine Poland-China hogs. Politically,
he is identified with the Republican party.

On the 19th of February, 1878, Mr. Johnson and
Miss Rachel Moon were united in marriage, the Rev.
B. Wagner, of the United Brethren Church, officiat-
ing. Mrs. Johnson is a daughter of one of the old

and respected pioneers of Annawan Township. Her
parents were Thomas and Ann Moon, the latter of
whom is living in that township, and a sketch of
whom appears elsewhere in this volume. Mrs.
Johnson was born in Bureau Co., 111., Jan. 5, 1861,
and has become the mother of four children : Ly- ^
ford M., born Sept. 1, 1880; Norman E., Sept. io,
1881, and Ralph Elmer, March 9, 1884. James
Clinton, born March 19, 1879, was the eldest, and
died in infancy.

^ndrew G. Larson, general farmer and
^, stock-raiser, on section 9, Western Town-
ship, was born in Linkoping, Sweden, March
28, 1835. His father, Lars Swenson, also a
native of Sweden and a farmer, married Beaty
Hokins, who was also born in the same place.
They both passed all their lives in Sweden, he dying
over 80 years of age.

Of the seven children in the above family, the sub-
ject of this sketch was the second. The five younger
are living and are all married but one ; two are liv-
ing in America. Andrew lived at home until he was
1 8 years of age, when he engaged as a general la-
borer upon a farm. A year afterward, in 1854, he
came alone to America, locating first in the city of
Rock Island. He soon commenced to work in that
vicinity as a brick manufacturer, and was also a farm
hand for some time in this county. After his mar-
riage, in 1859, he settled upon an 80-acre farm in
Lynn Township, this county, to which he added 120
more, and improved the same and resided there until
the spring of 1880. He then came to Western
Township, where he purchased 100 acres, and to
which he has since added by purchase 160 acres.
He has now an aggregate of 260 acres, most of which
is judiciously improved, his farm being one of the
best in the township. Mr. Larson has been very
successful as an agriculturist, and he is also highly
esteemed by the community in which he resides. He
has held the office of Road Commissioner and Town-
ship Collector ; has also been a Deacon in the Swe-
dish Lutheran Church, and he is now holding the
office of Trustee and Treasurer in that religious body.
Mr. Larson was married at Andover, this county,
Dec. 28, 1859, to Miss Helena S. Larson, who wa»
born in Central Sweden, in April, 1836. Her parents,

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HENRY COUNTY.

"2&-XW-

455

Jonas Larson and Anna Larson, came to America
about 1857, settling first in Geneseo, and afterward
in Lynn Townsfiip, this county, where they spent the
remainder of their days, being very aged at the time
of their death. Mrs. Larson, the wife of Andrew G.,
died at her home in Lynn Township in 1879, leav-
ing seven children, named Ida M., Emma S., Anna
B., Oscar, Clara A., Francis A. and Victor H. Henry
and Augusta are deceased. Mrs. L. was also a
member of the Swedish* Lutheran Church.

-m-: : O-:

■ > — ■.•V**-

illiam Wayne. Among the respected
farmers of Western Township is classed
the subject of the following sketch. He
devotes his time and attention to general
farming, and resides on section 9. He was
born in the city of Philadelphia, April 1, 1827.
His father, William Wayne, Sr., was also a native of
the Quaker city, and a lineal descendant of the fa-
mous soldier, Anthony Wayne, and came from an old
New England family of English extraction on both
sides. William, Senior, was a hardware merchant in
• the great city during his life-time, and was an earnest,
hard worker and prominent in the business affairs of
the city. He was married in Philadelphia, to Miss
Rebecca Walker, who came from Lumberton, N.
, J. Her father was a millwright, and of New Eng-
land ancestry, and a descendant of the old Quaker
families of that State, and the parents of the subject
of our sketch inherited the same religious inclina-
tions. His mother died in Philadelphia when Wil-
liam was only about six years of age. He continued
to reside with his father, and received his schooling
under a private tutor. Remaining at home until he
reached his majority, he was married at Philadelphia
and started out as an agriculturist. The maiden
name of the lady, who thus signified her desire to
share with him his fortunes and misfortunes, was Miss
Edith Blackfan. She was born in Chester Co., Pa.,
was the daughter of a physician, and was reared and
educated at home. After having borne two children,
. Eliza, now deceased, and Mary E., now of Philadel-
phia, the wife died in that city.

After the death of his wife, Mr. Wayne came to
Illinois and secured an unimproved farm in Western
Township. At the time the tract of land consisted

of 160 acres, which he has since put in a good state
of cultivation, and fairly supplied with the necessary
farm buildings, and where he has since resided. His
success as a farmer is best told by stating that, be-
sides the excellent farm upon which he lives,, he
owns an entire section of land in Sedgwick Co.,
Kan., some of which has been well improved.

Mr. Wayne celebrated his second marriage in Osco
Township, this county, Dec. 2, 1856. His second
wife was Sirah E. Leibee, a daughter of George and
Margaret (Deem) Leibee. Her parents were formerly
from Middleton, Butler Co., Ohio, where Mrs. Wayne
was born, March 9, 1835, and where she was reared
and educated. She came with her parents to Illi-
nois in 1856. They located in Osco Township, where
her marriage to Mr. Wayne was shortly afterward
celebrated. She is the mother of four children, all
of whom are living, and a record of whom is as fol-
lows : George H. married Hattie Jones, and resides
at Orion, where Mr. W. is engaged in the mercantile
business ; Margaret L. is the wife of Edward Duf-
field, a farmer of Western Township ; Clara J. mar-
ried Henry Crampton,and resides in Orion ; Charles
resides with his parents at home. Mr. W. has held
the minor offices of his township, and politically is a
Republican.

§ j|( ndrew P. P. Gustafson, dealer in agricult-
t ural implements, wagons, carriages, etc.,
at Lynn Center, Lynn Township, this
county, was born in Chicago, Sept. 28, 18^5.
His father, C. G. Gustafson, was a native of
Sweden, and a blacksmith by trade. He was
married in his native country, to Miss Anna L. New-
quist, a native also of Sweden. Just after their mar-
riage in their native country, realizing that better op-
portunities were afforded in the United States for the
accumulation of property, and hoping to better their
condition in this country, they emigrated, arriving at
and locating in Chicago. In that city they beeame
the parents of two children, John G. A. and Andrew.
In 1856 they came from Chicago to this county,
where two more sons were born to them, Frank O.
and Charles W. At present they are residing at An-
dover, where they are living in retirement.

Andrew P. F., subject of this biographical notice,
resided at home, where he assisted the father and at-

^^OflSDDO^ ^f^

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456

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HENRY COUNTY.

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tended the district schools, receiving a good English
education. He was united in marriage in Lynn
Township, this county, June 3, 1 88 1 , '[with' Miss So-
phia M. Gran. She was the daughter of John Carl-
son and Anna L. (Johnson) Carlson, and the reason
of a discrepancy in names is attributed to the fact
that Mrs. G. prior to her emigration to this country
had her name changed from Carlson to Gran. She
was born in Sweden, Sept. ir, 1858, and was but 12
years of age when her father died. She emigrated
to this country in company with her brother, John
F., in 1875, locating in Lynn Township, this county.
She afterward lived in Moline City, where she was
engaged in domestic labor, at the residence of Uncle
Charlie Gran, whose name she had adopted until her
marriage. Her mother is at present residing in Lynn
Township, with her daughter and son.

Mr. and Mrs. Gustafson are the parents of two
children, — Annie S., born March 24, 1882, and Ern-
est F., born July 4, 1884. The latter died Aug. 29,
1884. After marriage, Mr. and Mrs. Gustafson lived
on the parental homestead of 120 acres, in Andover
Township. In the spring of T885 they came to Lynn
Center, where Mr. Gustafson established his present
business, in which he has met with signal success.
He owns his stock and building, 40 x 55 feet in di-
mensions, with three lots and a good residence. He
and his wife are members ef the Swedish Lutheran
Church. Politically, he is identified with the Re-
publican party.

* ^^ +

K. Dyson, cashier of the Bank of Wood-
|E hull, was born in Medina Co., Ohio, Sept.
16, 1856, and is the son of John W. and
5S. Arethusa M. (King) Dyson, who were natives
respectively of England and New York State.
His father was a wagon- maker and carriage
manufacturer for many years, sold out in r867,
moved to Galva, this county, and is now a resident
of that place. The subject of this sketch received
a liberal education at the public schools, and at the
age of 16 years left home, and for three and a half
years was engaged in a store at Galva; then for two
years was general clerk in the postoffice at that place;
next for nearly two years he was an employee in
Beck's Bank at Galva ; then was a book-keeper for

two years in Butters & Ober's agricultural store; and
in 1878 he came to Woodhull and took charge of the
books in the Farmers' Bank for T5 months; then for
a time he was with H. Higgins, in partnership with
whom he purchased the Farmers' Bank, and con-
ducted the same for a year. Mr. Higgins then sold
his interest to the firm of Howell, Woods & Co.,
April r, 1880, since which time they have managed
the business of the concern.

Mr. Dyson was married Sept. 16, 1879, to Miss
Carrie L. Rayley, a native of Ohio. Mr. D. is a
Republican in his political sentiments, and both
himself and wife are members of the Presbyterian
Church, he holding the offices of Elder and Deacon.
He holds the office of Township Treasurer, and is
one of the leading men of Woodhull, known to be
philanthropic, public-spirited and ever ready to lend
a helping hand to every movement calculated to be
a public benefit.

ackson Deets, general farmer and stock-
raiser, residing on section ir, Andover
Township, was born in Canal Township,
Venango Co., Pa., Feb. 7, 1835. His parents
were Joseph and Sallie (Cousins) Deets, both
natives of Pennsylvania and of German de-
scent. Joseph Deets, the father of our subject,
followed the occupation of a farmer until his death
and was a soldier in the War of 181 2. He and his
wife were members of the Wesleyan Methodist
Church, but are both now deceased.

Jackson Deets, whose name heads this article,
was one of 15 children of his parents' family, and
remained under the parental roof-tree until his mar-
riage, which occurred in his native township, Oct.
20, 1859, the lady with whom he was united being
Miss Sarah A. Foster, born in the same county and
township, April 25, 1838. Her parents were of
Scotch ancestry and farmers by occupation. Mrs.
D. was reared on her father's farm, and remained at
home until her marriage, when she and her husband
came West, about to days after their marriage, loca-
ting on a farm which he rented in Mercer Co., 111.
About four years later, Mr. D., our subject, made a
purchase of 140 acres of land in Knox Co., 111.,
where he resided for seven years, in the meantime

son-^© — *&*-

6v4*dh&d H3>^ — ^&^

HENRY COUNTY.

putting his farm under excellent cultivation. At
the end of this period he sold out his possessions in
that county, and came to Andover Township, Henry
County, at which place he made a purchase of 180
acres of land on sections n and 14. This he has
made his permanent home, residing on the same
since its purchase, the condition of which is well
improved, and is excellent farming land. He has
increased his landed possessions until at the present
time they consist of 400 acres, which are divided
into three parts, the divisions being the roads only.
His house is a fine, large structure, and besides this
he has fine, first-class barn and outbuildings. He is
the owner of 1,400 acres of land in Nebraska, 500 of
which is improved and in prime condition for agri-
cultural or grazing purposes.

Mr. Deets belongs to the Prohibition party, and
has held several minor offices in his township.

adock Elliott, residing on section 22, Clo-
ver Township, where he is engaged in the
occupation of farming, is a native of Ohio,
having been born in Belmont County, that
State, April 12, 1823, his parents being Richard
and Anna (Reed) Elliott, natives of Maryland
and New York respectively. His father was a farmer
by occupation, and he, together with his wife, resided
in Ohio until their deaths, his occurring in January,
1838, and hers in August, 1873.

Zadock Elliott was an inmate of the parental
household until 15 years of .age, during which time
he received the advantages afforded by the common
school and assisted in the labors of the farm. On
reaching his 15th year he hired out as a common la-
borer on a farm, and for two years followed that vb-
cation. He then engaged in the saw-mill, where he
continued to labor until he was 26 years of age. On
reaching this age in life he rented a farm, which he
cultivated with considerable success for three years.
In the fall of 1852 Mr. Elliott removed to this State
and county, settling in Clover Township, where he
purchased 80 acres of land located on section 3. He
moved on this land and engaged in the active labors
incident to the cultivation of a new farm, and was
there resident for 13 years. At the expiration of
that time he sold the farm, and in 1866 purchased

160 acres, the same being the tract of land on which
he at present resides. By energetic effort and econ-
omy, in 1875 he added 80 acres by purchase to his
original tract, the same being located onQsection 23,
and at present is the proprietor of 240 acres of good
farming land in this county and a farm ot |i6o acres
in Kansas. Since coming to Clover Township, he
has erected a fine residence on his farm, set out trees,
etc , and otherwise improved his place.

Mr. Elliott formed a matrimonial alliance Feb. 27,
1849, with Miss Nancy J., Unaccomplished daugh-
ter of James and Mary Grimes. The parents were
both natives of Ohio and there died, her father in
May, 1879, and her'mother March 19, 1878.

The union of Mr. and Mrs.|Elliott has been blessed
by the birth of 13 children, — Mary A., Clarissa E.,
Francenia E., Damaris, Eliza J., James S., John F.,
Wallace L., Florence E., Mory, Holly E. and Allen
B. One daughter. Sarah Emma, born March 31,
1 86 1, died May 6, 1861, the same year. Eight of
the children are married, — Mary A. to Joseph H.
Slater; Francenia to Christopher Slater; Clarissa
to Albert Perkins ; Damaris married Hezekiah
Brown ; Eliza J. to Louis Bernard ; James L. to
Ella McCung; and Florence E. to Carey Like. John
F. is married to Sarah Ida Ramsey.

Mr. Elliott, politically, affiliates with the. Demo-
cratic party. Religiously, he and his wife are both
members of the Methodist Episcopal Church. So-
cially, Mr. E. belongs to thelMasonic Order. He has
has held the different offices of the township.

— — \ — Hs

ames G. Davis, a farmer and raiser of live
f stock on section io, Andover Township,
was born in Rockingham Township, Wind-
ham Co.,Vt, Jan. 31, 1825. His parents were
IT also natives of the Green Mountain State, his
father, Hiram being a farmer, and who married
Melinda Stephens, in Washington Co., N. Y., and
died in Windsor Co., Vt., and his mother died in the
township of Geneseo, this county, in May, 1883,
both at an advanced age.

Mr. J. G. Davis, the fifth in order of birth of a
family of nine children, was educated in the public
schools of Washington Co., Vt., and when he became
of age he emigrated West, locating in Bureau County,

vfi

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^S®^

^^ ©A^HM&MH^©-

s* 458

.^ — e^nosiins^

HEATHY COUNTY.

()

this State. From 1852 to 1855 he was in California,
where he enjoyed fair success. Returning to this
State, he came to Andover Township, this county,
and purchased 195 acres of good farming land, where
he has since made his home. He also'owns over
three half sections in Keith Co., Neb., some of which
is improved. Mr. Davis breeds the Short-horn vari-
ety of cattle, and Clydesdale and Norman varieties
of horses.

Mr. D. has been Township Trustee for a number
of years, and in his social relations he is a member
of the Masonic fraternity, of which body he has been
a Deacon and is now a Steward.

In Cambridge, March 3, 1859, Mr. Davis married
Carrie Simonton, who was born in Portland, Me.,
Dec. 26, 1830. Her parents, Benjamin, a farmer,
and Anna (Buck) Simonton, were natives of New-
foundland, and settled in Portland, Me., after their
marriage. Mrs. D. was 18 years of age when she
came from the last-named point to the West. Her
parents afterward died in Cass Co., Iowa, her father
in February, 1883, and her mother in May following.
There are now five living children in the family of
Mr. Davis, besides one deceased, namely: Frank
H., a resident of Menlo, Iowa; Fred S., William I.,
Mary D., Anna L. S., residing at home; Eddie died
in infancy.

*<0OO^

j| ev. H. H. Like, a retired farmer and minis-
ter of the Christian Church, was born in
New York, Sept. 22, 1831. His parents
were Henry and Amy (Husted) Like, natives
of New York, in which State his father followed
the occupation of a farmer, and where both
parents resided until thejr" deaths, — the mother dy-
ing in 1832 and the father in 1868.

Rev. Like remained with his parents on the old
homestead until he attained the age of 20 years,
having attended the district schools and the Cary
Collegiate Institute in Geneseo. After leaving home
he commenced preaching, and followed that profes-
sion in the East for eight years. His first effort at
preaching was in Hermitage, Wyoming Co., his na-
tive State. After preaching in the East- for the time
stated, he came to this State and located in Geneseo,
this county, and took charge of the Church at Mor-
ristown. He also rented a farm, which he cultivated

in connection with preaching the gospel. In 1863
he purchased a farm of 80 acres, located on section
32, Woodhull Township, near the present village of
that name, and cultivated his land in connection
with preaching. He was ordained in 1864. In
1875 Rev. Like sold his 80-acre farm and purchased
another consisting of 160 acres, located on section
24, on which he moved and resided until 1883.
Since that date he has resided in Woodhull, retired
from the active labors of life.

Rev. Like was united in marriage, Oct. n, 1857,
with Miss Sarah A. McWain, a native of New York.
Their union has been blessed by the birth of four
children, — Elizabeth A., born July 16, r86i, died
Feb. 26, 1862; Carry H., born Aug. 28, 1863; Jessie
A., March 13, 1870, and Gracie M., Feb. 13, i88r.
Politically, Mr. Like is a believer in the principles of
the Republican party. Socially, he is a member of
the Masonic Order, and is a gentleman noted for his
worth and respected for his frank and manly dealings
with his fellow man.

-o— <g-

arren B. Smith, residing on section 10,
Galva Township, was born June 28, 1847,
in Caledonia Co., Vt. The ancestors of
Mr. Smith were of English extraction. His
grandfather, William Smith, was born in
Vermont, followed the occupation of a farmer in
that State, and died there, aged 80 years, his( father
having been a soldier in the Revolutionary War.
He (William Smith) was married in Vermont, to Miss
Susan Fry, a native of Caledonia Co., that State, and
is yet living in Kewanee, this State, with her daughter,
Mrs. Lucretia Chesley, aged 90 years. She is the
mother of a large family. Of her children, Frederick
Smith was born in Vermont and died in Wethersfield
Township, this county, May 30, 1884, aged 6r years.
He was a farmer by occupation and came West in
1851, settling in Stark County. He resided there '
for about five years before his death, when he re-
moved to Wethersfield Township, this county, where
he died. He married Nancy Way, a daughter of
Nathan Way and a native of Vermont. She is yet'
living in Wethersfield Township, and is the mother
of seven children, four of whom survived, namely :

HENRY COUNTY.

459

fj>

(i)

Albert G., Warren B., subject of this biographical
notice, Carlos S. and Delia L.

Warren B. Smith, our subject, was reared on a
farm in Stark County, this State, receiving his educa-
tion in the common schools and developing into
manhood. In September, 1864, he enlisted in Co.
H, 146th 111. Vol. Inf., and served in the war until
July n, 1865, when he was mustered out. After the
war was over and the cause for which he fought was
victorious, he returned home and engaged in the
occupation which he had followed all his life, agri-
culture. He is now residing on section 10, Galva
Township, where he has a farm of 200 acres of land
and is meeting with success in his chosen vocation.

Mr. Smith was united in marriage, Feb. n, 1869,
in Wethersfield Township, this county, with Miss
Myra Smith. She was the daughter of William
Smith, and was born Aug. 14, 1849, in Wabash,
Wabash Co., Ind., and has become the mother of
three -.children, — Fannie E., born Feb. 15, 1870;
Elmer W., April 22. 1872, and Forrest F., Dec. 24,
1878. Politically, Mr. Smith votes with the Demo-
cratic party. He has held the office of Commissioner
of Highways for three years, and is one .of the re-
spected citizens of his township and county.

JWvvJ-

fe-gr ugustus Sherman, liveryman in the vil-
lage of Woodhull, is from the State of New
York. He was born in Essex County, that
State, June 4, 1841. His parents, Samuel and
Azuba (Green) Sherman, were also natives of
the same State and came to Illinois in 1850,
settling in Galesburg, near which point they pur-
chased 200 acres of land ; but in 1874 Mr. S. retired
from actual labor in agricultural pursuits, sold his
farm, and died in 1875. His wife still resides in that
city.

Mr. Augustus Sherman, the subject of this bio-
graphical notice, was an inmate of the parental home
until 14 years of age, receiving a common-school ed-
ucation. After leaving the home he was a laborer
upon a farm for a period of five years ; he then
rented a farm until 1862, when he enlisted in the
war for the Union, becoming a member of Co. D,
iD2d 111. Vol. Inf., and served two years and ten
months in Sherman's army. He participated in all

the principal battles in which his regiment was en-
gaged from Reseca, Ga., to Goldsboro', N. C. During
his term of service he was taken prisoner at the
place last-named and was kept in confinement for 39
days. At the battle of New Hope Church he was
wounded in the head, but within two weeks after-
ward he was again on duty. He carried the flag
during all of the Atlantic campaign ; was honorably
discharged after the close of the war, May 30, 1865.

Returning home, he rented his father's farm, con-
sisting of a quarter of a section of prairie land. After
cultivating and managing that for eight years, he
moved to this county and for three years rented &'•
farm ; he then purchased 80 acres of land in Onta-
rio Township, Knox County, and occupied it two
years ; he then sold that and moved to Altona
Township, same county, and for three years con-
ducted a farm of 120 acres; next he sold that and
purchased 80 acres in Oxford Township, this county,
and resided there one year, when he finally sold that
and bought his present livery establishment at Wood-
hull, where he is enjoying a prosperous business.

Mr. Sherman was united in the bonds of matri-
mony with Miss Jennett Marble, who was born in
Knox County, Ohio, March 12, 1842. The four chil-
dren born to Mr. and Mrs. Sherman are Minnie E.,
born Oct, 3, 1861; Letta M.,. April 23,1870; Merta
A., Oct. 11, 1881 ; and Rena B., July 24; 1884.

Mr. Sherman is a Republican in his views of na-
tional affairs, he is a School Director, City and Town-
ship Constable, a member of the Village Council and
of the G. A. R.

•c-i

ci)

amuel J. Laird, engaged in the livery
business at Woodhull, where he is meeting
with success in his chosen vocation1, is. a
native of Pennsylvania, having been born in
that State June 8, 1847, his parents being
Joseph and Sarah (Adams) Laird, natives of
that State, where her mother died 1852. Joseph
Laird, father of the subject of this notice, came to
this State in 1853, and settled in Pike County, where
he engaged in mercantile business, which he followed
for six years. He then, in 1858, sold out and came
to Oxford Township, this county, where he rented a
farm, which he continued to cultivate until 1863

^■>(\^

460

£>

HENRY

COUNTY.

During that year he purchased 80 acres of land, on
which he located with his family, and which he suc-
cessfully cultivated and improved for 22 years, and
then, in 1877, retired from the active labors of life,
and rented his farm until the date of his death, June
7, 1885. He was married to his second wife, Mrs.
Charlotte Grove, in 1862. By his first marriage five
children were born, — Margaret E., Minerva J., Kate
M., Samuel J. and Thomas A.

Samuel J. resided with his parents until he had
attained the age of 26 years, having received a good
English education in the district schools of his native
county. The major portion of his life prior to his
majority was passed on the farm, and until the age
last named, when he left the parental roof-tree and
went forth to fight life's battle single-handed and
alone. He first engaged in the butcher business,
which he followed for six years, when he abandoned
it and followed shipping stock for a year. He then
engaged in the livery business at Woodhull, where he
had been previously interested in business. He is still
following the livery business at that place, and in
March, 1885, in connection with the same, added the
butchering business. He is meeting with success
in his chosen vocation at that place, and by strict
attention to business and honest dealings has estab-
lished a good and paying trade in each branch of his
business. Mr. Laird was married June 25, 1885, to
Miss H. E. Cornell, a native of Ohio. Politically,
he is a believer in the tenets of the Democratic
party, and socially he is a member of the I. O. O. F.

#~^

-8-

: saiah Richmond, of Geneseo, is one of the
pioneer nurserymen of Henry County,
whither he came in 1852. He established
himself in the business named immediately on
his arrival, carrying out the purpose for which
he came. In December subsequent to his
arrival, he bought 60 acres of land whereon to begin
his enterprise, which is now included within the cor-
porate limits of Geneseo, and is designated Rich-
mond's Addition. He removed his family here in
1854, and in the same year admitted Mr. N. B.
Huntington to a partnership. Between two and
three years later he bought the interest of his asso-
ciate, and continued his operations alone until 1878,

when he sold out to his sons, Joseph and Edwin;
The former is still engaged in the prosecution of the
business.

Mr. Richmond was born in Middleborough, Mass.,
Aug. 5, 1809, and is the son of Benjamin and Abigail
(Dean) Richmond His earliest traceable ancestor,
Deacon Joseph Richmond, was of English birth or
descent, the progenitors of the family having come to
America in ante-Colonial days. The grandfather of
Mr. Richmond of this sketch was a soldier of the
Revolution, and won commendation for the services
he performed. He was a Deacon in the Congrega-
tional Church, as was his son. Mr. Richmond was
reared on a farm, and was married at Scituate, R. I.,
Oct. 28, 1833, to Eliza A., daughter of Jeremiah A.
Fenner. She was born in the town where the mar-
riage took place. n Her father was a near relative of
James Fenner, one of the Governors of Rhode
Island, and the family to which she belongs is'one
of the oldest in the State. Four children were born
to Mr. and Mrs. Richmond before their removal to
Illinois. Jeremiah, the oldest, was born in Massa-
chusetts, Nov. 19, T834, and died May 5, 1879. The
three next younger were born in Scituate, R. I.
Joseph married Clara McClelland, and is in the
nursery business at Geneseo. Mary jE. lives at
Geneseo. Edwin A. was born Oct. 4, 1842, and
died Dec. 13, 1880. He left a widow and three
children — two sons and a daughter. The eldest son
left a wife and child, who are in California. Abigail
was born Oct. 3. 1844, in Tazewell Co., III., and
died July 12, 1872. Maria L. and Francis E. were
twins, and were born Aug. 17, 1847, in Tazewell
County. The latter married Mary A. Hopkins, and
he is a farmer in the township of Geneseo. His wife
is the daughter of S. G. Hopkins, and was born in
Connecticut.

Prudence was born March 27, 1850, and died in
childhood. Helen A. was born at Geneseo, April
13. l8SS- She is the wife of Mortimer Fleet, and
they are residents of Munson Township.

Mr. Richmond became a citizen of Scituate, R. I.,
in 1836. He came to Tazewell Co., 111., in 1843,
settling in the spring of that year in Groveland. He
was there engaged in farming until he came to Gen-
eseo in the year named. The former political con-
nections of Mr. Richmond were with the Republi-
cans, but latterly he has indorsed the tenets of the

»©«= — &*4?H B® 111 '&*8>

■@V4*BI1®I1D&^ zs^sr

HENRY COUNTY.

461

<9*

«»

National Greenback party. He is a member of the
Congregational Church. Mrs. Richmond died Jan.
21, 1878.

}i|pgWlex. W. Albro, residing at Galva, was born
Nov. 22, 1824, in Warren Co.,N. Y., and is
a son of Samuel and Polly (Green) Albro,
natives of Rhode Island and New York re-
spectively. They were married in the latter
State, where he followed the occupation of a
farmer. He was also a soldier in the War of 1812:
They came to Medina Co., Ohio, about 1833, and
remained there until November, 1835, when they re-
moved to Fort Clark, now Peoria, of this State, where
they remained a short time. The next spring they
came to near where Wyoming, in Stark Co., this
State, is located. They erected a dwelling that fall,
and in the autumn of 1836 moved to Lynn Town-
ship, Knox County, where he entered 160 acres of
land with a soldier's warrant. The land was located
on Walnut Creek, and comprised both timber and
prairie. They located on the land mentioned, and
engaged actively and energetically in its cultivation,
and continued to reside there until their deaths.
Their family comprised eight children, namely:
James, Phebe, Stephen G., Benjamin, John, Alex.
W., subject, of this notice, Deborah and Eliza. Of
these children, John, Mrs. Eliza Rounds and our
subject are the' only survivors.

Alex. W. Albro, on account of the newness of the
country at the time in which his parents settled in it,
and the necessity which compelled him to assist in
the labors of the farm and the maintenance of the
family, only received three months' schooling, which
was in Knox County. He was reared on the farm,
and at the date of his father's death, being 17 years
t>f age, was apprenticed to learn the wagon-maker's
trade, at which he worked for about ten years. He
then again engaged in farming, and followed that oc-
cupation five years. In June, 1855, about the time
the town started, he came to Galva to live, having
previous to this time worked on the Chicago, Burling-
ton & Quincy Railroad, grading track. He was then
in the mercantile business, from 1855 until 1862,
and was also engaged in buying grain during the
same period.
In August, 1862, Mr. Albro enlisted in the 112th

111. Vol. Inf., Co. G., as private, and was afterward
elected Captain. He served his country until April,
1863. He was stationed part of the time at Lexing-
ton, Ky., on provost duty. After returning from the
war he again went to Galva, where he engaged in the
hotel and livery business, owning what is known as
the " Baker House " for many years, and which he
conducted for four years. He then leased it for five
years, but at the expiration of two years sold it to
Brewer & Baker. While the Rock Island & Peoria
Railroad was being built, Mr. Albro took a contract
for the building of ten miles of its track northwest
of Galva, which contract he successfully completed.
Having traded his Galva property for Nebraska
lands, he has spent the last years of his life princi-
pally in attending to his western property.

Mr. Albro has been married twice. His first wife
was Miss Esther Wilcox, who died in Knox County,
and he was again married 10 Emily Spalding, a
daughter of Dr. Spalding, deceased, and a well known
pioneer and surgeon of the noted 112th III. Vol.
Inf., and also a gentleman high in the Masonic Or-
der. Mrs. Albro was born in 1827, in New York
city, and has borne her husband six children. Of
these, Mrs. Esther Babbitt and Hattie H. are yet
living; the four others, Charles O., Florence J., Ella
D. and infant daughter, are deceased. Mr. Albro
has been a very active worker in the ranks of the Re-
publican party, and filled numerous minor offices in
the gift of the people of the county, having been
Deputy Sheriff on two separate occasions, and hav-
ing held other minor offices. He was one of the in-
corporators of the First National Bank at Galva, and
was a director of the same. From 1868 to 1872, he
was Deputy United States Revenue Assessor for
Henry County, serving in that capacity for more than
four years.

Hamuel Chamberlain has been a resident
of Geneseo since March, 1856. He is
well known throughout a large section of
Western Illinois for his efforts in the way of
improving the breeds of horses, and has been
of more practical benefit in this direction than
any other man within this or in adjacent counties.

He was born in Charlton, Mass., April 16, 1820,
and is the son of Jason and Polly (Gibbs) Chamber-

s^y Qj^Qi V8)M®*£) ><€»g-

liVi^«f- ^g»w ^ommfi&rfB — ^v

^^c©v|

462

HENRY COUNTY.

lain. He was reared to manhood in the Bay State,
and was there married, Nov. 7, 1843, to Delliza
Reynolds. Mrs. Chamberlain was born in Charlton,
Worcester Co., Mass., and is the daughter of James
and Dolly (Vinton) Reynolds. Dulcenia is the name
of the only child of Mr. and Mrs. Chamberlain. She
was born in the same place as her parents.

In 1855 Mr. Chamberlain removed to Moline, in
the county of Rock Island, and in the year following
fixed his residence in Geneseo. Since coming to the
latter place he has been continuously engaged in the
business in which he is at present interested. The
stock he keeps is justly celebrated for its merits and
his stables commonly exhibit from seven to ten ani-
mals of superior type and pure thoroughbreds of
registered and acknowledged ^reputation.

1 illiam E. Kennish, residing in Galva
Township, was born on the Isle of Man,
near Ramsey, Great Britain, Sept. 15,
1833. The ancestors of Mr. Kennish were
Manxmen. His grandfather, Robert Ken-
nish,was a farmer by occupation, as likewise
were his descendants. He, Robert, lived to a good
old age, but was sorely afflicted before death by be-
coming blind. His son Edward was born and died
on the Isle of Man. His (Edward's) wife, nee Chris-
tine Quale, was born on the island and is yet living
there, aged 80 years. She is the mother of six chil-
dren,—William E., subject of this notice; Robert,
Christian, Anna, Maggie and Edward. Edward is
in Manchester, Eng. Christian resides in the north
of England, and the others are all living in this
country.

William E. Kennish, whose name heads this no-
tice, was educated on the Isle of Man. At the age
of 22 years he left his native isle and emigrated to
the United States. Arriving here, he located in
Trumbull Co., Ohio; lived there nine years, engaged
in farming, and then came to Galva, this State and
county, arriving here in April, 1865. After a resi-
dence of less than two years in the village, he moved
on a farm of 80 acres of land, located on section 12,
Galva Township, which he had purchased Jan. r,
1866. He entered at once upon its improvement and
cultivation, and has continued to reside on the same

-V®)»*§

%>-<*>-

^^fiC-

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until the present time, meeting with success in his
chosen vocation, agriculture. He now has 120
acres of land in an advanced state of cultivation.

Mr. Kennish was united in marriage with Mrs.
Mary Claque, nee Skillicorn, in r856, of French ex-
traction. She is the mother of nine children, six by
her first husband and three by Mr. Kennish. Of
the six children born of her former marriage, Mrs.
Margaret May and Mrs. Mary Gell reside here.
The three children by the latter marriage are Vin-
cent W., William R. and Katie E. Mr. and Mrs.
Kennish are members of the Methodist Episcopal
Church at Galva, to which denomination all the chil-
dren belong. Politically, Mr. Kennish is identified
with the members of the Republican party.

W. Shetler,, residing on section r8, Clover
Township, where he is engaged in the oc-
cupation of farming and stock-raising, is a
son of William and Martha (Wolff) Shetler. He
was born in Franklin Co., Pa., July 13, 1840.
The parents of Mr. Shetler were natives of
Franklin Co., Pa. His father died in that State in
1882, and his mother is still residing there, with one
of her sons. J. W. worked on the farm in Pennsyl-
vania, and attended the common schools until he was
22 years of age. At this age in life he left home to
procure a competency for himself. His first effort
on his own behalf was in farming, which vocation he
pursued on a rented farm for one year, meeting with
some degree of success. In February, 1865, he was
drafted and served in the army until the close of the
war. On the termination of the war, he returned to
Pennsylvania, and remained there until r866, when
he came to Illinois and located in Clover Township,
at Woodhull. He rented a farm near that village,
on section 22, Oxford Township, and was there occu-
pied in farming for two years. He then rented
another farm in the same township, and cultivated
that for one year. At the expiration of that time,
he bought- 80 acres of land, on section 26, same '
township, on which he resided until 1873. During ;
that year he sold his 80 acres, and purchased 134 *
acres in Clover Township, on which he has resided ^
until the present time. By economy and energetic /
effort, he has been enabled to purchase 160 acres 0
adjoining, and 160 acres in Andover Township, 100

'cls^i

o^i,^ tfn ^^

-^v&on&imavo - ^&sr

-«%

HENRY COUNTY.

467

in Clover Township, on section 7, 320 acres in Bar-
ton Co., Kan., and 320 acres in Rush County, same
State. We see from the number of acres of land
owned by Mr. Shetler, that he is one of the largest
land-owners, not ■ only of his township, but in the
county. Leaving home a poor boy, and having none
to aid him in his financial operations, we may truth-
fully say that his accumulations of property were at-
tributable to his good judgment, energy and economy,
and not to the assistance of friends and relatives.

Mr. Shetler was married March n, 1869, to Miss
Nancy J. Knox, a native of Pennsylvania. Their
union has been blessed by the birth of five children,
Edith M., William E., Fred C, Minerva G. and
Laura B. Politically, Mr. Shetler is identified with
the supporters of the Democratic party. Socially, he
belongs to the I. O. O. F.

^<00«

>rancis H. Eyer, a farmer of the township
of Annawan, is located on section 22,
where he owns 240 acres of land in ad-
vanced cultivation. He was born April 141
1823, in Clear Creek Township, Warren Co.,
Ohio. His father, Francis H. Eyer, was born
in 1760, in Germany, and in the year 18 12 was mar-
ried to Mary Nuble. She was born in 1764, in
Rockingham Co., W. Va. Their marriage took place
in Warren Co., Ohio, whither the elder Eyer went
on coming to America. The deaths of the parents
occurred respectively March 4, 1823, and Sept. 10,
1824, in the county where their marriage occurred.
They had seven children, named Margaret, Mary,
Christena, Catherine, Sarah, Francis H. and Nancy.
Christena and Nancy are deceased; Margaret lives
in Madison Co., Ind. ; Sarah lives in Warren Co.,
Ohio; Catherine is also resident of Warren Co.,
Ohio.

Mr. Eyer removed from the latter county to Henry
County in 1857. He was previously married to
Matilda F. Patton, their union in the bonds of mat-
rimony talcing place April 18, 1841. She died in
Sept., 1850, in Warren County, after having borne
three children, — William J., George W. and Sarah
J. In 1 85 1 Mr. Eyer was again married to Sarah
Blinn, who is a native of Warren Co., Ohio, and was
born June 20, 1831. The record of the births of
their children is as follows ; Mary E., Oct. 16, 1853;

Annie L., Feb. 26, 1866; Charles E., April 24, 1868;
and Jessie A., May 8, 1870. The family to which
Mrs. Eyer belongs is of German origin. Her father,
Daniel Blinn, was born in Ohio in 1802, and he
married Elizabeth Fry on the 25th of May, 1829.
She died Feb. 22, 1882, aged nearly 73 years.

The farm of Mr. Eyer is fitted with all necessary
fixtures, including buildings and other appurtenances
for successful agriculture. His cattle are chiefly
thoroughbred, and consist of five Holsteins and a
number of Short -horns ; his horses are Norman and
English Draft. Mrs. Eyer is the owner of r46 acres
of land in good condition for profitable operations.

Mr. Eyer is a Republican in political faith and
connections, and in religious views is an adherent of
the Church of the United Brethren. Mr. and Mrs.
Eyer well represent that large class of well-to-do
and prosperous farmers which we find in Henry
County. Honesty, industry and good will toward all
are prominent characteristics of these people. None
hold a more worthy and honored place in the coun-
try's record, and we present full-page portraits of
each in connection with this sketch.

^*n}h*fe

eorge Buminell, formerly an agriculturist
of Henry County, is a resident of Geneseo.
r> He has been a citizen of the county since
the spring of 1852, and has been identified
with its development for a third of a century.
He was born in New Philadelphia, Ohio, Sept.
11, 1819. His parents belonged to the farming class,
and he was reared at home on the farm. At 19 he
determined to learn a trade, and accordingly served
the necessary time as a blacksmith. He made that
his business for 14 years.

On coming to Henry County he settled on section
31, in the township of Atkinson. The land of which
he became the possessor is situated in the townships
of Cornwall, Atkinson and Geneseo, and comprises
310 acres. He was engaged in its management un-
til his removal to the city of Genes-io, which trans-
pired in 1873. He retains the ownership of his
estate, but is not in active business. He has given
considerable attention to the advancement of educa-
tional affairs, and has served a number of terms as
School Director. In political faith he is a Democrat,
Mr. Rummell was married at New Philadelphia

* •»

^ni^a/W

■^-v

<»®[»«^

-ii

468

HENRY COUNTY.

Ohio, in 1842, to Elizabeth, daughter of George and
Christian Noel. She was a native of Pennsylvania.
Mr. and Mrs. Rummell had two children, both of
whom were born in Ohio. Louisa, the youngest,
died when 14 years old.

Marcus was born in Tuscarawas Co., Ohio, and
came to Henry County with his father. He was
reared on the farm in Atkinson Township, and was
married in the same township in November, 1863, to
Eliza J., daughter of John Gaines. She is a native
of the State of Illinois. Their children comprise two
sons and three daughters, and are named J. Arthur,
Ethel, Bessie, Harry and Hattie. The two last are
twins. The mother and three older children are
members of the Presbyterian Church.

Until 1870 Mr. Rummell, the younger, was occu-
pied in farming in the vicinity of Geneseo. In that
year he engaged in the business in which he is at
present operating. He is a dealer in musical mer-
chandise, and is a resident of Geneseo.

-¥3-

■&-

ohn Jacob Gottsche, one of the prosper-
ous citizens of the township of Hanna, is
an excellent sample of what is meant by
a self-made man. He inherited only the fate
common to the class to which he belonged by
birth in his native land, in which there was
the inevitable struggle for existence without the
smallest hope or chance to advance either in fame or
fortune. The laws of Germany provide for the dis-
posal of the time of a boy, but make no provision
for him to enter the competitive struggle for ad-
vacen.ent which is the birthright of every human
creature. He landed in the United States in 1854,
and was the possessor of $40 wherewith to begin his
life in a strange land. He is now (1885) the propri-
etor of 240 acres of land, and while all credit is due
to his efforts, good sense and energy, fairness entitles
the " good wife " to her share of the honors. The
children have added their assistance, and the worthy
family rejoice in the results to which they have all
contributed.

Mr. Gottsche was born June 18, i8i2,in Holstein,
Germany, and from the age of 6 to 16 he went to
sf hool principally. He then worked on a farm until
1854, when he sailed for the United States. He

passed 42 days on the ocean, and landed at th e port
of New York. He came with little delay to Chicago,
and there engaged to go to the territory known to the
laboring class as the Michigan Pineries. He passed
a winter there, and worked during the ensuing sum-
mer in a saw-mill. He came then to Moline and ob-
tained employ in the same capacity. He was frugal
and economical, and saved his earnings, and in i860
made his first purchase of land. He bought at the
outset but 20 acres, which were situated on section
3 of Hanna Township. Three years before he be-
gan farming on land which he rented, and all the
property he owned was a cow and a pair of oxen.
His estate lies on sections 3, 9 and 10, in Hanna
Township. The stock on the place includes
eight milch cows, a number of young cattle and ten
horses.

The marriage of Mr. Gottsche to Catherine Korb
took place in 1857. Their children are four in num-
ber; John is the oldest; Katie married Eugene Da-
vis, and they live in Edford Township; Maggie mar-
ried George Taylor, a farmer of Geneseo Township ;
and Henry is the youngest. Mrs. Gottsche is a na-
tive of Hamburg, Germany. The family are mem-
bers of the Lutheran Church.

-*-##-*-

^^^

H. Taylor, of Geneseo, was born Oct. 28,
1844, in Windham Co., Vt., and is the son
flfeS*^ of Alfrecl and Martha (Hammond) Taylor.
The parents were of New England origin, and
were natives of Vermont. In 1854 they came
to Illinois and located in Geneseo.
Mr Taylor was united in marriage to Ella H.
Hume, at Geneseo, Jan. 30, 1873. She was born in
Moline, 111., and is the only daughter of S. T. Hume,
M. D. Their two children are named Maurice H.
and Louisa M. Mr. and Mrs. Taylor are connected
in membership with the Congregational Church. In
politics Mr. Taylor is a radical Republican.

On arriving at the time when he desired to engage
in business, Mr. Taylor chose the mercantile,in which
he was interested until 1880, at which time he re-
moved to Grinnell, Iowa, where he purchased 560
acres of land in the immediate vicinity of Grinnell
and engaged in .agricultural pursuits, and operated
there until the cyclone of 1882, at which time he re-

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HENRY COUNTY.

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turned to Geneseo. He still retains his property at
Grinnell. On coining hither he embarked in the
grain business, and became the successor of Messrs.
Lawbaugh & Dillenbeck, one of the oldest firms in
the county, and who were among the pioneer grain
dealers at Geneseo. Mr. Taylor is the proprietor of
the elevator, and has added a feed-mill to its ca-
pacity. He is also interested in the sale of hard
and soft coal. The capacity of the elevator is 65,000
bushels, and in good crop years Mr. Taylor handles
from 200,000 to 300,000 bushels of grain. Steam
power is employed, and a corn-sheller is connected
with the establishment which has a capacity of 5,000
bushels per day.

letcher Van Auken, residing on section
28, Galva Township, was born July- n,
1842, in Monroe Co., N. Y. The ances-
tors of the Van Auken family, of which the
subject of this sketch is a member, came from
Holland and settled in Dutchess Co., N. Y.,
about 1836. They were members of a colony that
were sent there by the Holland government, and a
portion of their posterity still reside there. Their
descendants took an active part in the Revolution of
the Colonies from the unjust government of the old
country. The record shows that the grandfather,
Aaron Van Auken, was a Revolutionary soldier, and,
after the war, engaged in the occupation of a farmer
in New York. He was married in that State, and
died near Albany, as likewise did his wife, aged 102
years. They were the parents of three children, of
whom Aaron, Jr., was the only son. He was born
in 1800, in Albany Co., N. Y., and is yet living, in
Knox County, this State, where he came in 1858.
He was for a time Superintendent of a section of the
Erie Canal, and held the office of Justice of the
Peace, and likewise participated in the War of 1812,
being in the engagement at Sackett's Harbor. He
married Catherine Ostrander, a native of Lowell,
who is still living, at the venerable age of 82 years.
She bore him six children, — Calvin, Anna, Wesley,
Martha, William Harrison and Fletcher.

Fletcher, the subject of our notice, was reared in
Rochester, N. Y., where he received his early edu-
cation. At the age of 17 years, he came to Knox

County, this State, in 1858, with his parents, and has
continually been engaged in the occupation of a
farmer ever since that time. He first purchased
land in McLean County, which he farmed for two
years, then sold it and bought in Woodford County,
lived in the latter county four years, sold his land
and then came to Galva Township, this county. O.n
arriving here, lie purchased 123 acres of the old
Bon ham homestead, the oldest settler in Galva
Township, which is located on section 28, where he
is at present residing. Previous to this he had lived
from 1866 to 1876, one mile southwest of Galva, on
a farm owned by his father.

Mr. Van Auken was married in Knox County,
Oct. r8, 1863, to Miss Margaret A., daughter of
Joseph Armstrong, a native of Durham Co., England.
She has borne him three children, viz. : Frank,
Unnie and Ermina. The latter died aged eight
years. Mrs. Van Auken is a member of the Chris-
tian Church. Politically, Mr. V. is a sympathizer
with the principles of the Democratic party, and,
socially, he is a member of the A. F. & A. M . be-
longing to Galva Lodge, No. 243.

oyal M. Wilcox, a farmer on section 20,
Geneseo Township, has been a resident in
Henry County since 1842. In that year
he came to Geneseo to make the brick for the
seminary building. He was the pioneer in
in that line of business in the county. He is
a native of the State of New York and was born in
Bergen, Genesee County, May 30, 181 6. He was
the son of Titus and Sarah (Stafford) Wilcox. His
father died when he was two years old, and not long
after the second marriage of his mother placed him
under the charge of a step-father. The reconstructed
family went to Riga, in the same State, and there
Mr. Wilcox passed the remaining years of his mi-
nority. His step-father was a farmer and also a
brick-maker, and he was instructed in both arts.
When he was 2 1 he set out to operate in his own be-
half and passed the few years next ensuing in the
pursuits in which he had been trained. He found
employ at different points in his native State until
the year preceding that in which he came to Henry
County. He spent a part of the year 1841 in Mich-

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HENRY COUNTY.

igan and came thence to Geneseo. He opened a
brick-yard for the purpose that has been mentioned
and was occupied in its management several years.
In 1848 he bought a tract of land on section 20, in
the same township, on which 30 acres had been
placed under the plow. It was also fenced. In 1850
he built a frame house of ample dimensions, of which
his family took possession, and the place has sinec
constituted the homestead. Mr. Wilcox has devoted
his entire time to his agricultural projects and has
made all necessary and suitable improvements on
his farm until it is in excellent condition. He gives
much attention to stock-breeding. His marriage to
Hannah Wright occurred April 6,1847. Her birth
took place in Cattaraugus Co., N. Y., Feb. 6, 1830,
and her parents were John and Anna (Hunt) Wright.
They were natives of the Empire State. Following
is the account of the children of Mr. and Mrs. Wil-
cox: George A. married Alice Batchelder and they
reside at Logansport, Ind.; Frank D. married Lu
Seymour and is a citizen of Elgin ; Flora S. is the
wife of Edwin C. Jones. They are residents of El-
gin. Marion L., Jessie V., Royal P. and Lucy May
are the names of the younger children, who are un-
married. All the members of the family are con-
nected with the Congregational Church. Politically,
Mr. W. is a Republican.

?bram H. Follett, a farmer of Henry County,
, resident at Atkinson, is the owner of 80

acres of land in the township of Cornwall
and also of the residence occupied by his
family in the village of Atkinson. He was
born April 30, 1808, in Rensselaer Co., N. Y.
He had only the limited advantages of the dis-
trict schools, and at the age of 17 he entered upon
an apprenticeship to learn the trade of a tailor. Af-
ter spending three years in the business, he went to
Essex Co., N. Y. He was there married to Lorain
E. Meacham, Feb. r, 1829. She was born in East
Poultney, Rutland Co., Vt., in the town where Hor-
ace Greeley learned the art of printing in the news-
paper office of A. Bliss. The father of Mrs. Follett,
William Meacham, was born in Massachusetts and
was the son of one of those who lost their lives at
the battle of Bunker Hill. Mr. and Mrs. Follett are

the parents of four children now living. They have
lost three by death. Mary Janette, was born Dec.
22, 1829; John M-, March 18, 1832; William,
March 28, 1834 (the latter was a soldier in the
Union army and was killed at the battle of Resaca,
Ga.); Melville C, June 7, 1836; Sarah F., Oct. 30,
1838; Maria I., Aug. 16, 1841 ; Martha E., May 14,
1843. AU three of the boys were in the Union
army.

Mr. and Mrs. Follett are members of the Congre-
gational Church. He is a Republican in his political
connections.

saac D. Buggies, a farmer of Geneseo
Township, resident in the city of Geneseo,
came to Henry County in 1856. He was
born June 17, 1823, in Rutland, Vt. He re-
presents one of the most prominent names in
the business history of the East, as his father,
Draper Ruggles, was the senior member of the firm
of Ruggles, Nourse & Mason, the pioneer manufac-
turers of agricultural machinery on the American
Continent. His mother, previous to her marriage,
was named Nancy Corbett. His father removed to
Worcester, Mass., when he, the son, was 12 years
of age, and in the same year the business, which has
been referred to, was established. The relations of
the firm grew to extensive dimensions, and employed
300 hands.

As he attained to a suitable age, Mr. Ruggles
acted as an assistant in the shops at Worcester, and
also as a salesman in the ware- rooms in the city of
Boston, and he was thus engaged until he was 18.
He then carried out a resolution to try a seafaring
life, and he became a sailor in the merchant service.
He sailed from Boston to the East Indies, to the
Mediterranean Sea, and to South America. He was
in the ocean service about four years, and reached
the position of second mate of a full-rigged ship. On
relinquishing the idea of making a seaman's life the
object of his ambition, he resumed his relations with
the business of his father. He operated there until
three years had expired, and then took charge of the
homestead in Westborough, Mass., and was engaged
in that line until 1852, when he went to Indiana. He
there operated as a farmer, and also in the manufac-
ture of farming implements three years.

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In 1855 he came to Geneseo. He bought a farm
near the city of which he was the occupant three
years, and he then sold the property and removed
to Davenport, Iowa. After two years he returned to
Geneseo, and purchased the estate he has since
owned, and resided in the city. When the foundry
firm of Hammond & White had been in operation
about a year, Mr. Ruggles became an owner of a
third interest by purchase, and the firm name was
changed to Hammond, White & Co.

In political views, Mr. Ruggles coincides with the
Republicans. He was formerly a Whig. He is
tolerant in his religious proclivities, having been
brought up to accept the creed of the Unitarians.

He was joined in marriage, by the Rev. Edwa'rd
Everett Hale, with Catharine G. Crawford, at Wor-
cester, Mass., in 1846. Mrs. Ruggles was born in
Rockland, Me. Their children were born as fol-
lows : Ella F. was born at Worcester, and is a
resident at Geneseo ; Katie was born in Westborough,
and is the wife of John Scott, a citizen of Chicago ;
the sons Henry and Edward were born in Indiana ;
the former is in Chicago, and the latter married Clara
Carl, and is the resident manager of his father's farm ;
the two younger children were born in Geneseo;
William married Martha Cressey, and is following
the profession of a painter in the city of Chicago ;
and Emma is the wife of Charles C. Flint, of
Chicago.

lohn Henderson. This gentleman is largely
vt identified with the farming interests of
Henry County. His home farm is on sec-
tion 15, of Oxford Township. He was born in
Indiana Co., Pa., Sept. 9, 1831. Brice and
Anna (Thomas) Henderson, his parents, were
natives of the Keystone State and by occupation
farmers. They passed their lives in their native
State, and at the above mentioned vocation.

time. To this he has added 160 acres, and has
erected a fine residence, built barn, set out orchards
and shade-trees, built fences and improved his farm
until it to-day ranks among the valuable estates of the
county, being worth $15,000. Politically, Mr. H. is
a Republican, and is recognized as one of the repre-
sentative men of his community.

In 1861, Jan. 10, our subject was married to Miss
Eliza Cox, a native of this State. To them have been
born five children, four of whom are living and bear
the following names: Frank, William T. S., Jennie
and Fannie. Annie is deceased.

-*4&l

**-

ra R. Wells, M. D., has been a practicing
physican at Geneseo since i860 and of the
county since 1850. He was born Feb. 18,
1820, at Shawneetown, 111., and is the son of
Joel and Mary (Edwards) Wells. His father,
Joel Wells, removed his family to Illinois in
the last of its Territorial days and the same year in
which it was made a State. The father was born
Aug. 1, 1775, at Deerfield, Mass.

He was married in his native State May 8, 1797,
and his wife was a descendant of the celebrated
divine, Jonathan Edwards. She was born at Deer-
field, Mass., Feb. 9, 1778. Soon after their marriage
they removed to Windham Co., Vt., and were among
the pioneers of the Green Mountain State. They
went thence to the (then) village of Buffalo, whence
they were driven by the burning of the place during
the progress of the War of 18 12, their entire per-
sonal belongings being at that time destroyed. They
went to Cincinnati, and were there residents until
1818, when they came to Illinois and located at
Shawneetown in Gallatin County. In 1827 they
moved to Galena, whither they traveled overland,
crossing the Illinois River at the point where Peoria
now stands, and where there, was then only a single
log house. An Indian ferryman took the party over
the Rock River, crossing where Dixon is now lo-
cated. After a stay of a year at Galena they went
to Moline, where the family was the first to make a
permanent settlement. The father died there Sept.
3, 1838. The mother's death transpired Dec. 4,
1846. At the time they located at Moline the family
included four sons and three daughters.

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Dr. Wells was a child of eight years when his
parents settled in Moline. He received his primary
education in the common school and in 1838, when
he was 18 years old, he fulfilled a long-cherished in-
tention to enter upon the study of medicine and he
began his reading in the office and under the pre-
ceptorship of Dr. Gregory, of Rock Island. Subse-
quently, he took a course of lectures at the Medical
College at New Orleans and finished his studies at
the University of the City of New York. He was
graduated at the latter institution with the class of
1846, and received the authority of one of the most
prominent of the medical colleges of this country to
enter upon the career of a practitioner. He had es-
tablished his business at Polo, in Ogle Co., 111., in
1840, and after operating there two years he went
to Missouri, where he remained seven years. While
there he attended the University of the City of New
York. After receiving his credentials as a Doctor of
Medicine, he opened an office at Moline and prose-
cuted the duties of his profession three years. In
1849 he went to California, and during his stay there
of one year he practiced among the miners. He
then came to Henry County and commenced the
practice of his profession in Green River. He re-
mained there ten years, and in i860 came to Gen-
eseo. Since the beginning of his relations as a
physician and surgeon with the people of that place,
he has had an uninterrupted career of success and
has firmly established himself in the confidence of
his patrons.

In political faith and connections he has been a
Democrat since he began to vote. He has been
County Supervisor two years, and has officiated one
term as Mayor of Geneseo. He was Postmaster at
Moline three years — from 1846 to 1849 — and after
his removal to Petersburg, Mo., he held the same
position there five years. During the progress of
the war he operated as Hospital Surgeon at Mound
City some time. He has been active in the interests
of the Medical Societies of Iowa and Illinois, and
has been the presiding officer of those bodies as
well as a member of the American Medical Associa-
tion. He has acted as County Physician 12 years.

Dr. Wells has been twice married. He became
the husband of Susan L. Wells in October, 1840, at
Rock Island. She was born in Massena, St. Law-
rence Co., N. Y., and was the daughter of Elihu
vVells. The issue of this marriage was five children,

all of whom are living but one. George V. married
Jennie McCurdy and they live in Chicago, where he
is occupied in the business of a commission mer-
chant. Helen is the wife of Geo. W. Baker, of Gen-
eseo. They have four children : Phebe married
Dr. H. T. Antes and is the mother of two children;
Joseph E. married Elizabeth Sheriff, of Geneseo, and
they are residents of Galena. They have two chil-
dren, both sons; Henry V. was killed by a runaway
horse when he was seven years old. The mother
died Jan. 13, 1857, and the second marriage of Dr.
Wells to Martha J. Graham, took place at Rock
Island, July 25, 1857. Two children have been
born to them. Henry, the eldest, died when he was
four years of age. Mary is a teacher by profession.
Mrs. VVells is the daughter of Joseph and Phebe
(Madison) Graham, and, in the maternal line of de-
scent is a descendant of President Madison. She
was born in Gainesville, N. Y. The family are com-
municants of the Episcopal Church.

While the Black Hawk War was in progress, Dr.
Wells, then a boy of 13, enlisted in the cavalry, and
served during the war ; was honorably discharged at
its close and " as honestly paid," he says, " by the
Government."

«'Ww»—

eter M. Wickstrum, residing on section 19,
Galva Township, was born March 3, 1827,
If^^ Soderhamn, Helsingland, Sweden, and is a
cb J son of Mathias and Anna (Nelson) Wickstrum.
™j* In that country his mother died. The father
' of Mr. Wickstrum emigrated to this country in
1866, and died here in 1873, aged 83 years. He
had two children, — Mathias, a farmer in Clay Co.,
Kan . ; and Peter M , subject of this notice. The
latter was educated in his native country, and at the
age of 23 years, in 1850, emigrated to the United
States, coming directly to Bishop Hill, this county.'
He became a member of the "Colony" and worked
with it until its dissolution, when he received 57^
acres of prairie and five acres of timber land, all in
Weller Township, the date of his receiving the land
being in the spring of 1861.

Sept. 14, 1861, Mr. Wickstrum enlisted in the 57th
111. Vol. Inf., Co. D, as private, and was appointed
Orderly Sergeant. After the battle of Shiloh, April

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6, 1862, he was promoted Second Lieutenant, and
Sept. 3, of the same year he was again promoted,
this time to the position of Captain, which office he
held until the close of the war, receiving an honor-
able discharge July 7, 1865. He participated in
the battles of Fort Donelson, Shiloh, siege of Cor-
inth, battle of Corinth, Sherman's campaign before
Atlanta and in his famous march from Atlanta to the
sea. He was also in the battle of Bentonville while
on his march to the sea, and also participated in
many minor skirmishes and engagements.

After the war he returned home, cast aside his
accoutrements of war, and once more entered upon
the peaceful pursuits of life. He first sold his land
in Weller Township, then purchased 210 acres lo-
cated on sections 19 and 20, Galva Township, upon
which he moved and at once entered vigorously and
actively upon the task of its improvement, and on
which he is at present residing, meeting with success
in his chosen vocation.

Mr. Wickstrum was united in marriage, in his
native country, with Miss Ingren Belgquist, who has
borne him four children, — Jacob, John, Lottie and
William, — the eldest of whom married Miss Church,
of Galesburg.

Politically, Mr. W. is identified with the Demo-
cratic party. Socially, he is a member of the G. A.
R., belonging to Galva Post, No. 33.

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ohn F. Smith is one of the most substan-
stantial and reliable of the agriculturists of
Henry County, and is a resident on sec-
tion 1 3, Geneseo Township. He was born in
Kane Co., 111., Dec. 18, 1843, and is the son
of Benjamin H. and Selinda (Emerson) Smith.
His father and mother died on the homestead in
Geneseo Township, respectively May 25, 1875, and
March 15, 1868. They were of New England origin.
The family removed to Henry County from Kane
County in 1855. A house was purchased in Gene-
seo, where they lived until i860. In that year they
took possession of the farm on which the son is now
a resident. The place became their property in 1858,
and during that year and the one following the farm
buildings were erected. The place contains 192
cres and is a valuable estate. It was once the site

of a village, — one of the first started in Henry
County and which received its death blow when the
Geneseo Colony took permanent root in the place it
now occupies. The place was called Henryville and
contained a dozen houses and a saw-mill, and its
prospects were as good as any other of the small vil-
lages that have sprung up in different places, only to
die out from some unforeseen cause.

Mr. Smith has been twice married. His first wife,
who before her marriage was Miss Nettie Rogers,
left the following children when she died : Salinda
was born Feb. 8, 1868. Emmett was born July 2,
1870. Henry E., who is deceased, was born Aug.
19, 1872. The mother died Oct. 8, 1872. Sept. 1,
1876, Mr. Smith was a second time married to Katie
J. Orcutt, of Erie, Whiteside Co., 111. She was born
July 10, 1855, and is the daughter of Samuel and
Martha M. (Thompson) Orcutt. Her children are
named and were born as follows : Ralph O., Oct.
14, 1877 ; Pearl J., June 25, 1881 ; Floyd, Oct. 17,
1884. The father of Mrs. Smith was born in Cen-
terville, N. Y., April 3, 1828. He enlisted in the
Union service Sept. 2, 1862, in Co. I, 75th 111. Vol.
Inf. He was made First Sergeant of his command
March 22, 1863, and June 23, 1864, after a day of
severe fighting, was captured by the rebels. He
passed eight months in the prison pen at Florence
and in the stockade horror at Andersonville, and
never recovered from the effects of the terrible expe-
riences of those modern Golgothas. He contracted
the disease from which he died Dec. 14, 1881. He
was married April 9, 1848. His wife was bom April
9, 1828, and is still his survivor. She lives at Erie,
in Whiteside County. Mrs. Smith was bom in the
city of Rochester, N. Y.

Mr. Smith of this sketch was reared to the busi-
ness in which he has won the meed of industry and
good management. He is a man of much more than
ordinary influence, and although he only received
such intellectual training as the common schools af-
forded, he has made the best use of his faculties in
acquiring a profitable understanding of men and of
the world in general, and is the possessor of a well
balanced mind ; and his abilities and stainless life
have won for him the unqualified respect and esteem
of those with whom he has been connected in business
and in social relations from his boyhood. As it is his
purpose soon to sever his connection with the people
of Henry County, a faithful biographer feels justified in

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placing him on permanent record in the real position
he occupies in the community in which he has main-
tained an undeviating course of honor and probity.
He is a Republican in political connection, and has
always sustained the principles of that party.

•*4aj2&®%§r~ m

*^®annm>

yman Stowell, of Yorktown Township, is a
pioneer of the State of Illinois of 1836.
From that date to 1848 he was working as
a mechanic in various parts of Illinois. He was
born in Colesville, Broome Co., N. Y., Feb. 19,
1810, and is the oldest son of Aaron and Eliza-
beth (Pratt) Stowell. His father was a native of
Vermont, and his mother was born in Broome
County. He was 12 when his parents removed to
Bainbridge, in Chenango County, and he there at-
tained to the estate of manhood. He was brought
up on the farm, and received his education in the
subscription schools, which were very good in the
way of providing for the instruction of the children
whose parents were early settlers of the country.

When he was 22 he went to Steuben County for
the purpose of learning the trade of a millwright, as
he had a natural aptitude for the use of tools. His
brother Alanson was a craftsman of the same kind,
and in 1836 they came together to Illinois and went
to work in Quincy, where they passed two months in
the construction of a mill. Malarial illness prevail-
ing there to an alarming extent, they went thence to
Pleasant Valley, in Scott County, in the then Terri-
tory of Iowa, and passed several months in the con-
struction of mills. In the fall of 1836 they returned
to Quincy, and there spent the ensuing winter. In
the spring they went back to Pleasant Valley and
resumed work at their trade, remaining until the last
summer month of the same year. They went thence
to Prophetstown, in Whiteside County, and built a
saw-mill on Coon Creek. In 1838 they came for the
first time to Henry County, and they built a mill at
Spring Creek. They returned to Prophetstown and
engaged in farming. They were the builders of the
first frame house in the township of Prophetstown.
In 1844 Mr. Stowell rented a farm at Woodward's
Bluff, six miles from Prophetstown, and was its occu-
pant and manager until 1848. In that year he made

a claim on section 9, town 18, range 5, which is now
Yorktown. On this the owner built a log house and
covered it with shingles rived from burr oak. Six
years later he entered the land and secured the
claim. He had put it under excellent improvement,
and he has since bought additional land and is now
tha owner of 177 acres, including 17 acres of timber.
The estate of Mr. Stowell is in good farming condi-
tion, and is supplied with all necessary structures
for the comfort of the family, the well-being of the
stock and the storing of the farm products. When
he was a farmer of Prophetstown the nearest market
to which he had access was at Galena, where he sold
his produce to the miners. That place was 72 miles
distant, and the trip there consumed five days.

The marriage of Mr. Stowell to Sarah Leech took
place in 1843. She was born in Johnsburg, Warren
Co., N. Y. The record of their children is as fol-
lows : Caroline E. is the wife of S. L. Sweeney, and
they are residents of Arkansas. Emma J. married
J. H. Sweeney, of Hamilton Co., Iowa. Wilbur
married Lydia A. Luther. He is the manager of the
homestead. Sarah A. is the wife of Rufus C. Bur-
roughs, of Whiteside County.

Mr. Stowell and his wife are prominent members
of the Methodist Episcopal Church.

arshall F. Wolcott, a farmer and stock-
man, resident at Geneseo, was born in
the village of Wolcottville, La Grange
7^f\ Co., Ind., Oct. 2i, 1838, and is the son of

f George and Margaret (Hine) Wolcott. His
father was born in Connecticut and was a pio-
neer of Indiana, where he attained to wealth and
influence. The town was named in his honor. The
mother of Mr. Wolcott was a native of the. same
State in which her husband had his origin.

On attaining to the age in which it became in-
cumbent on him to enter active business life, Mr.
Wolcott, of this sketch, embarked in a mercantile
enterprise at Lima, Ind. He continued to operate
there until his removal, in 1866, to Henry County.
He at first gave his attention to the prosecution of
mercantile affairs at Briar Bluff, and continued the
business until September, 1883. He had meanwhile
resided at Geneseo. Since the year named he has

-®v^tnii«mi^

HENRY

COUNTY.

15™

?J>

475

devoted his time and energies to the business which
he is now prosecuting.

Mr. Wolcott is a Republican in political faith, and
he was the first Postmaster at Briar Bluff, tie of-
ficiated in that capacity from 187 1 to the time he
disposed of his business there, in 1883.

Mr. Wolcott is associated with his father-in-law in
the business of stock-rearing, and they are the pro-
prietors of 1,500 acres of land in the township of
Colona.

Mrs. Wolcott is the daughter of A. W. Perry, one
of the pioneers of Henry County, and of whose con-
nection with the development of its interests and re-
sources a detailed account is given elsewhere in this
work. Fanny L. Perry was born at Geneseo, and
was married to Mr. Wolcott May 9, 1866. They
have had three children. Alfred P. was born July 6,
1867. George was born May 21, .1869, and died in
infancy. Frank B. was born April 9, 187 1.

Mr. and Mrs. Wolcott are members of the Congre-
gational Church.

-¥~fy*

iristian Urban, the present Assessor of
Yorktown Township, is one of the pros-
perous farmers in Henry County. He was
born in Alsace, France, Nov. 14, 1827. His
parents were Lawrence and Barbara Urban.
He attended the schools of his native prov-
ince until he was 15, when he learned the trade of a
weaver. He followed it as a business until his re-
moval to America in 1847.

He sailed from the port of Havre De Grace, and
after a passage of 40 days landed at New York. He
had formed an intention to proceed westward, and
accordingly he went up the Hudson River to Albany,
where he took the Erie Canal and traveled in that
manner to Buffalo. He made his way to Chicago,
and went from there to the northern part of Cook
County. It should have been mentioned that his
mother died when he was but three years of age, and
that his father accompanied him to America. Ar-
riving at his destination in Cook County, he went to
work as a farm assistant. The next year he went to
Chicago, where he learned the trade of shoemaker,
and he followed that as an occupation two years in
that city. He then went into the country to pass a
season in the harvest fields, and he remained there

to work at his trade. After spending a year in the
same vicinity, he went to the State of Pennsylvania.
He proceeded to Warren county, where he continued
to stay until 1853. He went th§nce to Indiana,
where he bought 80 acres of land in Lake County.
It was wholly uncultivated, and without house or
shelter for stock. He bargained to pay $3 per acre
for the property, and had but $80 to make the first
payment. He worked at his business as a shoe-
maker, and also put in crops on land which he rented,
and he was finally successful in procuring the needed
funds to secure his title to his estate. He continued
to manage the little farm of which he was the proud
proprietor and to occupy it until 1865.

In the spring of that year he sold it and bought 80
acres on section 4 in the township in which he has
since prosecuted his farming projects. He has been
prospered in his frugality and industry, and is at
present the owner of 180 acres on the same section,
all of which is under excellent tillage and under good '
farming regulations. The place is well supplied with
all needed farm buildings, and is devoted to the rais-
ing of grain and stock.

Mr. Urban was united in marriage to Mary Fisher
in 1854. She was born in Warren Co., Pa. They
have several children, who are named Louisa, George
W., Martlia, Ida, Ella, Frank and Fred. The two
last named are twins. Martha is the wife of M. E.
Melvin, and they live in New Bedford, Bureau
County.

ames S. Hamilton, an esteemed citizen of

f Geneseo, is a pioneer of Henry County of

1839. He was born June 12, 1812, in

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Westmorelafid Co., Pa., and is the son of Alex-
]£ ander and Elizabeth (Steel) Hamilton. His
\ father was born in Ireland, and came thence
to America in the Rebellion of 1793. The mother
was a native of the same county in Pennsylvania
where the son was born. The latter was reared on
a farm, and came from his native county in October
of the year named.

He settled at Shabbona Grove in the township of
Cornwall, where he became the proprietor of a farm
comprising 166 acres. This was his home until
1876, when he went to Benton Co., Iowa. There he
purchased 240 acres of land, of which he is still the

476

HENRY COUNTY.

owner, and on which he continued to reside until
1884. In that year he returned to Geneseo to make
it his permanent home during the remainder of his
life. Mr. Hamilton is liberal in religious opinions,
and in political persuasion he is a Democrat.

He was married in the township of Atkinson, in
Henry County, in 1840, to Mary E. Taylor. She
was born in Antrim, N. H., and is the daughter of
Andrew Taylor. Five children have been born to
Mr. and Mrs. Hamilton : John T. married Annie
Jones, and they are residents of Cedar Rapids, Iowa,
where he is a dealer in agricultural implements and
coal; William Wallace married Josie Allsup, and is
a citizen of Mapleton, Iowa ; Porter married Lota
Sargent, and they also live at Mapleton; Sarah E.
is the wife of William Orr, who is a farmer in Corn-
wall Township ; the two sons of Mr. Hamilton who
live at Mapleton are engaged in the sale of agricul-
tural implements, coal and lumber. The children
were all born in Cornwall Township. James W.
married Bell Snow, and they live on the farm in
Benton Co., Iowa.

-■■is

• o<So *

. ames A. Tracy, one of the prosperous and
energetic farmers of Osco Township, where
he resides on section 18, is a son of Joab
and Mary J. (Coon) Tracy, and was born in
Lynn Township, this county, Feb. 16, 1854.
His parents were "natives of Indiana, and came
into Henry County in 1852, locating in Lynn Town-
ship, and reside there at the present time.

James A. was the second in order of birth of a'
family of ten children, and received a fair education
in the common schools of his neighborhood, and
later attended Knox College at Abingdon, 111., for six
months. Remaining at home until 21 years of age,
he then engaged in farming on his own account. He
made a purchase of 1 60 acres of land in March, 1878,
located in Osco Township, and settled upon the
same, which is all good tillable land, and by hard
labor and industry has cultivated the same until now
he is the possessor of some excellent farming land
in Henry County.

Mr. Tracy formed a matrimonial alliance in Cam-
bridge, 111., Feb. 7, 1878, the lady chosen to share his
joys and sorrqws, successes and reverses, being Miss

Lena R. Molthrop, daughter of Oscar and Lasetta
(Britton) Molthrop, natives of Pennsylvania. Mrs.
Tracy, wife of our subject, was born in Viola, Mer-
cer Co.,, 111., Dec. 29, i860. Of their union has been
born one child, who died in infancy.

Mr. Tracy has held the office of School Director,
and in politics is a Democrat.

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-e>— o-

eorge W. Goshorn, of Geneseo, removed
to Henry County in 1853, and to Geneseo
in 1859. He was born in the township of
Tell, in Huntington Co., Pa., Aug. 9, 1812,
and is the son of Andrew and Margaret (Gos-
horn) Goshorn. His father was born in Penn-
sylvania, and was of German descent, his great-
grandparents having come from that country to the
United States. The mother of Mr. Goshorn was also
born in the Keystone State, of parentage of Scotch-
Irish extraction.

The son was reared on a farm. He was married
in Juniata County, in his native State, to Eleanor J.
McClure, who is a native of the same State, and was
born in Mifflin County, Dec. 16, 182 1. In May sub-
sequent to their marriage they removed to Wayne
Co., Ohio. They have had eight children, two sons
and six daughters : Mary H. was born in Congress,
Wayne County, Feb. 20, 1840, is the wife of A. F.
Murphy, and lives in the township of Cornwall;
James C. was born July 30, 1847, in ChesterTown-
ship, in Wayne County ; he married a Miss Motley,
at. Deadwood, Dak., and resides at Aspen, Col.;
Maggie E. was born at West Salem, Ohio, Jan. 31,
1856, and is now Mrs. J. Mitchell of St. Louis, Mo. ;
Jennie, wife of George T. Wilkinson, was born in
West Salem, June 27, 1856, and they are residents
of Munson Township; the others died in infancy.
Mr. Goshorn removed his family to Cornwall Town-
ship, or to the township that now bears that name
in 1856. He was the owner of 80 acres that he had
purchased there in the year named as that in which
he came to Henry County, and was the occupant of
the place until his removal to Geneseo. He bought
40 acres within the limits of the village, and engaged
extensively in the rearing of hogs for market.

Mr. Goshorn has been until recently a Democrat

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HENRY COUNTY.

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477 "S

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(i)

in political connection, but at present is a supporter
of the tenets of the National Greenback party. He
served while a resident of Cornwall as School Trus-
tee. He is a member of the Presbyterian Church.

rederick N. Baird, a prominent farmer
residing on section 12, Osco Town-
*fr ship, was born in Bethany, Genesee Co.,
N. Y., May 14, 1827, and was the fourth in
order of birth of a family of eight children.
His parents, Frederick and Roxanna (Cone)
Baird, were natives of Connecticut, in which State
they were married and remained for a number of
years. They then removed to New York, where they
resided until 1856, when they came into Henry
County, and settled in Edford Township, where he
(the father) died in 1859. Mrs. Baird died in
Colorado.

Frederick N., of whom we write, received a good
common-school education by attendance at the dis-
trict schools of his neighborhood, besides attending
the College at Brockport, Monroe County, N. Y., for
one term, and when 18 years of age he was appren-
ticed to learn the carpenter's trade. He followed
the latter for many years, and in the spring of 1853
came to Henry County and worked at his trade for
one season in Geneseo. He then bought a tract of
120 acres of land in Edford Township, and located
upon it, where he resided seven years, when he
sold it and removed again to Geneseo, and continued '
to follow his trade for five years. He next engaged
as traveling salesman, selling marble monuments, for
two years, and in 1873, determining to adopt the vo-
cation of a farmer, he made a purchase of 80 acres
in Osco Township, located on his present site, sec-
tion 12, and has remained there ever since. He en-
tered upon the task of its improvement and cultiva-
tion, and now is the possessor of some of Henry
County's best farming land.

He was married in Genesee Co., N. Y., March 12,
T856, Caroline M. Partridge being the lady he led to
the altar. She was the daughter of William R. and
Lucy A. (Starkweather) Partridge, natives of New
York, and was the second of their family of nine chil-
dren. Genesee, N. Y., was also the place of her
birth, and July 24, 1832, .the date. Mr. and Mrs.

Baird have two children, — Charles E., ihe elder, was
married at Hamlet, Siark Co., Ind., May 31, 1833, to
Emma R. Dull, who was born in Wyandot Co., Ohio,
June 24, 1857. They have one child, Carrie R.
Norman W. is the name of their youngest son.
Charles is a graduate of the Valparaiso (Ind.) Col-
lege. Mr. B. has taken somewhat of an active part
in the general affairs of his township, and has occa-
sionally served in some official positions. Politically,
he is a Republican. Both he and his wife are mem-
bers of the Methodist Episcopal Church.

-SjS- -ofo-

Infjjlll illiam Miller, formerly a farmer, then a car-
ifel^Ir.. penter and a lumber merchant at Geneseo,
came to Henry County in 1838. He has
been a resident of Illinois since 1836, when
he located at Peoria, and came thence to
Henry Connty in the year named. He was
born in Peekskill, Westchester Co., N. Y., March 31,
1816, and is the son of George and Mary (Oakley)
Miller. He received his education and training in a
knowledge of agriculture previous to his 18th year
on his father's homestead. At that age he began to
learn the carpenter's trade, at which he worked in
his native State until his removal to Illinois. After
his removal to Henry County he lived two years in
the township of Andover. He came thence in 1840
to Geneseo.

In political preference he is a Prohibitionist; he
was a Republican in the early days of his citizen-
ship. Mr. Miller was joined in marriage Dec. 22,
1842, to Harriet T. Cone, who was born in the town-
ship of Victor, Livingston Co., N. Y., and who is the
daughter of Elisha and Eliza A. (Hill) Cone, whose
father was a member of the Geneseo Colony, and
settled in the county in 1836. He built the first
log cabin in the township of Geneseo. His death
occurred Sept. 6, 1846. Mrs. Cone resides with her
daughter. She is 75 years old, and has been a resi-
dent of Henry County nearly a half century.

Following are the children of Mr. and Mrs. Miller :
George L. died in infancy; Emilie E.*is the wife of
W. S. Read, of Pike Co., III. ; George W. was born
July 7, T850, and is a resident of St. Jo'seph, Mo.,
and is the Auditor of the Kansas City, St. Joseph &
Council Bluffs and the Hannibal and St. Joseph
Railroads.

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HENRY COUNTY.

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I ela Andrews, who is engaged in farming,
and resides on section 34 of Osco Town-
ship, is one of the successful farmers as
well as respected citizens of this county.

The parents of Mr. Andrews were Beri and
Eliza (Hall) Andrews, and were natives ot
Connecticut. The parents were married and settled
in Connecticut, and in r834 removed to Lorain Co.,
Ohio, in which county they continued to reside until
their deaths. The mother died April 21, 1857, and
the father Oct. 9, 1868. Their children were four
in number, namely: Bela, Hannah E., Sarah B. and
William B.

Bela Andrews, the gentleman whose name stands
at the head of this notice, was born July 28, 1830,
in Connecticut. He attended the common schools,
more or less, until he attained his majority, passing
a portion of his time prior to that date in working on
the farm. On attaining the age of majority he at-
tended Kenyon College, located in Gambier, Knox
Co., Ohio, and followed the curriculum of that in-
stitution, from which he graduated with honors after
six years of hard study. Receiving his diploma, he
engaged in teaching in the schools of Ohio and Con-
necticut, which occupation he followed for about four
years. At the expiration of that time he was em-
ployed in a factory in Connecticut, where he passed
' two years more of his life. He then entered the Re-
formatory at Meriden, Conn., where he was employed
as teacher and assistant for some twelve years. As
a memento of the appreciation of his service as an
instructor, the teachers and employees of the school
presented Mr. Andrews with a magnificent family
bible.

In the spring of 1874 Mr. Andrews came to this
county, and settled in Osco Township. He is at
present the owner of 320 acres of well improved
land, and in the vocation in which he is at present
engaged is meeting with success. His marriage,
which occurred in Meriden, Conn., June ro, 1862,
to Mary L.* daughter of Stephen R. and Elizabeth
(Clark) Merriam, has been blessed by the birth of
five children. The parents of Mrs. Andrews were
natives of New Haven Co., Conn., in which State they
were married, and shortly afterward emigrated to
Portage Co., Ohio, where they died.

Mrs. Andrews was born in Summit Co., Ohio,
Aug. 4, 1839, and the names of the children born of
her union with Mr. A. are as follows : Wm. M., who
died when nine months old ; Annie E., Mary F.,
Oliver B., Edward L. and Paul B.

Mr. Andrews has been honored by the citizens of
his township by the office of School Director, Trus-
tee and Road Commissioner, which offices he has
filled to the entire satisfaction of all concerned. In
politics he affiliates with the Republican party.
He and his wife are members of the Protestant Epis-
copal Church.

oshua Gilfillan, retired farmer, resident at
Kewanee, Henry Co., 111., was born at
Barnett, Caledonia Co., Vt, April 12, 1823.
His father, William, was a native of Scotland,
and his mother, Ruth, — whose maiden name
was Blanchard, but when married to Mr. Gil-
fillan was a widow Chamberlain, — was a native of
Peacham, Vt. Of theirfive children, three sons and
two daughters, the subject of this biographical notice
was the fourth. The senior Mr. Gilfillan was a
farmer by occupation, and his sons in that regard fol-
lowed his footsteps. He died in 1840, aged 72
years, and the rest of the family moved from Barnett
to Peacham.

Joshua had the advantage of a pretty thorough
education, and taught school several terms while a
young man. Dec. 4, 1844, he came West, and for
the first few years taught, " off and on," in the pub-
lic schools. His elder brother, John A., was a grad-
uate of Dartmouth, and fitted for the Bar; but, not
finding the legal profession to his taste, abandoned it
early in life, and sirfce 1850 has been connected with
the schools of St. Louis, Mo. Another brother,
Daniel W., was a graduate of Vermont University,
and taught school several years, but finally left it
off, and hus since followed farming.

In 1846, the gentleman whose name stands at the
head of this article located upon a farm in Stark Co.,
111., and there remained until 1880, when he gave up
the cares and labors incident to farming, and retired
to his home in Kewanee. He has been thrice mar-
ried, first at Peacham, Vt., in 1846, to Miss Ann
E. Way, who died at Osceola, 111., in 1854, leaving

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^V«:§»

HENRY

COUNTY.

479

two children : Mary, Mrs. Henry Reedall, of Salt Lake
City, Utah, and Charles C, now a farmer of Bureau
Co., 111. Mr. G. was married a second time in
1855, to Mrs. Lucy L. Sawyer, who died in 1875,
leaving five children : Frank, a farmer; Cora V., of
Salt Lake City; John W., James A. and Burton C,
all of Stark Co., 111. Mr. Gilfillan was married a
third time at Toulon, 111., in 1880, to Mrs. Ella Row-
ell, who has borne him two children : Fannie, and an
infant deceased, not named.

Mr. Gilfillan has worked his way up through life,
and by individual effort and industry has earned the
handsome competency which now enables him to
take the world easy. In addition to agricultural in-
terests, he is a large stockholder in the Haxtun
Steam Heater Works, at Kewanee, director in the
First National Bank, and a large stockholder in the
two great corporations known as the Chicago, Bur-
lington & Quincy and Illinois Central Railroads. A
farmer that had the judgment and foresight to invest
money in the stocks of those two corporations at a
time when they were low, and to hold on to them,
requires no further recommendation to the world as
shrewd financier. Politically, Mr. G. is an inde-
pendent Democrat.

evi A. Hamilton, a prosperous and ener-
getic farmer, his residence being on section
15, Osco Township, is a son of James and
Lucy (Nichols) Hamilton, natives of Massa-
chusetts. They married and settled in the
above State, but later removed to York State,
where they remained some time, finally returning to
the Slate of their nativity, and settling in Worcester
County, where they died. Their family consisted of
seven children, — Jefferson, Mary, Lucy, Levi A.,
William, James and Marcia.

The subject of this sketch was born in Onondaga
Co., N. Y., April 10, 1810, and when but six years
of age removed with his parents to Brookfield, Mass.,
at which prace he remained until January, 1856.
Having learned the shoemaker's trade, he, followed
the same for six years, and that, in connection with
farming, occupied his time until he came West. In
January, 1856, he came to Geneseo, 111., where he
lived until the spring of that year, when he settled

in Osco Township, there purchasing 160 acres of
land on his present location, and has since remained
a resident of this township. His farm is in excel-
lent condition, and mostly all improved.

His first marriage occurred in Brookfield, Worces-
ter Co., Mass., the date of which was June 5, 1831,
the lady being Miss Mary Walker, daughter of Eze-
kiel Walker, also natives of Massachusetts. She was
born in Brookfield, the latter State, and bore her
husband ten children, the following being the record
of the living ones : Sarah F., William O., Emma W.,
Mary, Henry and Lucy. Sarah F. is now the wife
of H. Crossley, and resides in this township. Mrs.
Hamilton died in Osco Township, April 7, 1876.
Emma W. is the wife of Henry Norton, and resides
in Hampton, Rock Island Co., 111.; and Mary, now
Mrs. Johnson Bennett, resides in Des Moines, Iowa.
Mr. H. was the second time married in Coe Town-
ship, Rock Island County, June. 5, 1878, to Ruth,
daughter of Stephen and Eleanor (Price) Odell,
natives respectively of York State and Maryland, and
widow of B. F. Bryant, who died in Canoe Creek
Township, Rock Island Co., 111., Jan. 27, 1855. She
had by that marriage one child, Frances J. Bryant,
who is now the wife of Henry Quick, and resides in
Port Byron, Rock Island County. Mrs. Hamilton
was born in Guernsey Co., Ohio., on the 4th of May,
1830.

Mr. Hamilton has held the office of Supervisor
one year, and other minor offices within the gift of
the people of his township. He and his wife are
members of the Methodist Episcopal Church, and
politically he is independent.

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C!>

illiam R. 'Goodrich, gunsmith and dealer
in sportsmen's goods, at Kewanee, Henry
County, 111., bears the distinction of hav-
5> ing been born in the Sandwich Islands. His
father, the Rev. Joseph Goodrich, of the
Congregational Church, was sent from Old
Wethersfield, Conn., as a missionary to the Sand-
wich Islands in 1822, and there remained for a pe-
riod of 14 years. To the student who gleaned his
primary knowledge of important events from the Ec-
lectic series of school readers, the name of Goodrich
will always be familiar. The stories there related of
the earliest attempts to Christianize the Sandwich

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480

HENRY COUNTY.

cannibals, were first told by the father of the subject of
this sketch, the Rev. Joseph Goodrich. He returnedto
his native State in 1836, and proceeded at once to Illi-
nois , where he was identified with the Wethersfield Col-
ony for a number of years, and in 1 85 2 died, upon the
farm now occupied by the Lathrop Coal Mining Co.,
in the 58th year of his age. His wife, Martha
(Barnes) Goodrich, had preceded him by a few years
to the mystic shore, and was the first person interred
in the Wethersfield Cemetery. They reared three
sons and as many daughters to men and women,
and buried their eldest-born on the .Sandwich Is-
lands.

William R. Goodrich, our subject, was born Feb.
20, 1832, and therefore when the family arriyed in
the new and unsettled county of Henry, he was but
about four years of age. He worked at farming until
about 24 years of age, and in 1857 removed into the
town of Kewanee, and established the first bread
bakery at this place. He followed baking about six
years, starting up in the meantime his present busi-
ness. His first shop occupied the site of the present
new Kewanee House, and was a small building
erected in 1856. In 1857, he was married, at Kewa-
nee, to Harriet M. Slocum, a native of New York
State, and has had born to him five children, as fol-
lows : William B., Rolland S., Frederick G., Charles
E. and Lewis J. Both Mr. and Mrs. Goodrich are
members of the Methodist Episcopal Church, and
Mr. G. is identified prominently with the Independ-
ent Order of Mutual Aid.

-*3-

-£S-

eorge Duff, a farmer of Henry County, has
been a resident of the"*State of Illinois and
"K of Henry County since 1857. Mr. Duff
was born in Allegheny Co., Pa., March 24,
i82r. He is the son of William and Mary
Duff and was reared on a farm. He lived in
the State in which he was born until he was nearly
40 years old, and was there occupied in farming.
He was married there, Aug. 28, 1844, to Mary A.,
daughter of Philip Cypher. She was born in the
same county in which she was married. The chil-
dren born to Mr. and Mrs. Duff were six in number.
Nancy E. is the wife of Darwin Amsden and they
live in Iowa. Sarah A. married George H. Wilson,

and they are also living in Iowa. William married
Rebecca Wilson. He is a farmer in the township
of Edford. Mary F. is the wife of Charles Magee,
of Osco Township. John died at the age of seven.
One child died in early life, who was born in Gene-
seo. The five first named were born in Pennsyl-
vania.

Mr. Duff purchased the farm he now owns in the
township of Edford in 1862. He removed thence to
Geneseo, Feb. 22, 1884. In his political connections
he is a Democrat.

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■+>

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A. Peterson, owning 108 acres of land, lo-
cated on section 30, Osco Township, where
he resides and is engaged in the occupa-
% Jv. tion of his life, that of agriculture, was born in
Sweden, Feb. 15, 1834. Mr. Peterson lived in
his native country until 1857. In the summer
of that year, hoping to better his financial condition
in a new country, he emigrated to the United States.
One year after his arrival in this country he came to
Henry County and purchased 80 acres of land in
Lynn Township, on which he located with his family
and actively engaged in its cultivation and improve-
ment. He and his family resided on the latter place
for seven years, when Mr. P. sold the same and
made another purchase, the same being in Western
Township and consisting of 160 acres. -Eight months
later, Mr. Peterson sold the latter purchase and
bought 177 acres in Osco Township, located on sec-
tion 31, on which he and his family moved and con-
tinued to reside until the spring of 1883. At that
time he sold his 177 acres and removed to section
30, same township. He is at present the owner of
108 acres of good tillable land, which is in a first-
class farming condition, and 160 acres in Iowa. On
his farm he has erected a fine residence, barn, etc.,
second to none in Henry County, and the farm pre-
sents that appearance which is indicative of energy
and perseverance on the part of its proprietor. What
of this world's goods Mr. Peterson possesses is the
accumulation of a life of toil and economy.

Mr. Peterson was married in Galesburg, this
State, Nov. 8, 1859, to" Christine Aim, a native of
Sweden, in which country she was born Aug. 15,
1828. In 1846 she crossed the waters with her par-

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■^V^U U & 11 D&v^e) >a^g-

^§*^®V-€^

HENRY COUNTY.

481

ents and landed in the United States. She has borne
her husband ten children. The living are John A.
C, Emma A., August S. and Ella E. Emma A. is
the wife of Capt. Chris Christerson, a resident of
Chicago, and they have one child, Osher Theo. The
children of whom Mr. and Mrs. Peterson became
the parents and who have passed to the land of the
hereafter, arc named Anna C. C, Joseph E., Gilbert
M., Nettie R., Gilbert W. and Cora R.

Politically, Mr. Peterson is a believer in the prin-
ciples of the Republican party. He has held the
office of School Director, and is one of the respected
and honored citizens of his township and of the
county. He and his wife are active supporters of
the tenets of the Methodist Episcopal Church.

•!!•

ashington Dunbar. As a splendid ex-
ample of what may be accomplished by
an energetic, determined and economical
man, we point to Mr. Dunbar. He is now
engaged in farming on section 31, of Weth-
ersfield Township, where he owns a splendid
farm" of 320 acres, besides some other property in
Knox County. His parents, William and Sarah
(Prather) Dunbar, were married and settled in Ken-
tucky, but very early in the history of Stark Co., 111.,
they moved there and for many years were prominent
pioneers. The elder Dunbar then sold out and went
to California, where he died, his wife dying in Lynn
Co., Kan.

Washington was the seventh of a family of 13
children, and was born in Breckenridge Co., Ky.,
Sept. 20, 182T. He was a boy of about eight years
of age when his parents came to Stark County. At
so early a period there were only a few settle-
ments anywhere in the northern part of Illinois ; and,
as would naturally be expected, he enjoyed very
limited advantages for an education. He worked on
the farm, aiding in its developments, until about 15
years of age, when he began to work out by the day
and month. This kind of life he followed until he
settled in La Fayette Township, Stark County.
Here he lived for about seven years, when, in 1852,
he moved into Henry County and located upon sec-
tion 31, Wethersfield Township. This farm, which
consists of 320 acres, he has splendidly improved

and brought to a high state of cultivation. He has
been eminently successful and prominent in all the
affairs of his township. His success is due to his
energy, integrity and perseverance, and for it he de-
serves great credit.

Doubtless, one of the motives which inspired Mr.
Dunbar to secure some property and settle down was
his contemplated marriage, which occurred about the
time he began farming for himself in Stark County.
The day of the wedding was Dec. 24, 1846, and the
lady who thus determined to be his helpmeet was
Anna, daughter of Josephus and Elizabeth (Bennett)
Lee. They were natives of New York State, and
had come to Stark County about 1844. The former
died there about 1847, January 18, and the latter
Aug. 21. 1872. They reared a family of 12 chil-
dren, of whom Mrs. Dunbar was the third in order
of birth. She was born in Warren Co., N. Y., June
10, 1825. Their family record reads as follows:
number of children nine, — Oscar, Orville, Orson,
Albertus, Adelia, Burwell, Charles L., Effie L. and
Harry. Oscar, Orville and Burwell are deceased.
Adelia is the wife of DeWitt Winney, of Knox Co.,
111. Effie is the wife of Bradford Snyder, of Stark
Co., 111. Mr. Dunbar has served as School Director
for many years, and politically, is a strong Republi-
can.

born

j^dward Johnson, residing on section 32,
Osco Township, where he is engaged in
the cultivation of 142 acres of good tilla-
ble land, was born in Mercer County, this
State, March 8, 1857. The parents of Mr.
Johnson, John and Johanna Johnson, were
in Sweden. In 1877 Edward, whose name
stands at the head of this biographical notice,
entered his father's store and engaged in the capacity
of clerk, which occupation he continued until 1880,
when he removed to Andover Township and there
resided for one year. His next remove was to Osco
Township, where he located on a farm belonging to
his father, consisting of 140 acres of section 32.

Mr. Johnson has continued to cultivate the farm
on section 32 since his removal thereon in 1881,
meeting with success in that vocation. His marriage
occurred in Western Township, Nov. 17, 1880, and
the accomplished lady who became his wife was

•dm

'IN

f^?i

482

HENRY COUNTY.

4*t^(<®>f

Miss Sophia Peterson, born in Western Township,
this county, Nov. 17, i860. One child, Minnie M.,
has been born of their union.

Religiously, Mr. and Mrs. Johnson are members
of the Swedish Lutheran Church. In political mat-
ters Mr. J. always casts his vote with the Republi-
can party.

* +*&+ +

V
©

ohn Chisnall, President and General
f Manager of the Kewanee Wagon Company,
was born in Lancashire, England, June 27,
1833, and came to America in 1855. At the
common schools of England he acquired a fair
education in the elementary branches, and
after spending some time in the cotton mills began,
when he was 16 years of age, to learn the trade of
wagon-maker. In the United States his first stop was
at Omaha, Neb., where he worked at his trade for
several years. From Omaha he removed to Phila-
delphia, Pa., and seven years afterward came to
Kewanee. Here he was employed by the O'Brien
Manufacturing Co., until January, 1882. In busi-
ness, Mr. Chisnall has been rather successful. Com-
ing to America a poor boy, depending upon his labor
for a livelihood, he has worked his way to the pos-
session of a handsome property.

Mr. Chisnall is a Royal Arch Mason, an officer in
the Eastern Star, a member of the Knights of Honor,
and a Republican in politics.

r. John Ii. Robinson, a medical practi-
I]L tioner of the homeopathic school at Anna-
wan, is a native of Whiteside Co., 111., and
j^C was born Oct. 14, 1851. He discharged the

obligations of his minority to his parents, and
when he arrived at the age of 21 he went to
Iowa and studied law at Dunlap, in that State, for
about six months. He then entered a private bank-
ing institution in that place and continued to operate
there 18 months. At the end of that time he began
business on his own behalf in the sale of jewelry,
musical merchandise and sewing-machines in the
same place, in which he was interested about 18
months.

He then purchased the drug stock of Dr. O. W.

Newell, at Annawan, associated with D. S. Way, and
they managed their joint affairs under the style of
Robinson & Way until 1879, when they sold to
Messrs. Lawrence & Putney, and Dr. Robinson
commenced the sale of jewelry, which he prosecuted
until 1884. Meanwhile, for a period of five years,
he had given much attention to the study of medi-
cine, with the intention of fitting himself for the pro-
fession. In September, 1883, he matriculated at the
Chicago Homeopathic College, and was graduated
there in February, 1885. He established his busi-
ness at Annawan, where he is building up a substan-
tial practice. In his political connections he is an
adherent of the Republican party. He is a member
of the Masonic Lodge at Annawan. In religious
views he is in sympathy with the Baptist denomina-
tion.

His marriage to Ellen V. Way took place Nov. 29,
1874, and they are the parents of four children, —
Edna M., Julius W., Charles R. and Dwight S. Mrs.
Robinson was born in Noble Township, La Porte Co.,
Ind., May 25, 1851.

gfeV^tft-

-<^A

saac Litton, one of the progressive and

energetic farmers, as well as respected and

honored citizens of Henry County, residing

on section 31, Weller Township, is a native of

Pennsylvania, having been born in Fulton

County, that State, March 12, 1839. Mr.

Litton lived with his parents on the old homestead

in Fulton Co., Pa., until 21 years of age, meanwhile

attending the common schools and assisting his

father in the labors on the farm. In i860 he came

to Knox County, this State, and worked out for two

years. In 1862, he came to Weller Township, this

county, where he rented land, and for three years

was engaged in farming in that manner, meeting

with success. At the expiration of that time he

purchased a farm in Clover Township, on which he

located and entered vigorously and energetically

upon its improvement, and there continued to reside

for eight years. In the spring of 1875 he left Clover

Township and moved into Weller Township, where

he continued to reside until the present time. He

is at present the owner of 410 acres of land, all in a

first-class agricultural condition.

'^v^Sfs

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Uilfti^

|
I

««•

HENRY COUNTY.

485

The marriage of Mr. Litton took place in Knox
County, this State, April 16, 1863. Miss Mahala
Mullen became his wife at that time, and has shared
his sorrows and joys, successes and reverses, until
the present. She was born in Fulton Co., Pa., Dec.
31, 1846, and has borne her husband six children, —
W. Grant, Charles W., Brady J., Bessie E., Ray H.
and Mackie. Brady J. died aged three and one-
half years, having swallowed a nail, which caused
his death in 15 minutes. Mr. Litton has been School
Director in his township, and in politics is identified
with the Democratic party. His parents were John
and Sophia (Knable) Litton, natives of Maryland
and Pennsylvania respectively. They were married
and settled in Pennsylvania, where the father died
Aug. 29, 1876. She yet survives. Their family
comprised 13 children, of |whom the subject of this
sketch was the fourth in order of birth. Her mother's
parents were Henry and Mary (Hull) Mullen, na-
tives of Pennsylvania. They came to Knox County
from their native State in 1855, and the mother died
there, Dec. 21, 1878. Her father still resides in
Knox County. The issue of her parents' union was
five children, — Mrs. Litton being the third in order
of birth.

* -»- *

H. Chesley, present proprietor and editor
of the Kewanee Courier, was born in
Walden, Caledonia Co., Vt., Oct. 22, 1857.
He was educated at the public schools of Ver-
mont, and at the age of 16 years began the
printer's trade at Lyndon, that State. He
completed his trade on the Green Mountain Free-
man, a paper printed at Montpelier, Vt., and came
West, landing in Kewanee in 1877. In company
with his brother, he leased the Courier from C. N.
Whitney in 1879, and became its sole owner in 1882.
Almost all his life has been spent in a newspaper
office, the minutest details whereof are as familiar to
him as the alphabet. He is thoroughly a practical
printer, a graceful and elegant writer, a courteous
gentleman, and full of promise for the future.

His father, Albert Chesley, died in 1867, and his
mother, Lucretia (Smith) Chesley, came West in
1878, and has since resided in Kewanee.
Mr. Chesley was married in Kewanee, in the fall

of 1881, to Miss Mamie Whitney, the accomplished
daughter of the former proprietor of the Courier, and
has had born to him two children — Merton and
Willis F.

In politics Mr. C. is a staunch Republican; in re-
ligion he is liberal, and the only secret order to which
he belongs is the I. O. O. F.

■tugeecrtSfg"

*@£a#TO».

|rs. O. E. Tilden, widow of the late O. E.

Tilden, farmer, upon section 35, Oxford

Township, was married to Mr. Tilden,

Aug. 31, 1843. She was Miss Orrill K.

Moore and was born in Vermont, and is a

daughter of Samuel and Eudosia Moore.

Mr. Tilden, who died on the 25th of April, 1879,
was born in Windsor Co., Vt., in July, 1807. He
came West in the autumn of 1853, when Central
Illinois was being opened up by some of the earlier
lines of railroad, and stopped at Galesburg for the
winter. In April of the following year he came into
Henry County and located upon section 35, Oxford
Township, where he had purchased 240 acres of
land. He was among the first of the earliest pio-
neers here and took an active part in the develop-
ment of the county. Upon this place he lived, a
well respected and prosperous farmer, until his death.
Politically, he was a stanch Republican and a prom-
nent local worker for his party, and had held many
of the local offices, among which were Supervisor
and School Director. He was an intelligent man,
far above the average of that day. He loved books,
was a great reader, and took a deep interest in edu-
cational matters. He was a prominent farmer as
well as a successful one, and left his widow and
children a fine home. His son Cyrus has purchased
the interest of the other heirs and keeps the old
homestead. Mrs. Tilden holds the house and 80
acres of land.

As a man worthy to be perpetuated as a repre-
sentative of the sturdy, bold pioneers and as a lead-
ing and advanced agriculturist, the publishers are
glad to present the portrait of Mr. Tilden accom-
panying this sketch.

There were born to Mr. and Mrs. Tilden quite a
large family of children, the record of whom is given
as follows : Josiah H. selected Lila Timberlake for

»<^V§ — «€^-

-Q&HG&M

■&*$*-

HENRY COUNTY.

^®\l

his wife; Mary G. is the wife of D. J. Clarke; James
F. married Emma Fraim; Frances E., who married

TAmos Mansfield ; Cyrus F. married Katie Rachford ;
Normand F. was united in marriage with Mary
Burns ; Millard F. is deceased.

— -•*

William Wolf, architect, contractor and
builder, at Kewanee, 111., son of George
and Saloma (Retmiller) Wolf, natives of
Germany and Pennsylvania respectively,
was born in the city of Philadelphia, Nov. 25,
1838. The elder Mr. Wolf was also a con-
tractor and builder, and our subject took his first
lessons while quite young, and under a man natur-
ally interested in giving the best possible instruc-
tions. Mr. Wolf acquired such education as was
possible before he was 14 years of age, for at that
age he was apprenticed to the carpenter's trade.
From Philadelphia he came to Kewanee in 1865, and
here the largest and finest buildings show the genius
of his handiwork, both as architect and builder.

He was married in Philadelphia in 1863, to Mrs.
J. M. Zoll, a native of that city and of German
parentage. The three children born to him are
Franklin W., now a successful dentist at Kewanee;
Paul A. K., a student ; and Emma Saloma, a young
miss. Mr. Wolf devotes his time to his business and
profession, and makes a success of them. He is a
member of the I. O. O. F.

His father died in Philadelphia in 1872, at the age
of 64 years, and his mother at this writing resides in
Germantown, Pa.

& amuel Schwab, a prosperous farmer re-
siding upon section 23, Cornwall Town-
ship, was born in Berne, Switzerland, on
the 25th of December, 1820, and consequently
was a Christmas gift to his parents. Mr.
Schwab remained with his parents in his
native country until he was 28 years of age. On
reaching his 20th year he entered the army in
Switzerland, and served two years in the infantry
and six years in the cavalry, acting as Orderly

Sergeant. When in his 36th year, in 1856, he con-
cluded to emigrate to the United States, hoping to
better his financial condition in life, and after a voy-
age on the briny waters, he landed at New York
city. From the latter place he went to Ohio, where
he remained about a month, and then came to this
county, and has resided here since that time, 1856.
The marriage of Samuel Schwab to Miss Eliza-
beth Magley took place in Switzerland in 1852, four
years prior to the time that Mr. S. emigrated to this
country. Mrs. Schwab was born in Switzerland,
Nov. 1, 1817, and has borne her husband two chil-
dren,— Elizabeth, born Jan. 3, 1853; and Catherine,
born Dec. 24, 1856, — the former in Switzerland, and
the latter in this country. Mr. Schwab has suc-
ceeded by his perseverance and economy in increas-
ing his landed interests in this county to 375 acres
of good farm land. He has a fine residence on his
place, a good barn 60 x 48 feet in dimensions, and, in
addition to the cultivation of his land, devotes
much of his time to the raising of fine stock. In
a religious point of view, he is a believer in the doc-
trines advocated by the Congregational Church.
Politically, he votes with the Democratic party.

illiam Kirkland, farmer, residing on sec-
tion 5, Clover Township, was born in
Chillicothe, Ohio, Sept. 6, 1813. His pa-
rents were James and Elizabeth (Anderson)
Kirkland, natives of Ireland, who emigrated
to the United States from the old country in
18 ro, and, after their marriage in Philadelphia, came
to Ohio, where they purchased land and were en-
gaged in the manufacture of cotton cloth. They
soon sold out and moved to Indiana, where they
again purchased land, which was somewhat improved.
The father died there in 1817, and his wife sold out
her interest, and with her son William, then only a
child, went back to Ohio, on horseback, a distance
of 300 miles, where they located and remained until

1855-

William grew to manhood in Morgan Co., Ohio,
and at the age of 33 years, having received a good
education in the district schools prior to his majority,
he was united in marriage. The lady chosen to ac-
company him through the stormy trials of the future

V£

^DBSDIl^A^ — **^-

HENRY COUNTY.

f<)

487 <

as well as the sunshine, was Miss Hannah Farley.
Of their union six children have been born, — Mary
A., Lisella, William P., John A., Davis 0. and Lloyd
G. Mr. Kirkland came to this State with his family
and mother, where he located in Boone County, on
100 acres of land which he purchased. He resided
there for 18 months, when he sold his property and
came to Clover Township, this county, where, the
same year of his arrival, he purchased 160 acres, and
soon thereafter 80 acres adjoining, and 140 acres on
sections 14 and 4, Clover Township, where he at
present resides. His mother died at the residence of
her son, William, in 1865. Mr. Kirkland is a prom-
inent citizen of his township, and, with his wife, is a
member of the Christian Church. He has held vari-
ous offices within the gift of the people of his town-
ship, and is respected for his honest dealings with
his fellow-man. Mr. and Mrs. Kirkland have three
living children, — Mary A., who is the wife of Martin
W. Hiller; Davis O., the husband of Flora Barman ;
Lloyd G., who married Lillian Hanna; besides
James C, deceased, who was next to the oldest and
married.

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►SJS/OTzr»v.'vwv

.dward S. Whiting, dealer in agricultural
implements and farm machinery, at Ke-
wanee, 111., is a son of Seth and Abigail
^ b- (Chapin) Whiting, natives of Massachusetts
and descendants of the old Puritans, and was
born at Chicopee, Mass., June 17, 1884.
His father was born Jan. 1, 1803, married at
Springfield, Mass., and in the year 1858 came to
Henry County, 111., and settled upon a farm in
Wethersfield Township, where he lived up to 1875,
when he moved to Kewanee, in the same county,
where he still resides. He accumulated, of his own
industry, a handsome property, and enjoyed all his
life the reputation of a good citizen and an honest
and upright man.

The subject of this sketch was educated at the
public schools of Illinois, and at Bryant & Stratton's
Commercial College. From the age of 18 to 20 he
taught school, and when 21 purchased a farm, and
followed agricultural pursuits until the year 1877,
when he engaged in his present business. When
the Order of the Modern Woodmen of America

opened their organization in Kewanee, Mr. Whiting
became their first President, a position held by him
at this writing (November, 1885). He is a member
of the Congregational Church, and is looked upon as
one of its most substantial and consistent supporters.'
Taking but little interest in politics, he seeks no
official preferment; unostentatious in his manner, fair
and square in his dealings with all men, Mr. W. may
truthfully be written as one of Kewanee's best citi-
zens.

He was married at Buda, Bureau Co., III., in Jan-
uary, 1870, to Miss Lottie Mason, native of New
York State, and daughter of Mr. Levi Mason.

%M>m

|wan P. Peterson, a farmer residing on sec-
pi I tion 31, Osco Townstip, was born in Swe-

lo den, Oct. ro, 1829. Mr. Peterson passed
20 years of his life in his native country, en-
gaged in the occupation of a farmer, and in
the summer of 1849 emigrated to the United
States. In 1850 he entered a tract of Government
land in Andover Township, this county, on which he
moved, cultivated and improved until 1872, when he
sold his interest in the same, and moved to Osco
Township, locating on section 3r. The opportu-
nities which Mr. P. expected to find in this country
for the accumulation of a competency were found,
and he is to-day the proprietor of 505 acres of good
farm land, the major portion of which is under an
advanced state of cultivation. He has a good resi-
dence on his farm, together with good out-blildings,
and his landed, estates in Henry County, together
wiih his personal possessions, have been accumu-
lated through his own indomitable energy," perseve-
rance and economy.

Mr. Peterson was married in Rock Island, 111.,
Dec. 15, 1853, to Johanna Forsburg, who was born
in Sweden, July 16, 1834. She emigrated to the
United States when 18 years of age, and has become
the mother of 1 1 children by her marriage with Mr.
Peterson. Their names are as follows : Christine
A., Charles H., Augusta M., John A., Frank E.,
Julia E. William E., Martin J., Vernie A. and Dora
T.; Mary E. died when four years old.

Politically, Mr. Peterson votes for the Republican
party. He has held the offices of School Director

*488

-,:£■

stU'Xzl-fo^

a
a

HENRY COUNTY

and Commissioner of Highways. He and his good
wife belong to the Swedish Lutheran Church, and
are active and energetic supporters of the tenets of
that denomination.

. onas Westran, an industrious and ener-
getic farmer of Wethersfield Township, re-
siding on section 9, was born in Sweden,
Nov. 4, 1842. He emigrated to America in
1864, and later came to Henry County, and
settled in Wethersfield Township, on a tract of
land of 160 acres, all of which is improved and in
excellent condition.

In Sweden, May 29, 1864, our subject formed a
matrimonial alliance with Christina Erickson, who
was also a native of Sweden, born Jan. 8, T838. Of
their union have been born 1 1 children, eight of
whom survived. The following are their names :
John, William, Edmund, Bina, Christine, Emma,
Amanda and Jonas.

illard A. Bowen, enterprising dealer in
jewelry and musical instruments, Kewa-
nee, 111., where he located in. business in
878, was born at Albany, N. Y., Aug. 31,
1855. His parents, Prof. Truman H. and
Jane (Brown) Bowen, natives of " York State "
and of old English extraction, reared a family of five
sons and two daughters, the subject of this sketch
being fifth in order of birth. Prof. Bowen, now de-
ceased, was for many years of his life .Professor of
Mathematics, Music and the Science of Government
in the State Normal University at Albany, N. Y. In
1857 he removed to the State of Iowa, where he laid
out the town of Sand Spring, in Delaware County,
and there spent the rest of his life, dying in 1880 at
the age of 55 years.

After receiving such education as was practicable
at the common schools of Iowa, Willard A. Bowen
began the trade of watchmaker and jeweler, which
he has since followed. He spent about three years
and a half in Dubuque, Iowa, and came to Kewanee
in 1877. After about eight months' " jourship " with

a Mr. Graham, he set up for himself by opening a
small repair shop in a window of what is now the
Union National Bank building. From this beginning
his present splendid business has grown. All his
watches and most of his jewelry are manufactured
specially for him, and bear the imprint of his name.
His present quarters are in the Merritt Block, Main
Street, where he has by far the finest jewelry store
ever kept in Kewahee.

Nov. ri, 1877, he was married in this city to Miss
Nellie F. Wright, daughter of B. H. Wright, Esq.
(see biography of B. H. Wright) and one of the
reigning belles at the time. What Mr. Bowen has
of this world's goods he has acquired by industry and
effort.

3**^

:*■» >w

eorge Hachtel, one of the thriving and
representative farmers of Henry County,
5 where he resides, on section 17, of Weth-
ersfield Township, was born in Germany,
"f" April 1, 1835. His parents, John M. and

Margaret Hachtel, both died' in Germany.
George, of whom we write, was the eldest son of
his father's family, and remained in his native coun-
try until 17 years of age, receiving all his education
from the schools there. Shortly after his arrival in
America, he came to Seneca Co., Ohio, and for about
three years worked out, when, at the expiration of
that period, he came to Stark Co., 111. Here he
lived until the fall of 1863, and then removed into
Henry Country, where he located on his present
homestead, since which time he has been a resident
of Wethersfield Township. He is the owner of 400
acres of valuable land, all of which is in excellent
condition and well equipped, and upon the same he
has erected a magnificent residence. He keeps
about 60 head of cattle and 12 horses, and fattens
annually 100 head of hogs.

Mr. Hachtel and Miss Elizabeth S. Sultzer were
united in marriage in Wethersfield Township, on the
30th of December, 1863. She is the daughter of
Frederick C. and Fredericka (Fritz) Sultzer, natives
of Germany. They reside in Kewanee, and Mrs.
Hachtel was the eldest of their family of four chil-
dren. She was born in St. Louis, Mo., May 19,
1839. Mr. and Mrs. Hachtel's family consists .of
seven children, — George C. F., Reuben E., George

'V^s^t-

U^xJL

$flD@nil$4g — sy^-

HENRY COUNTY.

"3af

489

L., Nathaniel D., Mary.E. and two who died in in-
fancy.

Mr. Hachtel has been School Director for six
years, and in politics is identified with the Demo-
cratic party.

~vX/V«Ktfl££rt§i@

i/@&S^Zra«aww/w

fames Johnston. One of the well known
l|- agriculturists of Wethersfield Township is
the gentleman whose name heads this no-
tice. He was born in Montgomery Co., N. Y.,
about 1836, and came to Henry County with
his parents, James and Ann (McLane) John-
ston, when six years old. They settled in Wethers-
field Township, and there the mother died. The
elder Johnston's demise occurred in La Fayette
Township, Stark County.

James, the subject of this biographical notice, was
the seventh in order of birth of a family of eight
children. He has been a resident of Henry County
since boyhood, where he has followed the vocation
of farming. At present he is the proprietor of 1 60
acres, the major portion of which is in an advanced
state of cultivation.

Mr. Johnston is yet enjoying a life of single-bless-
edness. Politically, he is a believer in and a sup-
porter of the principles of the Democratic party.

§*ric Westerlund, a farmer, residing on sec-
tion 28, Osco Township, is a native of

jj-agy Sweden, having been born in that country

■$*■ June 18, 1836. Mr. Westerlund continued to
reside in his native country until the fall of
1850, when, at the age of 14 years, he ac-
companied his parents across the black deep and
landed in America. His mother died on the voy-
age, and her grave was the black deep of the ocean.
Mr. Westerlund continued to reside with his father,
who had located in Andover Township, this county,
until he had obtained his majority. On becoming
his own man he went forth to fight the battles of life
single-handed and alone, and his first work in which
he realized a remuneration from others was that of
farming. He continued to " work out " for a time,
and then purchased 80 acres located on section 28,

Osco Township, upon which he settled, and at once
entered vigorously and actively upon the task of im-
provement and cultivation, and where he is at pres-
ent residing. He has fine improvements upon his
farm ; has erected a nice residence and barn, and
by economy and energetic labor has increased his
landed interests until at present he is the proprietor
of 290 acres of good farm land, the larger portion of
which is under an advanced state of cultivation.
Mr. Westerlund keeps on his farm about 40 head of
cattle, 12 head of horses and colts, and fattens from
60 to 100 head of hogs annually, and is meeting with
financial success in the vocation which he has fol-
lowed all his life, that of agriculture.

Mr. Westerlund was united in marriage at Moline,
111., Feb. 7, 1857, to Christine Anderson, who was
born in Sweden, Jan. 30, 1843, and of their union six
children have been born, namely: Sarah E., Emma
C, Sophia J., John O., Annie and Julius O. The
father and mother are members of the Swedish
Lutheran Church. In politics Mr. Westerlund
affiliates with the Republican party.

^ bner O. Warner, proprietor of the New
Kewanee House, Kewanee, 111., was born
in Oneida Co., N. Y., Feb. 8, 1845, and is
the youngest of four sons born to Amos and
Polly (Parmalee) Warner, natives of Connect-
icut, and descended from the English. The
elder Mr. Warner, who was a farmer by occupation
in his life-time, died in Oneida County when Abner
was about six years of age.

When about ten years old, the subject of our
sketch began clerking in a general store at Higgins-
ville, N. Y., and from that time on until about 18
years of age, he was a professional "counter jumper,"
interspersing the service, however, with attendance
at the Oneida Seminary. Before he had arrived at
the age of 19, he was engaged in a mercantile busi-
ness in the city of Buffalo, where he remained for
probably six years, closing up his establishment
during the non-navigation period, and clerked for
various other concerns. Among the many, he spent
two winters as clerk at the Drovers' Hotel, Hudson
City, N. J. It was probably at the latter place he
imbibed his first ideas of hotel-keeping, though, as
will be seen, it was many years before he became

^^ ^t^II fl &M®Ar& s^n

. 490

)

-^&k — ^v^ran^^

HENRY COUNTY.

"mine host of ye hotel." From Hudson City, we
next find him in the flour and feed business at
Springfield, Mass., and from there to Elyria, Ohio,
as book-keeper, etc., in a mercantile house, where he
remained about six years. He was evidently head-
ing for the great West by slow and easy stages, for
the next time we meet him he is clerking in a gro-
cery store in Cleveland, Ohio. In 1879 he struck
Kewanee, and engaged at once in the produce busi-
ness, which he followed with considerable success for
about three years.

In 1882 his opportunity came, and we find him
smilingly welcoming "ye guests" to the old Kewanee
House as its landlord. The " New Kewanee" was
completed in 1884, and Mr. Warner, who, by the
way, is a bachelor, at once fitted it up, and at this
writing we find him deservedly the popular man, and
running the best kept and equipped hotel on the line
of the Chicago, Burlington & Quincy Railroad, be-
tween Chicago and Galesburg.

,A/v\~-£-.

m- Roderick Murehison

Of the many prom-
inent well-to-do farmers of Wethersfield
Township who are of Scotch nativity, Mr.
Roderick Murehison is one of the best known.
His farm is located on section 13, and consists
of 348 acres of fine, tillable land. He is a
son of Finley and Catherine (McLean) Murehison,
who were formerly of Scotland, but in 185 1 became
residents of Henry County. The elder Murehison
died in Wethersfield Township July 15, 1872. Mrs.
Murehison is now living, in good health, at over 80
years of age. She is grandmother to about 50 chil-
dren, also great-grandmother to 15 more. They had
a family of 12 children, of whom Roderick was the
youngest. He was born before his parents left Scot-
land, the date of his birth being July r7, 1849. He
was reared and educated n Henry County, being
brought here when only two years of age, and has
spent his life upon the farm.

Mr. Murehison was married in Galva Township, this
county, on New Year's day, 1873. Miss Bessie, daught-
er of John and Flora (McRae) Cameron, was the bride.
Her parents came to America in 1849, and three years
later located in Stark Co., 111. They subsequently
moved to Henry County, but in 1883 went to Iowa.

Mrs. M. was the second of a family of five children
and was born in Stark Co., 111., Sept. 20, ^54. Five
children have been born to Mr. and Mrs. Murehison,
to whom they have given the following names : Finley
A., John C, Flora A. C, Nora L. and Nettie J.
Mrs. M. is a membe* of the Presbyterian Church.

(avid Patty, deceased, formerly residing in
jk Walnut Grove Township, Ki.ox County,
this State, was born Aug. 12, 1827, in
County Down, Ireland. The Patty family
were of Scotch extraction, the ancestors of the
same having emigrated to Ireland during the re-
ligious persecutions in Scotland, and settling in the
northern portion of that country. David Patty was
a son of Thomas and Mary (Watson) Patty, whose
parents were natives of Scotland. Thomas Patty,
father of the subject of this notice, together with his
wife and eight children, moved from" the Green Isle
to the Isle of Man, where the father and mother both
died. The parents of the mother were Protestants
in Ireland, and were persecuted by the Catholics,
and, to avoid persecution, also emigrated to the Isle
of Man.

David Patty, the subject of this sketch, grew to
manhood on the Isle of Man. His younger years,
prior to the age of 1 8, were passed on the farm. On
arriving at that age in life, he went to Liverpool,
Eng., where he became a member of the Liverpool
Police, and was occupied in that vocation for four
years. He was united in marriage, at that metropo-
lis, to Miss Margaret Kermode, who was born Feb.
16, 1824, on the Isle of Man. She went to Liver-
pool with her father, seven years before her marriage.
Her father died in 1868, in Knox County, this State.
Her mother's name was Ann Kione, who died on the
Isle of Man, in r833, having been born there in
1796. She had three children, two of whom are de-
ceased. Mr. and Mrs. Patty, soon after their mar-
riage, emigrated to the United States, and located at
Brimfield, this State, where he was foreman for J.
M. Wiley, who conducted a large farm for four years.
Mr. Wiley came to Lynn Township, Knox County,
and farmed there one year. He then removed to tel-
ler Towhship, and after seven years' farming, he went
to Walnut Grove Township, Knox County, and lived
there four years, until his death, which occurred in

(!)

§\®%&t^

-^g^ — @tK>hik

$<§&§•

•*&k <5\®nmK>

HENRY COUNTY.

491

November, 1868. The year before his death he had
purchased 80 acres of land on section 35, Galva
Township, this county, where his family now reside,
and to which they removed the spring after his death.
He was the father of five children, — Mary E., de-
ceased; Mrs. Eliza A. Riner; Wesley D., now re-
siding on the old homestead ; Frank A., deceased,
aged seven years ; Julia E., deceased, aged 20 years,
and the wife of Arthur Aby.

Mrs. Patty is a member of the Methodist Episco-
pal Church. Wesley D. is engaged in conducting
the old homestead, on section 35, Galva Township,
with whom his mother is at present residing. He is
meeting with success in his chosen vocation, agri-
culture, and politically is identified with the Prohibi-
tion party.

oseph Bobb. It was not until about 1854
i that some of the best land in Illinois was
made accessible to the settlers.- At that
time the old Military Tract Railroad was com-
pleted from Mendota to Galesburg, which,
with its extensions north to Chicago and in all
directions to Quincy, Burlington and Peoria, opened
up the magnificent district known as the Military
Tract. Among those to come in and take advantage
of the situation was Joseph Robb, who now resides
upon an excellent farm of 240 acres of land on sec-
tion 27, of Wethersfield Township.

He was born in Ireland, March 5, 1825, and came
to America with his parents, Nathan and Eleanor
(Monteith) Robb, in 1832. They first settled in
Franklin Co., N. Y., where they lived until 1853,
when they came to Stark Co., 111. They subsequently
moved to Little Rock, Ark., where they died. Joseph
lived at home until 26 years of age, when for two
years longer he lived in Stark County, and the fol-
lowing year he passed in Marshall Co., 111. He then,
in 1855, came to Henry County and made a perma-
nent settlement, and has been successful in his call-
ing. He has taken great interest in the local affairs
of his township, and has served as Assessor, Com-
missioner of Highways, Constable and School Di-
rector. Politically, he is a Republican. Both he
and his wife are members of the Methodist Episco-
pal Church.
Mr. Robb was married in Marshall Co., 111., May

20, 1853, to Martha J., daughter of Samuel B. and
Rachel (Hornmett) McLaughlin. Mrs. Robb was
born in Peoria Co., 111., March 9, 1836. Mr. and
Mrs. Robb have seven children living, viz. : Clara
J., Samuel I., Rachel E., Mary L., Eva J., Ethel A.
and Joseph M. The deceased are Lewis A., Elmer
L. and Mabel B.

eorge Winters. One of Henry County's
prosperous, energetic and respected citi-
K zens is Mr. George Winters, who is en-
gaged in agricultural pursuits on section 24
of Cornwall Township. He was born in Lin-
colnshire, England, in the year 1832, and re-
mained in his native country until he attained the age
of 25 years, when he concluded to emigrate to the
New World, the land of possibilities, and on the 16th
of July, 1858, Mr. Winters arrived in Annawan, this
county. In 1867 he made a purchase of 280 acres
of land on his present site, where he and his family
have since resided. Mr. Winters entered vigorously
and actively upon the improvement of his land and
it is now under a high state of cultivation. He has
erected upon his farm a frame house and all neces-
sary outbuildings, and has quite a desirable home,
with all modern conveniences.

He was married before his emigration to the Uni-
ted States, on the 13th of May, 1858, the lady chosen
for his companion being Miss Mary Gash. Of their
union one son, William R., was born March 1, i860.
Religiously, Mr. W. is liberal in his opinions, and po-
litically is a Republican.

afeeth H. Moon is a citizen of the township
of Annawan and belongs to the farming
portion of the community of Henry Coun-

*'<('^

'''%&

ty. He is located oh section 10, where he is
the owner of 156 acres of land, on which he
has been occupied in the pursuit of mixed
husbandry. He was born in Yorkshire, England,
and came to the United States in his infancy with
with his parents. His father, Steven Moon, settled
in the township of Annawan in 1853, and reared his

family there on the home estate.

X=3

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'{0
I

492

./•X 1

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HENRY COUNTY.

<o*

Mr. Moon married Margaret A. McNeely Feb. 23,
1876. She was born in Henry County Aug. 4, 1852.
To their household have been added three children,
whose births occurred in the following order : Ar-
thur C, Jan. 25, 1877 ; Iva D.,Sept. 30, 1878; Ray-
mond C, April 8, t88t.

The farm of Mr. Moon is desirably located, ad-
joining the town plat of the village of Annawan, and
has on it an excellent dwelling with other suitable
and necessary farm buildings. He is a Republican
in his political connections and opinions. He has
served the township in which he resides in the ca-
pacity of Highway Commissioner for eight years
past, and has also held the office of School Di-
rector. He has been Assessor of Annawan Town-
ship three years and has filled the position of Post-
master two years.

:lazy Schmitt, a farmer on section 4, Alba
Township, came to Henry County in 1853.
He bought 40 acres of land, on which he
proceeded to apply the habits he had formed
in his native country, and with such good
judgment and industrious application that he
is now the owner of 311 acres, which is in excellent
condition for prosperous farming. He is a native of
Alsace, France, one of the provinces that have been
recovered from the French by the German armies
within a few years past and where the people were in
the habit of using the German language, which is
still spoken by the members of the Schmitt family.

Mr. Schmitt was born Feb. 7, 1822, and came to
the United States in 1849. He landed at New York
and located in Pennsylvania, where he was a resi-
dent three years. He came thence, as has been
stated, and has since been one of the best and most
respected of the citizens of his township. He was
married in February, T852, to Mary Schorter, and
they have four children. William is the husband of
Eliza Smith. John, George and Josephine are un-
married. Mrs. Schmitt was born in the same jpart
of the country as her husband, March r6, 1830. She
had a brother, a half-sister and a half brother. Jo-
seph Schorter is deceased, as is her half-brother,
Lourin Metz. Josephine Metz is still living.

Mr. Schmitt is a fine sample of the best grade of
his countrymen and represents the courtesy and
high-bred civility of the race to which he belongs.
The family are Catholics.

•mBjiSif&gsr

-wg&S/OTW**

551 \enry Scott, a resident of section 14, Weth-
ersfield Township, and one of. the energetic
and prosperous farmers of Henry County,
is a son of Andrew and Ellen (Mitchell) Scott
natives of Scotland, where they remained all
their lives, their death occurring in the old
country. *

Henry, our subject, was born in Scotland, Sept. r9,
1 8 14, and was the second in order of birth in a
family of five children. In 1840 he emigrated to
the United States, being then 25 years of age, and
for ten years engaged in working at the shoemaker's
trade, in New York City, which he had learned in
the country of his nativity. About the year 1849, he
went to California in search of gold, but, not meet-
ing with satisfactory success, remained only about
two years and again returned to New York city,
where he lived for one year. His health having
been impaired while in California, he returned to
Scotland for the purpose of recuperating, and also to
visit the scenes of his boyhood. In the summer of
1855 we find him tilling a farm in Elmira Township,
Stark Co., 111., which he had purchased and where
he lived for about six years. At the end of that
time, finding better facilities for farming in this
county, he made a change of his location to section
14 of Wethersfield Township. Here he erected good
farm buildings, and brought his place to a high state
of cultivation. He owns 160 acres of good tillable
land here.

Mr. Scott and Miss Catherine Rutherford were
married in Wethersfield Township, in February, 1869.
Mrs. Scott was born Dec. 5, 1829, and is a daughter
of George and Jane (Rutherford) Rutherford, who
were born, lived and died in Scotland. Mrs. Scott
had previously been the wife of Thomas Trumbull,
who died in Wethersfield Township, April 20, 1853.
Thomas Trumbull, her only child by this marriage,
now lives in Nebraska. Mrs. Scott came to America
when 22 years of age, and by her present marriage is
the mother of two children, — Jane R. and Ella M-

J>*SM"'

-^?<%ri

.C-

*<m®w>*r9 — ^fZ

^T^DD^mif^T^ >«€^-

ESC
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HENRY COUNTY.

Jane • is the wife of Thomas F. Oliver, a farmer of
Wethersfield Township; and Ella, the wife of Wm.
E. Scott, of Kansas. Mr." and Mrs. Scott are mem-
bers of the Presbyterian Church, and he affiliates
with the Republican party.

hristopher G. Taylor, Secretary of the
Kewanee Wagon Company, was born in
Yorkshire, Eng., Jan. 16, 1840, and came
$fi to America in 1852. His parents, George
j ^ and Esther (Grundell) Taylor, also of York-
{ shire, reared four sons and one daughter,
Christopher being the eldest of the five. Arriving
in the United States, the family repaired at once to
Newark, N. J., and there lived up to 1854, removing
thence to Janesville, Wis., and in 1856 to Kewanee.
Here the two old people died, Mr. Taylor in Decem-
ber, 1884, at the age of 73, and his relict in June,
1883, aged about 75 years.

The subject of this sketch began the wagon-mak-
er's trade when about 20 years of age, and with the
exception of a year or two milling has followed it
ever since. He was with the O'Brien Manufacturing
Company, and at the organization of the Kewanee
Wagon Company was made its secretary.

-43

* A

7~T

=H=£t-

obert P. Booth, a farmer located on sec-
tion 24, in the township of Annawan, was
born in Yorkshire, England, March 21,
1846. He came with his parents to America
when but a lad, and they settled in Henry
County, 111. He became a resident of Henry
County in 1854 and in 1879 he bought the farm on
which he is now prosecuting the business which he
chooses as a life occupation. He was married to
Helen Moon Feb. 26, 1870, by Rev. Charles Daw-
son, of the Primitive Methodist Church. They have
had five children, of whom one is deceased. Mrs.
Booth was born Nov. 3, 1853, in Henry County.
Their children were born in the order in which their
names are here given: Ida, Jan. 1, 187 1 (died Sept.
11, 1876); Martha D., March 21, 1873 ; Minerva M.,
Feb. 17, 1875; Lawrence E., July 6, 1878; Robert
Ray, Nov. 6, 1884. Mr. Booth is one of the indus-

trious and frugal members of the community of the
township in which he lives and is managing his
property according to the most approved methods of
modern farming. His cattle is of the Short-horn
graded variety, and the swine on the place are of
Poland-China blood. His horses are principally
three-fourths Normans. The value of his estate is
increased by a stream of living water which trav-
erses the fields. The farm includes 240 acres, all
being under excellent cultivation The fruit on the
place comprises apples, cherries and a variety of
small fruit.

-o— <5-

-e~°-

mzi A. Crane, owner of 360 acres of land,
located on section 22, Osco Township, is a
son of Elias and Esther (Maxwell) Crane
natives of New Tersey, where they married,
settled and lived until their deaths. They
were the parents of six children, John, Mary
A., Phebe, Susan M., Elias M. and Amzi A.

The subject of this sketch was born in Union Co.,
N. J., Nov. 6, 1829, and his early life, until the age
of 21 years, was passed on his father's farm and in
attending school. He then obtained a position in
New York city in a grocery and provision store, in
which he remained about eight months, when, on
account of ill health, he came on a visit to the West,
and being pleased with the country determined to
make his home here. He then returned East and
in a few months again came West, this time for a
permanent settlement. In the spring of 1853 he
came to Henry County, where he has since lived.
He first purchased 160 acres on section 22, Osco
Township, where he has erected fine buildings and is
now the proprietor of 360 acres, most of which is
under a high state of cultivation. He keeps from
100 to 200 head of Hereford cattle, six horses, and
fattens about 25 head of hogs annually.

Amzi A. Crane was married in Trivoli, Peoria Co.,
111., Sept. 13, 1854, to Emeline C. Potter, daughter
of Elias and Ann (Crane) Potter, natives of New Jer-
sey, where they married and settled; in 183 1 they re-
moved to Peoria Co., 111., where they lived until
about 1867 ; then they removed to Farmington, Ful-
ton Co., 111., where they now reside. Mr. and Mrs.
Potter are the parents of four children, — Susan E.,

gfgdtf

g»-

■^t* e^OM&A©-

- 494

zJ&k 6V<^BB

HENRY COUNTY.

V£

/
■ ■ , V

Emeline C, Mary C, Louisa A. Emeline C. (Mrs.
Crane, wife of our subject) was born in New Jersey,
July 24, 1835. Mr. and Mrs. Crane are the parents
of three children, — Franklin P., born July 9, 1855 ;
Hattie M., born March 1, 1859; and Anna E., born
August 1, 1 86 1. Franklin P. resides in Kansas
City, engaged in the stock business, is the husband
of Nettie May, a native of Mercer Co., 111., and Min-
nie B., their daughter. Hattie M. is the wife of How-
ard H. Smith and resides in Osco Township and is
the mother of one child, Clarence C, born June 2,
1885 ; and Anna E. resides with her parents in Osco
Township.

Mr. Crane has held the office of Supervisor three
terms, Township Treasurer 15 years, Township As-
sessor and other minor offices. Mr. and Mrs. C. are
active members of the Methodist Episcopal Church.
In politics he is identified with the Republican party.

•'■jlexander Rule. This gentleman, though
i born across the ocean, was one of the early
pioneers of Henry County. He has given
"Iff n's ''fe's en<orts t0 agricultural pursuits, and
has a fine farm on section 24, of Wethersfield
Township. He was born in Dumfriesshire,
Scotland, Oct. 2r, 1820, and passed most of his
time in that country, until 1845, when he emigrated
to America.

In that early day he found his way to Henry
County, where he located when but few of the sturdy
pioneers had arrived within its borders. He has
since made this his home. His parents were Alex-
ander and Jane (Reed) Rule, and of their eight chil-
dren the subject of this sketch was the youngest.
Alexander enjoyed only limited advantages for an
education, but made good use of them. Mr. Rule
experienced the hardships that fall to the lot of all
settlers in a new country. He went to work with
a will, however, and has not only been successful
from a business point, but has also exerted a good in-
fluence in the community ; and has not only done
considerable towards developing the material re-
Sources of the county, but also much toward elevat-
ing the moral status of the community. He owns a
farm of 240 acres, most of which is tillable. Upon
this he has a fine large residence and splendid farm

buildings. He also owns 40 acres in Stark County.
In politics he is identified with the Republican party,
and his wife and two daughters are members of the
United Presbyterian Church.

Mr. Rule was married in Elmira Township, Stark
Co., 111., May 30, 1848, to Beatrice Oliver, who was
born in Scotland, March 13, 1818. Her parents
were Thomas and Margaret (Fife) Oliver. She was
the third of a family of ten children. Maggie and
Eliza J. are the names of the two children reared by
Mr. and Mrs. Rule. The latter is the wife of Peter
Hyer.

'ohn Nightingale, merchant and Post-
|r master at Morristown, this county, is a
native of England, in which country he was
born Aug. 7, 1830, and there resided until he
reached his 20th year, following the occupa-
tion of* a tailor, which trade he had learned
after an apprenticeship of seven years.

In 185 1 Mr. Nigtingale emigrated to the United
States, and lived near Rome, N. Y., where he fol-
lowed his trade for some eight years. Leaving the
latter place, he moved to Davenport, Iowa, and
worked at his trade in that city for two years. In
January, 1861, Mr. Nightingale came to Morristown,
this county, where he has since resided. He has
been Postmaster at that place for four years, receiv-
ing his last appointment during the administration
of President Arthur. In connection with his office
he has a general stock of merchandise, and by fair
and honest dealings has established a good and pay-
ing business.

The marriage of Mr. Nightingale took place in the
land of his nativity, May 15, 1849, when Miss Eliza-
beth Monkman became his wife. She was a native
of England. Five children were born of their union,
namely : George H, born in England ; Frank,
Charles W., Bessie aad Thomas; the last four, born
in this country, and died in their infahey, all of
whom have been placed beneath the sod, their souls
returning to God who gave them.

Mr. Nightingale, in addition to his office of Post-
master and his business, has held the position of

"VI^^K

-^€^-

j?^

<-[l»^A^ ^€^

-6V<l»ll!lf^^

HENRY COUNTY

(!)

School Director at Morristown. He is the owner of
two houses and several lots in the village. Polit-
ically, he is a believer in and a supporter of the
principles of the Democratic party.

-S-

4**-

-*—

illiam G. Howland, Vice-President of the
Kewanee Wagon Company, is a Manx-
man, being born on the Isle of Man, June
20, 1845, and was the eldestof two sons and
three daughters, born to Hewey and Eliza-
beth Howland. His father was a farmer. Wil-
liam began to learn the trade of blacksmith
when he was about sixteen years of age. He came
to America in 1 866, and to Kewanee the same year.
He was an employee of the O'Brien Manufacturing
Co., when that concern sold out to the company of
which he is now Vice-President. Before leaving the
Isle of Man, he was. married to Miss Mary Skinner,
who died in Kewanee in 1871, leaving three chil-
dren: Jennie, Ann and Alice. In 1873 he married
his second wife, Mary Miles, who died in 187 6, leav-
ing one child, George, and in 1880 he found his third
wife, in the person of Miss Laura Price, by whom he
had two children born to him : Thomas and W.
May.

^<00«

!,harles F. Sultzer, a resident on section
17, of Wethersfield Township, was born in
Peoria Co., 111., Aug. 15, 1841, and is a
son of Frederick C. and Fredericka (Fritz)
Sultzer, natives of Germany. Their family
comprised four children, of whom Charles,
our subject, was the second in order of birth. He
remained at home, assisting in the labors on the
farm and alternating them with attendance at the
district schools, until he attained the age of 22 years,
when he engaged in threshing and farming. With
his father, he came into Henry County, locating
upon a tract of land of 160 acres, which he pur-
chased and entered vigorously and actively upon the
task of its improvement and cultivation. This land
is located in Wethersfield Township, his present
place of residence, where he has remained since that
early period.
Mr. Sultzer was united in marriage, in Wethers-

field Township, on the 1st of January, 1868, choos-
ing for his companion and helpmeet Miss Mary
Wiley, daughter of James and Nancy (Holmes)
Wiley, natives of Ireland. She was the eldest of
her parents' family, consisting of eight children, and
was born in Philadelphia, Pa., Aug. 1, T845. Mr.
and Mrs. Sultzer have become the parents of two
children, as follows : Laura E. and Lillie F. ; the
former was but five years of age when she died.

Mr. Sultzer has held the office of School Director
of his township, and politically is identified with the
Republican party. Mrs. Sultzer is a member of the
Congregational Church.

homas Brady, wholesale and retail dealer
in malt liquors, Kewanee, 111., is a native
of County Cavan, Ireland, and son of
Patrick and Catherine (McCabe) Brady, who
reared to man and womanhood eight children
and buried four in infancy. Thomas Brady
was born May 3, 1845, and came to America in
1863. Two older sisters had preceded him to this
country by a few years, and with th3m,in New York,
he spent his first three weeks in the " new country."
From New York he went to Chicago, where he got
employment of the Michigan Central Railway Com-
pany as check clerk, a position he filled about 13
months. From that time oh, for six months, he was
a railroad man ; with the Illinois Central a few
months at Cairo, III., as check clerk; then back to
Chicago where, in different departments, he was with
the Chicago, Burlington & Quincy Company 1 1 years.
It was with this company, in the capacity of car re-
pairer, that he came to Kewanee in 1865 and filled the
position seven years. His next employment was
with the Haxtun Steam Heater Company, and in
1873 he engaged in the liquor business, which, with
the exception of a year or two, he has since followed.
He owns a farm of 160 acres in Kewanee and Burns
Townships; some three or four houses and lots in
Kewanee village; carries on his liquor business, and
is an extensive bottler of malt liquors and soda water.
All Mr. B. has he has acquired by his individual
industry, for he came to this country as poor as pio-
neers generally were.

Independent in politics, devoted to his business, a
I

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■6v<?n n &n n*>^ — ?^k

HENRY COUNTY.

consistent member of the Catholic Church and a
highly respected citizen. He was married at Kewa-
nee, April 5, 1866, to Miss Rose Ann Traynor, a
native of Ireland, and has had born to him nine
^a. children, — Katie Ann, John P., Thomas, Frank,
Mamie, Martha, Willie, Rose and James, who died
in infancy.

L. Wiley, President of the Bank of Galva,

, is among the prominent and wealthy men

of Henry County who came here in an

P*< early day, and here laid the foundation of a
fortune. He was born March 23, 181 9, in Rock-
ingham Township, Windham Co., Vt. His
grandfather was Robert Wiley, whose biography, to-
gether with a genealogy of the Wiley family, appears
in another sketch. Our subject's parents were John
and Randilla (Weaver) Wiley, both natives of Ver-
mont. The former, John Wiley, was born March 5,
1795, in Rockingham, Windham Co., Vt., and died
Feb. 10, 1866, in Saxton River, Vt. By occupation
he was a farmer, and a quiet, unassuming man, mod-
erate in all his views and actions, and early in life
instilled the value of good principle, industry and
frugality into his son, D. L. Wiley, our subject, for
which the latter became so well known in this com-
munity. He generally voted the Democratic ticket,
differing in that respect from his son, who early be-
came imbued with the principles of the Republican
party, with which he has been identified all his life,
yet being perfectly independent, voting for the best
man.

John Wiley, the father, was united in marriage
April 22, 1817, in Rockingham, Vt., to Randilla
Weaver, who was a daughter of Daniel Weaver She
was born Sept. 3, 1793, in Windham County, and be-
came the mother of nine children, viz. : Lucius S.,
Daniel Leveret, Edward, Mary F., William, Robert,
Hascall, Myron and Milton. Mary F. was the former
wife of Charles B. Day, of Peoria. Of the above
children, only our subject, Hascall, Robert and Mil-
ton are living. Hascall resides on the old home-
stead in Rockingham, Milton in Saxton River, Vt.,
and Robert in Brimfield, Peoria Co., 111.

D. L. Wiley, whose name heads this sketch, was
primarily educated in his native school district, and

$«3^ff"

also attended about two years at the neighboring
academy. He is self-educated as far as business is
concerned. In early life he worked on a farm, but
for several years was also engaged in mercantile
business. In the summer of 1844 he came to Brim-
field, 111., where he first engaged in farming, and
then merchandised one year. He next came to
Galva, 111., in the spring of 1855, where he engaged
in farming, doing considerable hard manual work.
Later, he resided in Galva, but continued the super-
intending of his farm in the meantime. He has been
fairly successful, and his success can be attributed to
his indomitable perseverance, frugality and energy.

Inheriting these sterling qualities, no doubt, from
his native Green Mountain State, which has fur-
nished so many of our foremost men in social, busi-
ness or political circles, in January, 1865, he, in part-
nership with others, started the First National Bank
in Galva; and when the charter expired the banking
business was continued under the name of L. M.
Yocum & Co., our subject being President of the
bank. Within the last decade Mr. Wiley has largely
engaged in the real-estate business in Monona
County, Iowa, where he has 1,000 acres of land, all
of which is in a high state of cultivation. This land
he has principally improved, and since he made the
purchase it has risen in value until he now has a
very valuable possession.

Mr. Wiley was joined in matrimony Aug. 5, 1846,
in his native State, with Miss Mary Billings, who was
born July 30, 181 8, in Rockingham, Windham Co.,
Vt., where she died, June 1, 1851. She was a
daughter of Samuel and Susannah (Divoll) Billings,
natives of Massachusetts. They died in Windham
County, where they Yiere highly respected citizens.
Mrs. Mary Wiley became the mother of two chil-
dren, Flora B. and William F. The former is the
wife of W. L. Wiley, and is the mother of four chil-
dren, namely : Mary, Everett, Stella and Fred.
William F. married Florence Munger, who is the
mother of three children, viz. : lone B., Agnes and
Florence. The two children of Mr. Wiley, whose
name heads this notice, reside in Monona County,
where W. F. is one of the first Short-horn breeders
in the State of Iowa, on the farms formerly owned
by their enterprising sire. Daniel L. was rnarried a
second time, Feb. 27, r854, to Miss Sarah F. Davis,
who was born Sept. 26, 1832, in Rockingham, Vt.
She is a daughter of John H. Davis, and is the

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HENRY COUNTY.

497

mother of four children. Stella, who died in 1880,
aged 23 years, and Amy, born 1868. The two others
died in infancy.

Thus we have related the biography of Daniel
Leveret Wiley, and to-day, in the evening of life,
while the darkening shadows are gently and silently
approaching, he can cast a retrospective glance on his
career in life and be contented with the view.

':. oyal Franklin Bailey was born in the
town of Rockingham, Windham County,
?E5p^' State of "Vermont, in November, 1831.
ffe| Came to Galva, Henry Co., 111., in 1857,
where he has since resided and " paid his
taxes like the average law-abiding citizen."
In politics he is an " Abraham Lincoln Republi-
can;" in religion, a "Bob Ingersoll Baptist;" in
morals, a " George Washington : " " he can't tell a
lie." Hence this history. " Sic transit gloria mundi! "

(f*

* *

1 illiam Oliver, resident on section 23, of
Wethersfield Township, is a progressive
and well-to-do farmer, and a son of Thomas
and Margaret (Fife) Oliver, who came to
America with their family in 1837, and lo-
cated in Stark County the following year, at
which place they remained and died.

William Oliver, subject of this biographical notice,
was the sixth in order of birth in his parents' family,
consisting of ten children, and on his emigration to
America with his parents was but ten years old. He
received an education such as the common schools
of that early period afforded, and remained at home
until 27 years of age, meanwhile engaging in agri-
cultural pursuits in the vicinity. Since his location
in this county he has become the possessor and owner
of 470 acres of good, tillable land, on which he is
at present residing. Upon his farm he has erected
a splendid residence, and all other necessary build-
ings, besides having put the land in a good state of
cultivation.

Miss Elizabeth Turnbull, who was born in Scot-
land, Nov. 18, 1828, was the lady with whom Mr.
Oliver was united in marriage, in Elmira Township,

Stark County, April 3, 1853. Her parents, William
and Mary (Horning) Turnbull, emigrated to the
United States in 1849, and settled in Stark County,
where they died. Mr. and Mrs. Oliver have had their
home circle blessed by the birth of ten children, —
Mary E., Thomas F., William P., Adson R., George,
Andrew, Annie, John H., Ellen and Jennie. Mary
E. is the wife of Archibald Turner, and they re-
side in Iowa. Mr. Oliver has served his township in
the minor offices, and is at present one of the
School Commissioners, and he, with his wife, are
members of the Presbyterian Church. In politics,
he affiliates with the Republican party.

S-t-f-

v©

ohn S. Wilson, residing at Orion, and en-
gaged in general farming, is a native of
Sparta, 111., where he was born Jan. 3,
1844. The father, David E., formerly from
South Carolina, and a farmer, was united in
marriage after he had come to Illinois with his
parents, who were Americans, and who settled in the
southwestern part of this State. The lady of his
choice was Miss Margaret A. Stewart. After mar-
riage they went to Wisconsin, in the year 1846, Mr.
David E. having visited it as a volunteer soldier in
1840. The mother died there when her son John S.
was only about 1 1 years of age.

After the mother's death he resided with his father
until he attained the age of 17 years, when he came
to Illinois and learned the trade of carpenter and
joiner. He afterward worked for a time as a " jour,''
and started then on his own account. He settled in
Edford Township, this county, for a while, and in
1875 purchased 80 acres of good farming land. On
the latter he has since made his home, erecting a
good residence.

John S., our subject, formed a matrimonial alli-
ance, in Grant Co., Wis., Sept. 16, 1863, with Mary
Gee, who was born in Ohio, near Salem. She came
West with her parents, who settled in Wisconsin, in
Grant County, when she was but a mere child, and
died at her home in Edford Township, this county,
in 1869. She had become the mother of one child,
Maggie B.

May 26, 1870, Mr. Wilson was again married, to
Miss Edna E. Scott, in Edford Township. She was

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498

HENRY COUNTY.

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born in Cook Co., this State, Sept. 12, 1844, a daugh-
ter of Alvin and Louisa Scott, natives of Connecticut
and New Hampshire respectively. They were farm-
ers, and came to Cook County, where they were mar-
ried. Mrs. Wilson was the eldest daughter and
eldest child but one of a family of seven children.
The father died at an advanced age, in t868, in
Cook County, but the mother is still living in Edford
Township. Mrs. Wilson began teaching when she
was 19 years of age, having received an excellent
education, and followed the same for several years.
She has become the mother of three children, one
deceased. The living are Evalyn E., who was born
Feb. 19, r876, and Lawrence O., born March 9,
1879.

Mr. W. affiliates with the Republican party in
political sentiment. As to religious matters both
himself and wife are tolerant ; that is, they do not
believe any one will be sent into endless torment be-
cause of difference in religious belief.

^«s$«aiMe><ss

l^harles H. Thompson, the only gentleman
who is engaged exclusively in the livery
rifP><V business at Kewanee, 111., was born in
Monmouth Co., N. J., Aug. 9, 1854, and was
the third child of Samuel and Ellen (Hen-
drickson) Thompson, natives of the same
county. Mr. Thompson was educated at Trenton,
N. J., in the Model School, at which institution he
lacked, on account of sickness, eight weeks of gradu-
ating. He began his studies with a view to adopt-
ing the legal profession, but, finding it incompatible,
abandoned the idea at an early age. He developed
a " weakness " for horses when a mere youth, — in
fact, he was but 13 years of age when he drove a
" speeder '' at the county races. From New Jersey
he removed to Peoria Co., 111., in 1877, and there, at
the town of Princeville, carried on a livery stable
about three years.

After farming four years, he came to Kewanee,
where, in November, 1883, he engaged in his present
business, that of keeping a livery, sale and feed
stable. In the spring of r88s, he was elected Consta-
ble, an office he is filling at this writing (August,
1885).

On New Year's Day, 1879, he was married, at
Princeville, to Miss Louise Calhoun, a native of

Peoria Co., 111., and daughter of Dr. Henry E. Cal-
houn, of that place. Pearl H., Paul (who died in
June, r883, at the age of three months) and Zora,
are the names of their two sons and one daughter.

In politics, Mr. T. is a Republican, and is an act-
ive worker in that party.

jpl! eorge H. Loomis, resident on section 33,
!^^^|| in the township of Geneseo, was born in
Ksj— K the State of Maine. His birth occurred in
^ > that part of the town of Milburn now included
in the village of Skowhegan, in the county of
Somerset. The date was July 10, 1821. Sam-
uel Loomis, his father, was a native of Massachu-
setts, and he married Lydia Hutchins. She was
born in Maine. The father went, after he had
passed some time in the city near where he was
born in the employ of a baker, to Maine, whither his
parents had preceded him, and where they were
among the pioneer settlers. He bought a consider-
able tract of timber land in the place now occupied
as the site of Skowhegan, and there he cleared a
farm from the heavy timber, which covered the en-
tire State before it was settled to any extent. In
1835 he went thence to the township of Madison,
and there bought a farm on which he was the resi-
dent owner six years. At the end of that time he
rented the place and went to the village of Skowhe-
gan, where he bought the homestead of his father,
and lived on the place where he was born until his
death.

Mr. Loomis of this sketch was reared on the farm
of his father, and obtained his education in the pub-
lic schools. He remained at home in order to assist
on the farm until he was 25, when the death of his
father occurred, and he continued to live with his
mother on the place until 1863. In that year he
sold it, and in the year succeeding he came to Henry
County. He at once bought 80 acres in the town-
ship of Munson, located on section 4. He built a
house, a stable and a corn-crib, and dug a well and
a cistern and made other improvements. This place
was in his possession until 1869, when he bought the
farm he now owns and occupies on section 33 in the
township of Geneseo. He is the proprietor of 116
acres, all of which is in a finely improved condition.

3^iE — eA4»!^A^ — s>€»e

6V4>HH®HIH;>^ Tt&xsr

HENRY COUNTY.

St Mr. Loomis was married in February, 1848, to
*& Elizabeth McClure, and they have had five children,
i » four of whom are' living : Samuel J. is a business
' ' man of Walnut, Iowa ; John M. is a resident of Pitts-
A. burg, Kan. ; Henry lives in Geneseo ; Walter L. is
still with his parents. Scott was born Jan. 23, 1861,
and died March 13, 1866. Mrs. Loomis was born
July 13, 1826, in Somerset Co., Me.

9000«

eorge Day, one of the prosperous and en-
ergetic farmers of Wethersfield Township,
where he is a resident on section 20, was
born in Richland Co., Ohio, March 23, 1818.
His parents, Lewis and Mary (Hull) Day, were
natives of New Jersey. They were united in
marriage and settled in Pennsylvania, where they
lived several years, when they removed into Rich-
^ land Co., Ohio, in which county they died.

George was the fifth in order of birth of his parents'
family of 1 1 children. He received a common-school
education, and lived at home under the parents' in-
fluence until he attained the age of 21 years, when
he came to what is now Richland Co., 111., where he
made a purchase of 160 acres of land, and another of
40 acres in Crawford County, when he again returned
to Richland County, Ohio. About four years later he
exchanged his Illinois land for a farm near Mans-
field, Ohio, where he located and lived about six
years, when he again sold, and this time came West
into Illinois. Locating in the spring of r8si in
Henry County, he soon made a purchase of 160
acres of land in Wethersfield Township, on section
20, his present homestead, where he settled and has
lived with the exception of three years, most of which
time he lived in Pennsylvania. To his first purchase
of 160 acres here, he has added until he now owns
240 acres, which by his industry and hard labor he
has under excellent cultivation and improvement,
with a fine substantial residence thereon, barns and
necessary outbuildings.

Mr. Day was first married in Richland Co., Ohio,
Aug. 28, 1845, to Miss Elizabeth Ferguson, who was
a native of Ohio. She died in Wethersfield Town-
ship, Sept. 1, 1852. He then formed a second
matrimonial alliance in Peoria, 111., the lady chosen
for his wife being Miss Elizabeth Gaskill, who was

(S\

born in McLean Co., 111. By this second marriage
have been born seven children, namely: Losson L.,
Frances, Erna, Lewis L., Abby, Nora and Elzey H.
The eldest, Losson L., is deceased. In politics Mr.
Day is independent.

.0^0-

sharies Bauer, a prominent farmer and
, stock-grower, resident at Kewanee, Henry

\£j

Co., 111., was born at Wittenburg, Germany,
Oct. 4, 1840, and came to America in 1861.

1 * His brother had preceded him to this country
a few years, and was at Kewanee, engaged in
the butchering business, when Charles arrived.

After about four years of association with his
brother, he engaged in farming and has since fol-
lowed it, and for ten or a dozen years of the time
he also carried on market and butchering business.
His parents, Daniel and Mary (Merz) Bauer, reared
three sons and two daughters, the subject of this
sketch being next to the eldest of the five. He was
educated in Germany, in his native language, and
after coming to America learned to read and write fJ5>
English. sb

He was married at Kewanee in 1865, to Miss ^
Katherine Zeang, a native of Germany, and has had ^ .
born to him five children, — Augest, John, Willie,
Came and Katie.

Mr. Bauer owns one of the finest farms in the
county. It contains about 300 acres, all in a high
state of cultivation, stocked and fully equipped with
the newest improved agricultural implements and
machinery. Though eminently able to live without
work, he prefers to keep in the harness, and every
day finds him at his post.

|» rman R. Warner. In 1846, when only a
boy of 1 1 years, Orman R. Warner, who is
to-day living upon a fine farm on section
10, of Burns Township, accompanied his
parents to Henry County. Here he was
reared, received a good common-school edu-
cation, embarked upon his business career, in
which he has been very successful, and has become
one of the prominent men of the community. The
confidence in his business judgment by the people of

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v4«llO^

s°°

HENRY COUNTY.

1=3

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the township was demonstrated when they elected
him Assessor, which position he now fills.

Mr. Warner was born in Leeds Co., Upper Can-
ada, March 22, 1835. His parents, Ralph and Clara
(Keeler) Warner, were natives of New York State.
They were married, moved to Canada, and remained
in the Dominion until 1846, when they came into
Henry County, and made their home in Burns Town-
ship, where they lived until they died, Mr. Warner's
death occurring Oct. 22, 1851, and that of Mrs.
Warner, Aug. 12, 1880. Orman was the ninth of a
family of 1 1 children born to them. He remained
at home until 23 years of age, working on his father's
farm, and attending the district schools. He was
married on New Year's Day, 1858, to Miss Ruth,
daughter of Henry and Annie (Breese) Cofner. who
were also early settlers of Henry County, and natives
of Ohio. In 1854 they came to Burns Township,
where they remained until 1868, when they removed
to Union Co., Iowa. Ruth was the third of a family
of ten children, and waft born in Knox Co., Ohio,
Oct. 3, 1837.

Mr. and Mrs. Warner have three children, to
whom they have given the following names : Lartie
M., Samuel C. and Morton K. Lartie is the wife of
Hilbert C. Doty, of Nebraska; Samuel was married
to Margaret J. Anderson, and resides in Burns Town-
ship.

Mr. Warner has been prominent in the political
affairs of his township, and has served for two years
as Collector, and for T4 years as Assessor, besides
filling other positions. Both he and his wife are
members of the Methodist Episcopal Church. Po-
litically, he is identified with the Democratic party.

-H-

^ohn Laird, a gentleman who has devoted
30 years of active, earnest labor to farming,
1 |V but is now living in retirement on section
24, of Oxford Township, is a native of the Key-
stone State. He was born in Franklin Co.,
Pa., June 5, 1817. His parents, Samuel and
Elizabeth (Campbell) Laird, were natives of Ireland
and Virginia respectively. The elder Laird followed
tailoring for a business, and also instructed his son,
John, in the art of the trade, which he not only fol-
lowed until he left the parental roof, which he did at

the age of 22 years, but also for. many years after-
ward. In Concord, Franklin Co., Pa., he handled
the goose, and used the shears and needle for 16
years. In 1855, in order to better his condition in
life, finding very meager opportunities to do so at the
old home, he came West, and located in the Prairie
State. He purchased 75 acres of land in Oxford
Township, this county, upon which he settled ; since
then he has added 106 acres, and has now a fine,
well equipped and improved farm of 181 acres.
During the meantime he has bought other farms and
sold them.

Mr. Laird was married to Miss Mary Ragan, a
native of Pennsylvania. To them have been born
two children, — Allen and Alfred. The former was
married to Miss Priscilla Hiller. Mrs. Laird died at
her home Nov. n, 1884. She was well known and
respected throughout the neighborhood.

Politically, Mr. Laird is a Democrat, and is con-
nected with the Presbyterian Church at Woodhull.
He is looked upon as one of the solid and representa-
tive men of Oxford Township.

ahum H. Flagg, Edford Township, came
to Henry County in 187 1. He was born
in Boylston, Worcester Co., Mass., Jan. 9,
T821. He is the oldest son of Levi and
1(5 Alothina (Houghton) Flagg, both of whom were
born in the same town where the son first saw the
light. They were of English descent. Mr. Flagg
attained to the estate of manhood in his native town
and was trained to farming, which had been the
business of his ancestors for many generations. He
received his education in the public schools and was
afterward sent one term to the High School at Lei-
cester, in his native State. After arriving at the
period of his legal freedom he passed two seasons
with a carpenter and joiner, and then went to
Worcester, where he operated independently as a
builder until the year in which he removed to Illi-
nois.

Shortly after his arrival in Henry County, asso-
ciated with a man named Dennis, living on section
23, they bought 80 acres on section 16, in Edford
Township, and they continued to manage their
farming relations jointly until 1874, when they made

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•20&K — &^M&M®¥& ^&k

HENRY COUNTY.

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a division and Mr. Flagg located on section 23. He
has attended to his farm since and has also worked
at his trade.

He was married, Nov. 17, 1842, to Eunice S.
Maynard. She was born in the same town as her
husband, Aug. 20, 1824, and died April 12, 1870.
She became the mother of three children, only one
of whom is now living. His name is George H.
Flagg, and he is a resident of Worcester, Mass.

:• eter Johnson, engaged by Culver & King,
; in the farm implement business at Galva
&'$ was born Oct. 3, 1840, in Malung, Sweden.
He is a son of John and Martha Johnson, na-
tives of the same country. His father died
shortly after he came to the United States, in
1847, in Victoria, Knox Co., 111. The Johnson family
originated in the Province of Dalanar, Sweden. The
parents joined the colony and came to this country,
and John Johnson, the father of the subject of this
notice, was the man who carried Eric Jansen, the
founder of the colony, from Sweden to Christianstadt
in Norway, while Eric was fleeing from Sweden, pur-
sued by the authorities and a religious mob. The
parents came here in 1846, in the fall, and settled at
B shop Hill, this county. Soon after, John Johnson
and wife left the colony and settled in Victoria, where
he followed his trade, that of a carpenter, and where
he died soon after. His wife bore him eight chil-
dren,— John, Christine, Martha, Kate, Peter, Betsey,
by her first husband ; and Fred Gloom by her second
hu band, P. J. Gloom, deceased. She is still living
in Bishop Hill, aged 7 6 years.

Peter Johnson received only a limited education,
the same being acquired at Bishop Hill during the
time .his parents were members of the colony, the
major portion of his early life having been passed
on the farm. In 1861 he enlisted in Co. D, 57th 111.
Vol. Inf., as private, and was promoted Sergeant.
He was all through the war, participating in the bat-
tles of Eort Donelson, Pittsburg Landing, siege and
battle of Corinth, Atlanta Gap, and was also with
Sherman in his famous march to the sea, and partici-
pated in many minor engagements and skirmishes,
and was at the Grand Review at Washington. He
received an honorable discharge in July, 1865, and

returned to Bishop Hill, where, doffing his uniform
and laying aside his accoutrements of war, he once
more entered upon the civil pursuits of life, and for
one year was occupied in farming. He then aban-
doned the farm and learned the wagon-maker's trade,
which he followed for a number of years.

Mr. Johnson has held several township offices,
such as Collector, etc., and in 1876 was elected
Sheriff of Henry County, which he filled one term,
and for the next two years was Deputy Sheriff under
William Van Nice. After that he engaged in house
carpenter work, and followed it for several, years. In
the spring of 1882 he removed to Galva, where he
has been employed by Carver & King in the sale of
farm implements. Mr. Johnson was married in July,
1870, to Miss Christine Nordstadt, daughter of Olof
D. Nordstadt, a native of Sweden, and in which
Mrs. Johnson was born. She is the mother of four
children by Mr. Johnson, only one of whom, Fred
William, is living, the others having died in infancy.
Mrs. Johnson is a member of-the Swedish Method-
ist Church, and politically Mr. J. is a Republican.
Socially, he is a member of the A. O. U. W.

-~S-

-£~-

lisha R. Woleott. The subject of this
narrative is one of the oldest settlers of
Henry County, and one of the first to lo-
cate in Wethersfield Township, where he now
In the spring of 1837, in company with,
or as a member of, the Wethersfield Colony, he
came into Henry County. He had one share in the
colony, which comprised 182^ acres of land, 160 of
which lay on section 7 of what is now Wethersfield
Township. Upon this Mr. Woleott settled and be-
gan its improvement, and here for well-nigh half a
century he has lived. He owns upward of 240 acres
of good tillable land and 130 acres of timber land.
His stock comprises about 50 head of cattle, 18
horses and colts and 100 head of sheep.

Mr. Woleott was born in Wethersfield, Conn.,
Dec, 30, 1816. Her parents, Elisha and Mary
Robbins) Woleott, were also natives of Connecticut,
where they lived, labored and died. Elisha was the
third of a family of ten children, and lived with his
parents until 20 years of age, when we find him
locating upon the wild prairie of Henry County

x^t: ^^^D fl@MH^A^ ^jkl

• VV - 'S

#»"

S°4

HENRY COUNTY.

His long residence here justly entitles him to be
looked upon as one of the fathers of the county.
Many hard experiences that he has met during this
half century would require a large volume to re-
count. The lot of a pioneer at its best is one of
hardship, inconvenience and suffering ; but he has
accomplished a great work in assisting to open up
one of the fairest garden spots in the Prairie State.
The memory of such men should be held dear to
posterity. Politically, Mr. W. is identified with the
Republican party, but in temperance principles he
is a Prohibitionist.

As a man eminently worthy to represent the old
pioneers of Henry County in the gallery of portraits
in this Album, we place Mr. Wolcott's portrait on
the page preceding this sketch.

=*-

erman Herbner, farmer, Galva, was born
. Jan. 29, i83i,in Holtehousen, Cur Hessen,
Germany, where his ancestors lived many
years. Henry Herbner, the grandfather of our
subject, was a farmer at the above place, dying
there, aged 96, as did his wife, Elizabeth Ben-
der, and their six children. Of these, Herman, who
had followed in the same occupation as his father,
died, aged 66 years and 9 months. He had formed
a matrimonial alliance with Miss Elizabeth, and she
died at the same place, aged 58 years. Of their
union were ten children, namely: Conrad, Henry,
Cort, Valentine, Harry, Lewis, Herman, Peter, Hein-
rich and Catherine. Three are deceased : Harry
was killed in Pennsylvania ; Peter served his coun-
try as a soldier, and after returning home died ; and
Valentine. Five emigrated to America, Henry
coming in 1840, locating near Philadelphia, Pa. In
1856 he came to this county, but not until a year
later did he come to Galva Township ; Harry emi-
grated to the United States in 1846, our subject in
1850, his brother Valentine in 1853, and Peter, his
brother, in 1854.

Herman Herbner, whose name heads this bio-
graphical notice, was educated in his native country.
After arriving in America he worked from 1850 to 1856
by the month, in Montgomery Co., Pa. He next came
to Belvidere, Boone Co., 111., where he went to farm-
ing, engaging in the same until the spring of 1857,

when he emigrated to Galva Township, this county,
and has resided here ever since. Mr. Herbner is
the proprietor of 40 acres of land in Galva Town-
ship, and 80 acres in Burns Township.

Mr. Herbner, who commenced in life with but lit-
tle if anything, and has accumulated some of this
world's goods, is a man well liked and respected by
all in his community, and an energetic, persevering
and industrious gentleman.

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illiam L. Barnes, of Geneseo, is one of the
most prominent citizens of Henry County
as an agriculturist. He is a man who
enjoys the esteem of the community, of
which he has been a member for 30 years,
to an uncommon degree. His traits of char-
acter are such as to render him a popular and reli-
able citizen, and he is prized for his geniality of
temperament, his large-hearted generosity and the
characteristic that is comprised in the term " whole-
souled." He is the owner of an extensive acreage
in the townships of Munson and Cornwall.

Mr. Barnes was born in East Hampton, Long
Island, N. Y., Sept. 2, 1823, and is the son of Joseph
and Phebe (Miller) Barnes. He was brought up in
the town of his nativity and there took the first im-
portant step of his life. On the 23d day of November,
1853, he was married to Betsey Miller. She was a
native of the same town in which her husband was
born, and there her youth and earlier years were
passed. She was the daughter of Uriah Miller.
After their marriage they remained resident on the
historic island three years, and there their first child
was born. His birth took place May 3, 1855. His
name is William K. Barnes and he is a citizen of
Kansas.

In April, 1856, Mr. Barnes removed his family and
interests to Henry County. He purchased land in
the township of Munson, in the vicinity of Genesep,
and is still a heavy land-holder there. His estate
contains nearly 700 acres 'and is considered one of
the most valuable farms in the whole county. Mr.
Barnes is still interested in the personal supervision
of his property. He is a Republican in his political
preferences, but has never taken an aggressive posi-
tion in the arena of politics and has never been an
aspirant for office. Some of those of a quiet char-

-^ ■

(£/§>*€**»-

HENRY COUNTY.

5°5

e! St

acter have been held by him, but he has never de-
sired the prominence of public position.

Four children were added to the household while
they were still residents of Munson. Joseph married
Mary Upson and is a resident of Douglas Co., Minn.
Fannie is the wife of C. B. Miller, one of the genial
hosts of the Geneseo House. Henry is operating
with his brother Joseph in the banking business in
Minnesota. Nathan, the youngest, is now a student
in Knox College at Galesburg. The mother and
daughters are members of the Congregational Church
at Geneseo. Mr. Barnes was brought up in the
faith of his forefathers, — the Presbyterian creed —
but is disposed to regard with a liberal spirit the
opinions of those who differ from the tenets of that
religious organization.

The family removed to Geneseo in the fall of
1880.

^V^ ^

illiam Ours, a resident of sectio'n 29,
Wethersfield Township, where "he is en-
'O gaged in agricultural pursuits, is a son of
■ Jacob and Nancy (Crislip) Ours, both natives
of Virginia, who lived and died there. Wil-
liam was the eldest of their family, which con-
sisted of three children, — William, Mary A. and
Rebecca — and was born in Virginia, April 26, 1822.
He left the State of his nativity when about 24 years
of age, going to Kosciusko Co., Ind., where he made
a purchase of a farm and settled, remaining until the
year 1864. He then came into Henry County and
bought 160 acres in Wethersfield Township, on sec-
tion 29, his present place of residence, and began
the task of its improvement and cultivation. He
has erected a substantial residence and other neces-
sary farm buildings, and, besides this property, he is
the owner and proprietor of 1 60 acres of land in
Stark County, this State.

In Kosciusko Co., Ind., he formed a matrimonial
alliance with Eliza A. Goodale, the event occurring
on the 2d of December, 1849. She is the daughter
of Joel D. and Eliza B. (Kimball) Goodale, who
were natives of New Hampshire. Her parents set-
tled in Livingston Co., N. Y., where her mother died.
Her father, Mr. Goodale, died Aug. 21, 1885. He
and his wife were the parents of eight children, as
follows: Joel H., Artemus K., Udolphus C, Gideon

G., Frederick X., Eliza A. (Mrs. Ours), Gustavus L.
and Enos J. ; Eliza was born in Livingston Co., N.
Y., Oct. 15, 1826. Mr. and Mrs. Ours' family
comprised the following named children : Eliza A.,
Emma G, William G. G., Samantha M., Charles F.,
Eliza A. and Mary L. Eliza A., the first child, is
deceased ; Samantha M. is the wife of John Lind-
strom, and they reside in Kewanee. Politically
speaking, Mr. Ours is a Republican.

-83-

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larwel B. Whitney. In 1854, when Thomas
Whitney, with his family, came into Henry
County, Jarwel B. Whitney, his son, was a
lad of 13 years of age. The elder Whitney
^u settled on a farm in Burns Township, where
Jarwel B. was reared and educated, and grew
to manhood, and, with the exception of two years
spent in Knox County, and three yeara' service in
the war, he has made his residence.

He was born in Ripley Co., Ind., Nov. 17, 1841.
His mother, Lydia (Tufts) Whitney, was a native of
Maine, which State was also the birthplace of his.
father. They both died in Burns Township. J. B.
owned a good farm, comprising a quarter of section
22, upon which he has good farm buildings. In 1862,
when the President of the United States was calling
for more troops to suppress the rebellion, on the 9th
day of August of that year, Mr. Whitney enlisted in
112th 111. Vol. Inf. He did three years of good ser-
vice, and during Sanders' raid in East Tennessee
he was taken prisoner, and remained in confinement
in the rebel prisons for about six months. During
this period he experienced prison life at Knoxville,
and at the well-known and infamous Libby Prison
pen.

Mr. Whitney was married in Henry Co., 111., Dec.
31, 1872, to Carrie Henderson. This lady was born
in Logan Co., Ohio, Sept. 12, 185 r. Of the four
children born to them, Ida M. and George H. are
the only ones living: the other two died in infancy.
Mrs. Whitney's parents, Robert and Margaret (Mc-
Davitt) Henderson, were natives of the Buckeye
State, where the former died, and the latter is a resi-
dent of this county.

Mr. Whitney has served the township as Clerk

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HENRY COUNTY.

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and in other positions, being elected on the Republi-
can ticket. Mrs. W. is a member of the Presby-
terian Church.

rtephen Moon, residing on section 34, Anna-
wan Township, is a farmer by occupation,
and was born in Yorkshire, Eng., Feb. 2,
182 1. In 185 1 he emigrated to America, lo-
cating at New York for a short time, when he
came further West, into the State of Illinois,
and worked by the month for about a year, in this
county. He then purchased 80 acres in Annawan
Township, which he endeavored to put under excel-
lent cultivation, and later made other purchases,
until he now has 320 acres, on which he is now re-
siding. Mr. Moon is engaged quite extensively in
general farming, keeping some of the highest grade
of cattle. He has a herd of Short-horn, and one or
two thoroughbreds. His horses are English Draft.
Upon his farm he has several springs, and also 100
* acres of timber land outside of his large farm, which
is well stocked.

Mr. Moon entered the married state November,
1849, in Yorkshire, England, the lady of his choice
being Miss Sarah Petch, a native of that place. She
was born Feb. 6, 1831, and of their union have been
born six children, as follows : Seth H., born Nov.
11, 1850; Ellen, Nov. 3, 1852; Thomas P., Oct. 17,
1854; Mary, Sept. 10, 1856; Elizabeth, Nov. 5,
1858; Hannah M., July 19, 1864.

-ra-H-

* *

T~T

ohn K. Warner. One of the prominent
and leading farmers of Burns Township is
f John K. Warner. He is engaged in gen-
eral agriculture on section 15. Here he owns
an excellent farm of 216 acres, most of which
is tillable, and upon which he has erected a
fine residence and good farm buildings. He was
born in Upper Canada, Oct. 24, 1830, and when
about 15 years old came with his parents to Henry
County, since which time he has made this his home
and has grown up to be one of the well-to-do farm-
ers of Burns. His parents, Ralph and Clara (Keeler)

Warner, are noticed in the sketch of O. R. Warner,
the brother of John K.

One of the greatest events in the life of Mr. War-
ner occurred on New Year's Day in the year 1857.
Upon that day he and Miss Almina W Ladd were
united in marriage. The ceremony was celebrated
at Cambridge. Mrs. Warner is a native of New
York, having been born in Oneida County, May 25,
1837. Her parents, Andrew and Mary (Robinson)
Ladd, were also natives of the Empire State. Mrs.
Warner was the eldest of their family of five chil-
dren, and she is the mother of a family of four, as
follows: Ella R., Fred B., Ralph B. and John R.
Ella is the wife of Ezra Brasel, a farmer of Burns
Township, and the mother of four children,--Blanche,
born Nov. 9, 1876; Lora, March 13, 1881; Maud,
July 5, 1883; and Lenora, deceased.

* -«- *

M. McClanahan, A. M.,M. D., practicing
physician at Woodhull since March, 1882,
was born in Mercer County, this State. His
parents were Dr. John P. and Margaret (Jones)
McClanahan, who were natives respectively of
Ohio and Kentucky, and settled at Norwood,
this State, in 1856, where his father practiced his
profession for several years and then moved to Alexis,
Mercer County, where he is still engaged in the
practice of his profession. He was a surgeon in the
army two years, when he resigned on account of ill
health.

Dr. McClanahan, whose name heads this bio-
graphical sketch, had received a collegiate education
in his youth, and at the age of 18 he commenced the
study of medicine with his father ; and at the age of
21 he graduated at the Jefferson Medical College, in
Philadelphia, receiving a gold medal for his pro-
ficiency in surgery. He received the degree of
Master of Arts from Monmouth College in 1882, and
accepted an appointment as Hospital Resident Phy-
sician at Philadelphia upon a competitive examina-
tion. He was a Resident Physician of the Jefferson
Medical College Hospital for one year, and then, in
partnership with his father, he was a practitioner in
Mercer Co., 111. He was then appointed by the
general Government as physician at Fort Belknap,
Montana. At the end of a year's service there, he

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HENRY COUNTY.

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resigned and came to Woodhull, this county, where
he has since been engaged in the practice of his
chosen calling, with satisfactory success. He is a
member in high standing, of the " regular " school.

The Doctor is a Republican in his political views,
and, with his wife, belongs to the Presbyterian
Church. He has been President of the Village
Board of Trustees. He is also the proprietor of a
drug store in Woodhull, which he purchased in 1882.
He is yet comparatively a young man, and is rising
in his profession, and is highly esteemed by the
community which he has selected for his home.

The Doctor was married Sept. 6, 1883, to Miss
Nellie Holloway, a native of Illinois and the daugh-
ter of Robert Holloway. They have one daughter,
named Kate.

F'ohn Rogers. In the early part of 1852

!?■ John Rogers came West from Ohio, and

with his wife located upon some land in

Burns Township. During these 33 years he
It has since resided here and is known far and

wide as a reputable, well-to-do farmer. His
residence is located on section 20, and upon the
home farm he has good, comfortable buildings of all
kinds. The number of his a. res has increased until
to-day he is the possessor of 400 acres of excellent
farming land. Mr. Rogers was born in Belmont,
Ohio, Aug. 14, 1820. When he was three years old
his parents moved to Tuscarawas County, the same
State, where they resided for 19 years. They subse-
quently moved to Harrison Co., Ohio, where they
lived for nine years. His father, Joseph Rogers, was
a native of Maryland, as was also his wife, Mary
Gilchell. As early as 1802 they came into Ohio,
where they spent the remainder of their lives.

Mr. Rogers was married while living in Harrison
Co., Ohio, May 20, 1850, to Catherine Huston. That
was the county of her nativity, and the date of her
birth was Aug. 20, 1831. Her parents, Edward and
Catherine (Lamb) Huston, had long been residents
of that section of Ohio. Mrs. Rogers died at her
home in Burns Township, Jan. 29, 1864, She had,
however, become the mother of eight children, —
three sons and five daughters, as follows: Joseph,
Edward, Jacob, Christina E. and Edith, who are liv-

ing; and Mary C, Harriet J and Carrie E., who are
deceased.

Mr. Rogers has held some of the minor offices of
the township, and casts his hallot with the Repub-
licans. The family are members of the Free-Will
Baptist Church.

ohn J. Corkill, residing on section 25,
Galva Township, is a native of the Isle of
Man, having been born on that island,
Sept. 7, 185 r. He is a son of John and Mar-
garet (Kermode) Corkill, natives of the same
island, and where his mother died, aged 42
years, leaving to the care of her husband four chil-
dren, namely: Mrs. Ellen Lewen, who died in Ford
County, this State; Mrs. Margaret Anderson, who
also died in Ford County; John J., the subject of
this notice; and Mary, who died in her 15th year.
The father emigrated to this country in 1866, land-
ing at Portland, Me., and coming direct to Galva,
this county, where he engaged in the occupation of
farming. He was again married and is at present
residing in Ford County, this State.

John J. Corkill, whose biography we write, was 15
years of age when he emigrated to the United States.
After arriving in this county he was occupied for five
years in farming, then went into the coal business,
in which he was engaged for ten years, working a
shaft for himself. He was one of a company of
three who conducted three shafts near Galva, and
finally sold out to the Herdien Coal Company. He
met with financial success in that business, and in
1870 purchased 160 acres of land, located on section
25, in Galva Township, on which he located and
entered energetically and vigorously upon its im-
provement and on which he is at present residing,
meeting with success in his chosen vocation.

The marriage of Mr. Corkill occurred Jan. 25,
1872, the lady of his choice being Miss Isabella
Lewen, a native of the Isle of Man, where she was
born in 1848. She is the daughter of Robert Lewen,
and has borne her husband three children, — Pearl
Idella, Merrick J. and Ella May.

Politically, Mr. Corkill votes with the Republican
party, and both he and his wife are connected with

f\§&8&&

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2^i#

HENRY COUNTY.

the Methodist Episcopal Church. Socially, Mr.
Corkill is a member of the A. 0. U. W., belonging to
Bailey Lodge, No. 135, at Galva.

-J-

eter Herdien, Secretary and Treasurer of

the Herdien Coal Company, of Galva, 111.,

Sp^ and Vice-President of the Farmers' & Mer-

i J chants' National Bank, was born May 23, 1844,

^ at Lingbo, Shog Socken, Sweden. He is the

son of Hans Hanson, whose military name was
Herdelin, acquired while five years in the National
Guards. His son Peter took his military name when
he came to Aperica. His mother was Catherine
Johnson, and is in Sweden. She was the mother of
three children, viz. : Hans Hansen, deceased, his
death occurring a year ago, aged 47 years; Chris-
tine, residing in Sweden ; and our subject. The
father died in his native country in 1865, aged 55
years.

Peter acquired his education, which was but a
limited one, in his native country, coming to Amer-
ica in August, 1864, landing in Oneida, Knox Co.,
and the first fall after his arrival there worked by the
month. That winter he went into Knoxville, where
he engaged to work in a cabinet-shop, and then
learned carpentering, which occupation he followed
for five years in Knox County. He went next to
Woodhull, and engaged in a furniture store, remain-
ing there a year, and in 1870 came to Galva. Here,
in partnership with O. L. Peterson, he bought out
L. Heddstrom, and has since conducted the business
successfully. He and his partner started a branch
store in Cambridge, which they ran for one year,
then selling out to J. C. Runstrum. In 1876 he be-
came interested in the mining business to some
extent, selling coal.

Next he went to Kearney, Neb., at which place he
started another branch furniture store, continuing
the same for a year. Selling out, he and his partner
engaged in the coal business, by forming a company
of seven, and under the name of the " Galva Mining
Company ;" they then bought out the other coal
firm, and changed the name of the "Galva Mining
Company " to the " Herdien Coal Company." In
r88o they bought out Lewen, Corkill & Co., dividing
their stock into 100 shares, which are all sold. The

firm running opposition started up afterward, and
again the Herdien Coal Company bought them out.

Mr. Herdien was married Nov. 6, 1870, in Victo-
ria, to Margaret Johnson, daughter of Louis Johnson,
who came here in 1867, and settled in Center Prairiei
Knox County. She was born July 9, 1848, in Sweden,
and has become the mother of three children, viz. :
Jennie M., born Oct. 17, 1871; Hebron Walter L,
born Aug. 8, 1874; and Elmer Forest S., born May
22, 1876.

Mr. and Mrs. H. are members of the Swedish
Methodist Church, and Mr. H. belongs to the I. 0.
O. F.

As a man who started in life with nothing, he has
accumulated some of this world's goods, and through
his industry, perseverance and energy has done ex-
ceedingly well. He is a respected and representa-
tive citizen.

ra Parker. There are a number of prom-
inent and well-to-do farmers in Burns
Township, of whom Mr. Ira Parker is one
of the best known. His home farm is located
upon section 9, where he has 340 acres of ex-
cellent land. His farm is well equipped, and
he has one of the most pleasant residences in Henry
County.

Our subject is a native of Delaware Co., N. Y.,
where he was born April 12, 1809. Joshua Parker,
his father, and Susanna (Ransom) Parker, his mother,
were also natives of New York State, and both died
in Wayne County, of that State. They had 1 1 chil-
dren, of whom Ira was the ninth. When 18 years
of age he left home and began to make his own living.
For a time he worked at the painter's trade and
again during the winter taught school. We find him
in the States of Louisiana and Mississippi during
the next five years, where he also engaged in teach-
ing. In 1853, about the time the railroad was built
through the southeastern part of the county, many
new settlers came into Henry County ; among these
was Mr. Ira Parker. He soon found a fine location
and made a settlement, which was at the very place
where he is now living.

The year following Mr. Parker's advent into Henry
County we find him taking a very prominent part in

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6^HH®DHf^^ z^sr

HENRY COUNTY.

5°9

a wedding ceremony, Miss Mary L. Woodruff being
a necessary second party. Their pilgrimage together,
however, was very short, as the following year, 1855,
Mrs. Parker died. One child was born of this union,
Laura A., who is now the wife of Marion T. Whitney,
of Lynn Co., Ore. Upon the 16th of September,
1858, Mr. Parker was a second time married. Mary
L. Coul, a lady who was born in Putnam Co., N. Y.,
joined him in the holy bonds of matrimony. Mrs.
Parker is the daughter of Elijah T. and Caroline
(Hinman) Coul, both of whom were natives of the
Empire State. They came to Henry County, how-
ever, in 1855, and are now residents of Kewanee.
Mary L. was the elder of two children, and was born
Oct. 12, 1835. Mr. and Mrs. Parker have four
children, only two of whom are living, — Perry C. and
Schuyler R. Ira V. and Carrie L. are deceased.
Mr. Parker has been prominent in the public affairs
of his township, and for four years has served it as
Supervisor and also filled other official positions.
Politically, he is a Republican.

A. Grove, physician, Galva, was bom
Dec. 26, 1840, in Highland Co., Ohio.
Si^-, The family is of English extraction. The
progenitor of the family in America was
• Rev. Richard Grove, born in Liverpool,
where many prominent families by that name
reside. He was a minister of the old High Church,
and was educated in England ; emigrated to Amer-
ica, and located at Richmond, Va. It is supposed
that he was sent over prior to the Revolution, about
the year 1760. Here he labored until his death,
which occurred shortly after the Revolution. He
was united in marriage in England, and became the
father of four children. Of these George Grove was
the great-grandfather, and he was engaged as a
farmer in Virginia, and also owned a large tobacco
plantation in Loudoun Co., Va. He was also a
slave-holder, and his demise occurred in Virginia.
Several children were born to Mr. and Mrs. George
Grove, namely : Thomas, who went to Highland Co.,
Ohio, when quite a boy, and there engaged in farm-
ing; while there he was united in marriage with Miss

Woods; they both died, leaving a family of 14 chil-
dren, of whom 10 reached maturity; seven are now
living, one of whom is a physician at Tipton, Tipton
Co., Ind., and another brother is in Carthage, 111.,
engaged as a merchant; James M. is the father of
our subject. He was born May 17, 1818, in High-
land Co., Ohio. He was reared on the old home-
stead, assisting in farming. In the winter of 1838
he was married to Sarah Hamwick, who was born in
Highland Co., Ohio. She became the mother of our
subject, and died the day of his birth. Her parents
were Rev. and Rebecca (Thurman) Hamrick. Her
mother was an aunt of Allen G. Thurman, of Ohio;
they both died there. James Grove was married a
second time, to Elizabeth Faris, who was born in
1828, in Maysville, Ky., the. daughter of Joseph
Faris, farmer in Kentucky. She and her husband
became the parents of a family of six children, viz. :
Thomas B., a miner in Idaho; Mrs. Emma Beeson,
of Red Oak, Iowa ; Ida and Minerva, who is the
wife of Charles Cook, a teacher in Nebraska ; James
M. entered upon a mercantile career soon after he
was married; in 1863 he entered the drug business,
in Maquon, Knox County, to which place he came
in 1858; when in Ohio he was a prominent local
politician.

W. A. Grove, whose name heads this sketch, was
educated in the Greenfield High School, where he
graduated in the spring of T856, His medical edu-
cation was received in Cincinnati, Ohio, at the
Miami Medical College, at which place he grad-
uated March 6, 1865. He located first in Maquon,
practiced there successfully, for a young man, for
five years, then went to Victoria, Knox Co., and in
June, 1875, he located in Galva. He has been a
successful physician, having built up a remunerative
practice, and enjoying the esteem and confidence of
the people to an enviable degree.

Mr. Grove formed a matrimonial alliance April 9,
1873, in Victoria, with Lizzie Jarnagin, born April
14, 1854, in Victoria. She is the daughter of J. L.
Jarnagin, a wealthy retired farmer of that place. Of
their union have been born two children, — Pearl,
born March 14, 1875, and Grace, March 19, 1880.
Mr. and Mrs. Dr. Grove are members of the Metho-
dist Episcopal Church. Mr. G. is also a member of
the Order of A. F. & A. M. Politically, he is a be-
liever in the principles of the Democratic party.

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HENRY COUNTY.

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£"ohn E. Norling, engaged in the drug busi-
er ness at Galva, was born Jan. 13, 1859, in
^* Bishop Hill, this county, and is a son of
Andrew and Elizabeth Norling, natives of
Stalba Nora Socken, Sweden. They came to
America four years after the Colony which set-
tled in this county, arriving in New York Dec. 15,
1854, and in Galva, this county, Dec. 28, of the same
year. On their arrival here they settled at Bishop
Hill and connected themselves with the Colony, but
left the same on its breaking up and settled in Galva
Township, four miles north of Galva village, on sec-
tion 17, where they are at present residing and have
a farm of 122 acres. Their children were seven,
viz. : Peter O., Andrew D., John E., our subject,
Amanda, Matilda, Lillie and Alfred. The eldest is
married to Amanda Nordstadt, daughter of Olaf
Nordstadt, who has borne him two children, — Mil-
ford P. and LeRoy Arthur. Peter O. now has a
grocery in Peoria, where he resides, and is also in
partnership with John E., subject of this notice.

The latter received a good English education in
the district schools of his native county. His par-
ents being poor, he was unable to acquire a collegi-
ate education, but commenced the study of pharma-
cy under Malcom Berg, a graduate of a famous
institution of learning in Sweden. He studied under
Mr. Berg about nine months, after which he en-
gaged in clerking for L. P. Ek, whom he accom-
panied 'to Kearney, Neb., and where he remained
four months, when he returned with Mr. Ek to Gal-
va, this county, and worked for him here a short
time. He then, in partnership with his brothers,
Peter O. and Andrew D., purchased the interest of
Mr. Ek in the business. This was Feb. 20, 1880,
and the firm was known as Norling Bros. At that
time the firm did a large business, having a brahch
store at Nekoma and Bishop Hill, and also at the
same time had a dry-goods and grocery store at
Nekoma, besides being interested in a sheep ranch
in Sherman County, Neb. In February, 1883, they
sold the dry-goods and grocery store and in January
sold their drug store. Mr. Norling of this sketch was
at that time running the Galva store. May 9, r883,
they dissolved partnership, Andrew and John E.

taking the sheep ranch and the store at Bishop Hill
and Peter O. the Galva store. The former, Andrew,
was engaged in running the Bishop Hill store, and
Jan. 20, 1884, John E., subject of this notice, bought
a branch store in Sutton, Neb., which he conducted
until Sept. 25, of that year, when he sold it and in-
vested more capital in the cattle and land business,
having in the meantime also disposed of his interest
in the Bishop Hill store. April 15, John E. and his
brother Andrew bought out the Galva store, Peter 0.
going to Peoria, and John E. is at present conduct-
ing the same at that place, the business being that
of drugs, paints, oils, etc.

Mr. Norling, politically, is a believer in the tenets
of the Democratic party. Socially, he is a member
of the A. F. & A. M. His brother, with whom he
has been engaged in business so long, is also a mem-
ber of the A. F. & A. M., of the I. 0.0. F. and the
A. O. U. W., and of which society Peter O. is like-
wise a member.

esley Hoppoek, one of the early settlers

of Wethersfield Township, came here with

his parents in 1850, and is a resident on

section 25, where he is engaged extensively

in agricultural pursuits. He was born Aug.

J 9, 1 840, in New Jersey, and is a son of John
and Margaret (Hackett) Hoppoek, who died in
Henry County, this township, the father Aug. 16,
1868, the mother July 1, 1884.

Wesley Hoppoek, of this sketch, was the 10th in
order of birth of a family of 13 children, and his
education was received principally in the district
schools of Henry County. Remaining at home with
his parents until he was 21 years of age, he assisted
considerably on the farm and in the maintenance of
the family, and at the age mentioned above he began
farming for himself in Wethersfield Township, and
has to-day a fine farm of 210 acres, all of which is
under the finest improvements and cultivation, which-
is attributable to his steady and hard labor. Upon
his farm he has erected a fine residence, which is
heated throughout with steam, and also has all
necessary out-buildings, besides having all the land
fenced mostly with hedge.

Mr. Hoppoek, on the 24th day of March, 1873,
was married, in the city of Kewanee, to Miss Eliza,

§<*>-

HENRY COUNTY.

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daughter of Moses and Catherine (Taylor) Jones,
both natives of England, who came to Henry County
in 1863. Mrs. Jones died in January, 1869, but
Mr. Jones still survives. Of a family of five chil-
dren, Mrs. Hoppock was the eldest, and was born
in Pennsylvania, Oct. 4, 1849; the names of the
children of Mr. and Mrs. Hoppock are as follows :
Alice M.,born Jan. 26, 1874; Bertha E., Feb. 15,
1877; Lettie M. and Nellie M. (twins), Feb. 10,
1879; and Ernest E., Feb. 1, 1881. Mrs. Hoppock
died in Wethersfield Township, Feb. 28, 1881, and
was a member of the Methodist Episcopal Church.
Politically, Mr. H. is identified with the Republican
party.

imeon Mathews is one of an increasing
class of well-to-do farmers who are retiring
from active labors. They have spent the
better part of their lives at hard, unceasing
labor, and now in their old age have wisely
determined to live at ease and in the enjoy-
ment of the fruits of their earnest efforts.

In 1848 Mr. Mathews made his advent into Henry
county and soon found a desirable location on sec-
tion 9 of Burns Towriship. Here he began to im-
prove a farm and since then has made his home
here. Long years ago Mr. Mathews was regarded
as one of the leading spirits in the community, and
has ever been held in high esteem by his fellow pio-
neers. He was born in Connecticut, April 17, 1812.
His parents were also natives of that State, where
they passed their lives. Simeon, his father, and
Rhoda (Rice) Mathews, his mother, were prominent
New Englanders and reared a family of ten children,
of whom our subject was the sixth.

Simeon passed the early years of his life in Con-
necticut, attending the common schools, and learned
the trade of carpenter and cabinet-maker. In 1834,
he left Connecticut and came to Ohio, where at
different places he worked at his trade. After spend-
ing 14 years in that State and feeling that his best
move was to locate on some land, he came West and
in the fertile Military Tract of Illinois made a loca-
tion.

Mr. Mathews, while living in Ohio, in September,
1836, was married to Phebe J. Rogers. She was

born in that State and became the mother of three
children, — Thomas L., David J. and Chauncy. All
of the children, with their mother, have been laid at
rest. Thomas L. was a member of the 112th 111.
Vol. Inf., and died in the hospital at Knoxville,
Tenn., from injuries received in the head from fall-
ing off a rock about three feet high. David J. and
Chauncy died in Ohio. Mrs. Mathews died in Burns
Township, March 27, 1868. Mr. Mathews was sub-
sequently married to Mrs. Minerva Andrew, daugh-
ter of Jacob S. and Polly (Hinman) Hemingway,
Sept. 13, 1870. She was the widow of Ojrin An-
drew, who died in Osco Township, this county. By
her former marriage she was the mother of five chil-
dren, viz.: Watson L., Wallace W., Lucy A., Willis
and Charles. Watson was a member of the 112th
111. Vol. Inf., and was killed at the battle of Resaca,
Ga. Lucy A. was the wife of William Simonton and
died in Iowa in August, 1878, leaving three children,
— Frank, Minnie and Orrin. Willis was married
to Sarah A. Hill, who bore him three children,
— Ida M. Emma F. and Cora J. Wallace W. and
Charles reside in Cass Co., Iowa. Mrs. Mathews
was born in Litchfield Co., Conn., Feb. 27, 1816.
Mr. Mathews is a member of the Free-Will Baptist
Church, while Mrs. M. is connected with the Con-
gregational Church.

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esse R. Heath, Jr., of Annawan Township,
has been a resident of Henry County since
the first of January, 1855. He located on
section 14, on which he lived one year, and at
]C the expiration of that time he settled on sec-
I tion 1 6, where he has since carried on his bus-
iness as a farmer. He 'owns 80 acres of land and it
is all under cultivation. He is a native of the State
of New Hampshire and was born in Merrimac
County, Oct. 9, 1822. When he was 14, he accom-
panied his parents to the State of New- York. His
father, Jesse Heath, Sr.,was born in the same county
in which his son first saw the light, Jan. 12, 1787.
The mother of Mr. Heath, Abigail Robbins, before
her marriage, was born Oct. 16, 1788. She was mar-
ried Feb. 4, 1808, and was a native of the State of
New Hampshire. She bore six children, who were
born as follows : Thomas J., Nov. 6, 1808 ; Hannah

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HENRY COUNTY.

R., Oct. 17, 1811 ; James S., July 14, 1816; Gilman,
July 9, 1817; John G., May 4, 1819. Gilman
died Jan. 7, 1818 and Hannah July 13, 1877.
The demise of the father occurred Oct. 27,
1840. That of his wife took place Sept. 17,
1874. Mr. Heath was united in marriage to Matil-
da M. Boss, Oct. 14, 1845. She was born March 11,
1822, in the city of Rochester, N. Y. Their mar-
riage took place in Clarkson, in Monroe Co., N. Y.
They have had four children and their respective
births are recorded as follows : Francis E., Sept. 14,
1846; Eugene A., Jan. 4, 1849; Julia D., Nov. 6,
1856; George A., Jan. 10, 1859. The eldest daugh-
ter died March 30, 1850.

Mr. Heath is a Republican in his political views.
He has officiated in several local offices, among which
are those of Commissioner of Highways, School
Trustee and School Director. His farm is one of
the most valuable for its size in Henry County and
it is arranged for the rearing of a large amount of
stock. His barn, which is the largest in the county,
is 1O0 feet by 84 feet in dimensions. He is en-
gaged in raising thoroughbred Short-horn Durham
cattle; has 108 head of full-blood registered stock.

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alker Espey. Just after the Chicago,
Burlington & Quincy Railroad had been
been built, land all along its line was rap-
idly taken up by settlers. Among those
who located near that portion of it which
runs through Henry County, was Mr. Walker
Espey, who lives on section 32 of Wethersfield Town-
ship. He was born in Fayette Co., Pa., Aug. 4,
1814. There he passed his early life and lived un-
til 1857. He was employed in farming and other
occupations there, where he was also married and
settled down in a home of his own. In June of the
year named he came West and made his home in
Stark Co., 111. For seven years he lived there, en-
gaged in farming, .when he came over into Henry
County and located on 80 acres of land on section
32 of Wethersfield Township. Besides this farm
here, he owns 100 acfes in Stark County. He takes
an active interest in public matters and is a well
known and highly respected citizen. Politically, he

votes with the Democrats, and he and his wife are
members of the United Presbyterian Church.

As above stated, Mr. Espey was married in Fay-
ette Co., Pa., the date of this event being Dec. 14,
1836. The lady who then joined her fortunes with
his and has been a helpmeet for well-nigh half a
century, was Elizabeth S. Torrence, daughter of
Hugh Torrence, a well known citizen of Fayette
County. She was born Nov. 3, 1808, and became
the mother of five children, — James, Margaret W.,
Mary J., Richard G. and Isabella C. James is de-
ceased.

J. D. Dickinson, physician at Galva, is
^ a son °f Richard and Edna (Needham)
JraV" Dickinson, and was born Jan. 13, r846, at
j^ft Oberlin, Lorain Co., Ohio. Mr. Richard
Dickinson, the father of our subject, was
born Aug. 2r, i8r8, in Randolph, Portage
Co., Ohio. He is still living, his place of residence
being Grinnell, Poweshiek Co., Iowa, to which he
removed in March, r884, and while there was en-
gaged in farming. Jesse Dickinson, the grandfather,
was born in Massachusetts. His occupation was
that of a farmer, and in the War of 18 12 he was one
of the brave soldiers. At the age of r4 he came as
far West as Randolph, Portage Co., Ohio, and there
lived. After marrying at the latter place, they went
to Hudson, Summit Co., Ohio, and from there to
Henry County, where he died, Feb. — , 1878, aged
87 years. He was married twice and had a family
of six children, and he was of English extraction.

Mrs. Edna (Needham) Dickinson was born March,
1 814, in Massachusetts. Shortly after her birth she
was taken to Coventry, Tolland Co., Conn., by her
parents,, atwhich place she was educated and reared.
At the age of T9 years she came to New York State
and then to Oberlin, where she attended the Ladies'
Seminary. She died in Wethersfield, this county,
in March, 1868, and was the mother of three chil-
dren, viz.: Jesse D., Oliver W., of Grinnell, Iowa,
and George A., a teacher of Kewanee.

Our subject was educated in Kewanee, having
come to Wethersfield in June, 1850, with his parents.
He was a student at Wheaton College and then at-
tended the Hahnemann Medical College, Chicago, at

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HENRY COUNTY.

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which he graduated March 19, 1874, and in the
spring of 1875 located at Wataga, Knox Co., 111.,
where he followed his profession, having practiced
during the intervening time at Kewanee with Dr.
Parsons, who had been his preceptor for a period of
nearly three years. He remained at Wataga for
nearly three years, when he came to Galva, where
he built up a fine and lucrative practice, and one
quite as satisfactory to himself as to his patrons.

Dr. Dickinson was married in this county Oct. 13,
1875, to Miss Eva Ray, who was born Aug. 27,
1854, in St. Lawrence Co., N. Y., and is the daugh-
ter of O. L. Ray, now of Pierson, Mich. Both him-
self and wife are members of the Congregational
Church. He is also a member of the A. O. U. W.,
is a member of the Homeopathic Medical Associa-
tion, and politically he is a Republican.

oseph Durmann. This gentleman, al-
though beginning his active career under
unfavorable circumstances, is to-day one
the leading agriculturists of Henry County.
He resides on section 33, Colona Township,
and is engaged in general farming. He was
born in Bavaria, Germany, Dec. 15, 1813. His
father, Mike Durmann, was a German farmer, and
died in his native country when Joseph was 17
years of age. In 1839, in order to secure better ad-
vantages for accumulating a competency, young
Joseph Durmann left his native land and sailed for
the United States. After a time we find him located
in Ohio, and later on in the city of Rock Island.
While living here he was married, on the 21st of
April, 1845, in the city of Davenport, to Miss
Amanda Killing. His wife was also of German na-
tivity, but had come to America with her parents,
who located at Davenport, when she was quite
young.

After their marriage, Mr. and Mrs. Durmann set-
tled in Rock Island city, where for several years Mr.
Durmann followed the trade of cooper. This he had
learned when a young man in his native country.
He was a successful and skillful workman, and by
perseverance and economy had accumulated a little
means, so that by the year 1867 he was ready to
assume the quiet, peaceful life of a farmer. At that
time he came into Colona Township, where he pur-

chased 320 acres of land. This he has brought to
an excellent -state of cultivation and made upon it
splendid improvements. He has also been enabled
to increase his landed estate to 540 acres, and now
has one of the best improved and most profitable
farms in Henry County. He is one of the honest
but shrewd and hard-working farmers we find scat-
tered throughout the Northwest, who came here with
the honest and worthy purpose of securing a home.
He is a highly respected citizen of the community in
which he resides, and has served it in some of the
minor official positions. Politically, he is a Demo-
crat. He has visited his native country since living
in Henry County, but much prefers, as a place to
live, the home offered by his adopted country.

Mr. D. visited his native country in 1873, travel-
ing through it, visiting his relatives in Bavaria,
thence by the River Rhine to Prussia, his wife's na-
tive country. During this visit he received from his
brother a rare present in the way of a cane, it being
over 350 years old.

The children that have been born to Mr. and Mrs.
Durmann are five in number, viz. : Frank, who is
married and is one of the farmers of Colona Town-
ship, as is also John, the third child ; Joseph, the
second, lives at home, as also do William and Mary.

■enjamin Sanford Eldridge, a resident of
Galva, this county, was born March 22,
1827, in West Springfield, Hampton Co.,
Mass. The Eldridge family are of Scotch
extraction. The grandfather, Mulferd Eld-
ridge, was a wheelwright by profession. His
father died while he was young, and young Mulferd
and his mother removed from Maine to Connecticut,
drawing a small hand-cart, which contained all their
earthly possessions,' to the latter State. Capt. Mul-
ferd Eldridge was married in Connecticut to Miss
Coggswell. She was the mother of four children,
namely. Elisha, Mrs. Sarah Sackett, Benjamin, and
Mrs. Lora Fowler. The parents removed to West
Springfield, where the wife and mother died. He
was a second time married, to a Mrs. White. Elisha
■ Eldridge was born in Berlin, Conn., and died in
1877, in Ann Arbor, Mich., aged 87 years. During
his early life he was a teacher, and taught 14 sue-

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HENRY

COUNTY.

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cessive winters. Afterwards, he was engaged in
farming, and in his old age came and lived with his
youngest daughter. He was a very religious man
and had been Deacon in the Congregational Church
from the time he attained the age of 22 years,
when he was converted, until his death. His father,
Mulferd, was an Episcopalian, and his grand-daugh-
ter, Mrs. Hannah (Sackett) Hume, was a missionary
to India, and her two sons and one daughter are at
the present time missionaries in Bombay, that coun-
try. The children are Robert, Edward and Sarah,
all of whom are well educated. Edward is located
in Ahmednaggar, India. Their mother is yet living,
in New Haven, Conn., aged 92 years. Elisha Eld-
ridge was married in West Springfield, Mass., to
Tryphena Bagg, a native of that State, where she
died. She was a daughter of Oliver Bagg, and was
the mother of seven children : Oliver B., James
D., both deceased; James D. (second); Mrs. Sarah
C. Hive and Samuel Mulferd ; Benjamin Sanford,
subject of this notice, and Mrs. Lora A. Page.

Benjamin S. Eldridge, subject of this sketch, re-
ceived a limited education in his native villiage. He
also attended school at East Hampton, — Williston
Seminary. After leaving the seminary he went to
Hartford, Conn., where he engaged to learn the car-
penter's trade, and worked at it for two years. He
then engaged as a clerk in the store of Dennison,
Morgan & Son, where he remained for three and a
half years. At the expiration of this time he left
his position, which was a lucrative and important one,
and came to this State, arriving here in September,
1847, and settling in Farmington, Fulton County.
From the latter connty he went to Henry, 111.,
where he and his brother Samuel M. were engaged
in merchandising for one year. Abandoning the
mercantile business, the engaged in farming, which
occupation he followed for 19 years. In partnership
with his brother, he purchased at first 220 acres of
land, located four miles northwest of Henry, for
which he paid $[2.50 per acre, the same being im-
proved. After three years he sold out to his brother
and invested the proceeds in stock, and was engaged
in raising stock for two years. He then purchased
another interest in the same farm, which his brother
cultivated, his brother owning half the stock.

Mr. Eldridge was united in marriage to Nancy
A. Lee, Nov. 9, 1859. She was born April 20,
i83i,in Williston, Vt, and died in Galva, Dec. 5,

1874, leaving two children, Charles E., born April
8, 1 86 1 ; and Delia, born Sept. 24, 1865. Mr. Eld-
ridge sold his real estate and went to Chicago, where
he intended to engage in the real-estate business,
but having passed a life of activity on the farm, he
could not endure city life, and was compelled to go
back to the more active labors of the farm. After
a residence of one year in Chicago, he located in
Galva, where he invested in real-estate, purchasing
15 acres of land adjoining the north part of town,
which he laid out in lots. He erected a residence
that year, and at one time was the owner of 1,000
acres of land. He is at present principally inter-
ested in land near Galva, Ida Co., Iowa, where his
son resides, and where Mr. Eldridge owns 1,600
acres. He is also engaged in raising Short-horn cat-
tle and Clydesdale horses, which he keeps on his
farm near Galva.

Mr. Eldridge was united a second time in marri-
age, June 13, 1876, with Ellen Cornelia Merriam,
born April 18, 1844, in Poultney, Vt. She has
borne him two children, William Franklin and Ernest
Garfield, the former having been born Aug. 29,
1878, and the latter Sept. 19, 1881. The parents of
Mrs. Eldridge were William P. and Armenia (Gid-
dings) Merriam, natives of New York and Connecti-
cut respectively. Her mother's parents were Solomon
and Martha (Paine) Giddings and her father followed
the occupation of a farmer. The genealogy of the
Giddings family existing in the Eastern States is
traced back to England. Mrs. Eldridge was edu-
cated at the female seminary at Granville, N. Y.,
where she graduated with the highest honors. She
then engaged in teaching, which profession she fol-
lowed in Ohio, Illinois and Wisconsin for ten years,
after which she entered the Michigan University at
Ann Arbor, where she finished her education. At
the latter institution she was a kind of privileged
character, and interested herself in religious work.
She was looked upon as a mother by the young girls
of that institution, and was greatly respected for
her influence upon their morals and her kindness at
that time is remembered even to the present. She is
now the Superintendent of the infant department of
that institution, into which she has gathered many
little wanderers.

Mr. and Mrs. Eldridge are active members Of the
Congregational Church and Mrs. Eldridge is noted
for the activity she displays in the Sabbath-school.

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Both have done a noble work among the neglected
and poor as well as illiterate classes, during the last
decade. During the sunset of their lives they look
back upon the past and contemplate with pleasure
the good they have done for others.

ames Andrews, a farmer on section 7, in
the township of Geneseo, has been a resi-
dent of Henry County since 1854. He
was born in Trumbull Co., Ohio, April 23,
1829. Wells and Nancy (Harper) Andrews,
his parents, were born respectively in the
States of Connecticut and Virginia. His mother
was the daughter of John Harper, a Virginian of the
old school, and who was the parent of 29 children.
She was number 28 in order of birth. The paternal
grandfather was born in Connecticut and was one of
the pioneers of the Western Reserve, in Ohio.

The senior Andrews was in his childhood when
his parents removed to Ohio. They were not poor
nor obscure, and they took to the Buckeye State the
training and ideas of which the value had been
proved in the East. Accordingly, they gave their
children the best advantages of education they could
command, and the father of Mr. Andrews, after ob-
taining a fair-preliminary education, was sent to the
college at Cannonsburg, in Pennsylvania. There he
completed a full course of study and was graduated.
Afterward he went to North Carolina and taught
school for a time, going thence to Virginia, where he
entered the ministry of the Presbyterian Church.
He was married while officiating in the capacity of a
clergyman in the South, and after a time returned to
Ohio. He was engaged in the discharge of minis-
terial duties in Hartford, Trumbull County, and in
1 836 was called to the Professorship of the Univer-
sity of Ohio, at Athens. He filled the chair to which
he was appointed seven years. In 1843 he came to
Illinois. The journey was made via the river route,
over the Ohio, Mississippi and Illinois Rivers. A
location was made at Washington, Tazewell County,
where the senior Andrews bought large tracts of
land. His family occupied the farm and the father
resumed preaching. After a residence of a few years
at Washington, a farm near Tremont was purchased,
on which they resided until 1856, when it was sold

and the family returned to Washington. The father
died there in 1869. There were eight children.

Mr. Andrews of this sketch was the fourth son.
When he was 14 he came to Illinois with the family
of his father. He attained to the age and growth of
manhood in Tazewell County, and was reared and
educated on the farm. He was under the care and
authority of his parents until the expiration of the
period required by law, and when he was 21 he took
the direction of his affairs into his own hands. His
father gave him a quarter-section 'of land in Taze-
well County and he began the work of improvement
on it. He plowed and fenced a portion of the estate
and continued to hold possession of it until 1854,
when he came to Henry County. He at once bought
land in the townships of Edford and Colona, all of
which was in a wild and uncultivated condition.
After breaking and fencing a portion'of the property,
he bought section 7 in the township of Geneseo, on
which no improvements had been made. Two years
later he erected a house on the place. A little later
he sold one-half of the section and the remainder
has since been retained by him. It is all in an ex-
cellent condition of improvement.

The marriage of Mr. Andrews and [Mary Etta
Campbell took place March 28, 1862. She was
born in St. Lawrence Co., N. Y., and is the daughter
of Hiram and Elvira (Lowell) Campbell. The chil-
dren of Mr. and Mrs. Andrews are named Charles
C, John, William L., James H., Robert L., George
H., Mary B., Jessie C, Maud V. and Hiram W.

-««« Nf^ •¥»*■

.ohn A. Larson, a resident of the village of
Andover, is a Justice of the Peace and
farmer. He was born in Ryda, Uppeby
Parish, Sweden, in 1826. His parents were
Lewis Johnson, a farmer, and Ingrad Peterson,
natives also of that country. The father died
in the parish of his nativity, and the mother after-
ward emigrated to America and lived with her son
Jonas in Andover Township until her death.

John A., our subject, the third in the above family,
was a member of the parental household until he
was about 2 2 years old, was educated by his mother's
spinning-wheel, learned practical mechanics in his
father's " cobbler shop," and on leaving home he

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HENRY COUNTY.

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found it necessary to sell his birthright to an older
brother, to secure the means wherewith to cross the
seas to the land of golden opportunities. He arrived
at the village of Andover on the 4th of August, 1848.
He commenced work at the wagon-maker.'s trade in
Galesburg, 111., for which he at first received $6 a
month and board, which was equal to about a year's
wages in Sweden at that time. Thus he continued
from 1848 to 1853; but during this time, in Febru-
ary, 1850, he started on a trip to California, in com-
pany with William Skinner and Sebastian Adams,
Americans. They made their journey over the plains
by wagon, finally arriving at Weaverville in August
of that year. For the first year he followed mining,
with 'fair success, averaging about $5 a day; but at
the end of this year Mr. Larson left California and
returned to the " States " by way of the Isthmus of
Panama, arriving at Galesburg, Knox County, in
October. During that fall he purchased from Rev.
Ithamar Pillsbury no acres of timber and prairie
land, which included two village lots in Andover.
After his marriage, in 1853, he settled upon this pur-
chase, where he has since resided and made a com-
fortable home.

Mr. Larson entered the bonds of matrimony in
Galesburg, 111., with Miss Martha Headstrum,
daughter of a Swedish farmer. She was born in the
parish of Alfta, Sweden, in 1830, and came to
America with her parents, locating in Weller Town-
ship, in 1847 ; but her parents, who joined the colony
at Bishop Hill, died soon after the colony arrived,
and she and two brothers moved to Galesburg, where
she resided until her marriage. Mrs. Larson died
in the village of Andover, Sept. 20, 1878, aged 49
years. Her eight children are all living.

* -«- *

'acob Cosner, farmer, section n, Burns
|r- Township, was born in Coshocton Co.,
l^>v Ohio, Sept. n, 1809. There he lived until
1838, when he came to Henry County and lo-
yC cated in Wethersfield Township, being among
the very earliest pioneers to locate in Henry
County. He remained there but three years, for in
184 1 we find him tilling the soil in Burns Township.
Here he owns T62 acres of land.

Mr. Cosner was married in Wethersfield Town-

ship, Feb. 5, 1 84 1, to Sarah Leonard, daughter of
Samuel and Phebe Leonard. She was born in Penn-
sylvania, Jan. 6, 1820. Ten children were born to
them, four of whom survived. These are well known
in the community where they reside. The living are
William H., whose sketch is given in this volume ;
Abraham S., Amanda B. and Francis M. Amanda
is the wife of Lewis E. Wilhelm, of Burns Township.
The deceased members of the family are Sylvester
R., Benton B., Sarah S., Mathew P., Ruea R. and
Cyntha M.

Mr. Cosner was Postmaster at Burns postoffice for
seven years, and Road Commissioner six years, and
has served as School Director. Since he voted for
General Jackson he has ever been a Democrat.

rank M. McDonald, engaged in general
farming and stock-raising on section 2r,
"^ Western Township, was born in Rural
Township, Rock Island County, Sept. 5, 1852.
His parents, James B. and Jane (Spivey) Mc-
Donald, were natives of Kentucky, of Scotch
descent, and were married in Tippecanoe Co., Ind.,
and at once came to Rock Island Co., 111., settling in
Rural Township, before improvements had com-
menced in that locality. They set to work with
characteristic energy, and have increased their acre-
age and improved their farm until they now have
one of the best in that township. They also own a
quarter-section in Western Township, this county,
also well improved.

Frank M., the second in the family of five chil-
dren, was a member of the parental household, and
attended school in his native township, until he was
18 years of age. At the age of 20 he was married,
and lived in Rock Island County one year, then re-
moving into Pre-emption Township, Mercer County,
where he purchased 80 acres of good farming land;
after occupying this for four years, he bought 153
acres of section 21, Western Township, this county,
which he has brought from an inferior to a very su-
perior state of cultivation.

The date of Mr. McDonald's marriage was April
3, 1872, in Rural Township, Rock Island County,
when he wedded Miss Frances E. Goodlow. She-
was born in Pre-emption Township, Mercer County,

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■^c^ — '—

HENRY COUNTY.

Si7

Feb. 2, 1853. Her parents, Thomas and Margaret
Goodlow, were born respectively in Ontario, Prov-
ince of Canada, and Ireland. Her mother came to
Ontario when quite small, and afterward both her
parents came to the United States, where, in the city
of Philadelphia, they were married. After their mar-
riage they came to Rock Island County, where the
father died July 12, 1868. Her mother is at present
residing with her daughter, Sarah Goodlow, who re-
sides in Mercer County. Mrs. McDonald was reared
and educated in Pre-emption, Mercer County, and
there resided until her marriage. She is the mother
of two children by Mr. McDonald, — Bertha Maud,
born March 28, 1873; and Jessie J., born Dec. 22,
1877.

In his political views Mr. McDonald is a Demo-
crat.

His brothers and sisters are as follows : Jasper
M. is a successful attomey-at-law in the city of Chi-
cago; Lawrence is a resident of Western Township;
Etta R. is living at home, and James Sherman is
also yet a member of the parental household.

^<sMI>fe>$

fj\

rites of Mr. Brown and Miss Drusilla A. Smith were
observed. Miss Smith was a daughter of John and
Hannah M. Smith, natives of Ohio and Pennsylva-
nia respectively. They came to Henry County in
1856, and were well known early pioneers here. Her
father died at Cairo, 111., while a member ol the 124th
111. Vol. Inf. His widow resides in Dakota. They
had a family of ten children, of whom Drusilla was
the fifth. She was born in Morrow County, Ohio,
April 13, 1846. The children of Mr. and Mrs.
Brown bear the following names : Edward F., George
H., Mary E., Laura I., Lydia J., Benjamin C. and
Maggie A. Mary died when 22 months old.

..0^0-

*&_^-

enjamin J. Brown. Burns Township is
settled with an intelligent, well-to-do
class of farmers, prominent among whom
is Benjamin J. Brown. His farm is on sec-
tion 8, where he has 200 acress of land. In
Westchester Co., N. Y., on the 14th of Octo-
ber, 1836, there was born to Coles J. and Sally M.
(Cole) Brown, a son, to whom they gave the name
of Benjamin J., and of whom this biography is writ-
ten. His parents were also natives of the Empire
State, but in 1855 came West and found a home in
Burns Township, Henry County, where they reside
at the present writing. Benjamin was the eldest of
their three children. They sent him to the common
schools and required his assistance at home. Early
in life, however, he began to teach school, and about
five years were spent in New York and Illinois in
this profession. He came here a young man, and
has since taken an active interest in the affairs of
j* the community where he has resided. For fifteen
. f years he has served as Justice of the Peace, and has
^ a's0 been Town Treasurer. In politics he adheres
*' to Republican principles.
^» At Kewanee, on the 3d of May, 1866, the wedding

osea r. Bliss is a retired farmer on sec-
tion 36 of the township of Geneseo. He
was born in Lewis Co., N. Y., Oct. 13,
1809. He is the eldest son of Isaac and Han-
nah (Brown) Bliss. His father was a native of
Hebron, Conn., and his mother was born in
Massachusetts. The senior Bliss went to the State
of New York when a young man, where he met and
married his wife in the city of Utica. After their
union they located in Lewis County, and were early
settlers in that part of the State.

Mr.. Bliss, Sr., bought a tract of the land of the
county, which was in the heavy timber that was
characteristic of the Empire State, made a small
clearing and erected on it a little log house for the
shelter of himself and wife, and proceeded with
vigor in the work of improvement. He was the
occupant of the place until 1 844, when he made a
removal to Ohio. The son who is the subject of
this sketch was then a resident of that State, and
the father remained in the land of the Buckeye two
years. He had a younger son in the city of Mem-
phis, and at the end of the time mentioned he went
there to remain for a time. While there he died
with the cholera. His wife had died several years
previously.

Mr. Bliss grew to manhood in the county of Lewis
and was brought up on the farm. He was educated
in the subscription school. The first important
event of his life was his marriage to Amy Briggs.
Their union was consummated Nov. 18, 1830. She
was born in Rome, N. Y., March 5, 1810, and is
the daughter of Michael and Olivia (Waterhouse)

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HENRY COUNTY.

Biiggs. Her father was a native of the State of Ver-
mont, and her mother was born in the State of Con-
necticut. They were early settlers in the county of
Oneida. At the date of his marriage Mr. Bliss
bought a farm near Martinsburg, where he was a
resident four years. They then went to Ohio, and
settled in the part of the State which was then in-
cluded in Concord Township, Lake County.

The family settled on a tract of timber land on
which a log house had been erected. The residence
there was maintained until 1853. In that year they
came to Illinois. They made their first location in
the township of Loraine, where Mr. Bliss bought
640 acres of land, of which 120 acres were under
cultivation. Mr. Bliss retained the ownership of the
place three years, when he sold out and bought im-
proved land in the township of Atkinson, which was
situated on section 30. He improved a good farm,
and was its resident owner four years, when he
bought a place on section 3, in Geneseo Township,
on which a small frame house had been erected.
There had also been improvements made on 40
acres, which had been placed under a slight degree
of cultivation. In 1862 he bought a farm on section
36, Geneseo Township, and has since occupied this
farm continuously. It contains 120 acres, and lies
partly in the township of Atkinson.

Four children have been born to Mr. and Mrs.
Bliss, viz. : George, who lives in Evansville, Ind.;
Henry, who is a citizen of Alameda Co., Cal. ; Rosal-
tha, who is the wife of Samuel Taylor, of Greene
Co., Iowa; and Fred, who is a resident of the city of
Des Moines, in that State.

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A. Maokey, Postmaster at Woodhull, was
born in the State of Pennsylvania, April
22, 1056, and is a son of William A. and
Emily (Hammond) Mackey, natives also of
the same ; his father was a merchant and also
engaged in the tanning business.
Mr. Mackey received a fine education, and at the
age of 17 years, being in the oil regions of Pennsyl-
vania, became agent for the collection of funds in
that section of the State for a manufacturer of mu-
sical instruments. At the age of 18 years he came
to Illinois and engaged as a clerk in a dry-goods
2^^ @-A<Nflfr

store in Woodhull, and continued in that position
from 1875 to 1882, when he was appointed Postmas-
ter, which office he now holds. In 1883 he accepted
a position in the Farmers' Bank as head book-keeper
and assistant cashier, which position he still occupies.
He is also a School Trustee, and a member of the
Village Board of Trustees. He is a rising young
man of Woodhull. He also owns 160 rcres of land
in Kansas, and a residence in Woodhull.

He was married to Miss Carrie L. Woods (see
sketch of R. L. Woods) Feb. 22, 1883. They are
members of the Presbyterian Church.

•-: #~# *-

5 ric Gabrielson, banker, at Orion, and one
of the leading and prominent business
men of Northwestern Illinois, was born in
Sweden, Feb. 18, 1849. His father, Charles
Gabrielson, was a farmer in Sweden, where he
» married Mary Bengson, also a native of that
country. The family consisted of four children, be-
sides the parents, when they came to America. They
soon made their way to Andover, this county, where,
in 1854, they located. The mother died at her home
in that township, that same year, being taken away
with many others by that terrible epidemic, the
cholera, which raged so here at that time. The father
subsequently married Catherina Johnson, and now
resides in retirement from the scenes of active life in
Andover.

Erick was the youngest but oneof a family of six
children. He was reared and educated in the pub-
lic schools of this county, living under the parental
roof until he was 24 years of age. During the latter
years of this period he was engaged in farming and
stock shipping, and dealing in real estate in An-
dover. His business qualifications, which are of the
highest order, are largely the gift of nature, but his
early training had the tendency to develop and culti-
vate them. After his marrjage, he moved to Orion,
where he had established a grocery store in May,
1874. In the same month of the year r882, he sold
his business to the Orion Mercantile Co., which was
organized with a capital stock of $20,000. He took
in exchange for his business one-half interest of the
entire ftock of the concern, which he still retains.
On the 5th of December, 1879, he established the

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■-'.';.*•

1=3

HENRY COUNTY.

-^gy^kKT

Bank of Orion, with a limited stock. This has since
been increased with a large amount of capital, which,
together with the skillful management of Mr. G., the
bank is now on a safe financial footing. It is a
strictly commercial bank, and does all legitimate
banking business, and also takes real-estate loans
from Eastern capitalists. The amount deposited
with the bank is usually $50,000. Mr. G. has also
80 acres of land on section 2 1 of Western Township,
and 10,000 acres in Nebraska and Colorado; and
he also deals largely in real estate. Besides, he is
agent for the various foreign steamship lines. He is
also Village Treasurer and has served as Trustee.
Politically, he is thoroughly independent, taking a
liberal view in all matters relating to politics as well
as religion.

The subject of this personal sketch was -married on
the 5th of August, 1874, at the residence of his
wife's parents in Western Township, to Josephine,
daughter of Gust, and Anna (Carlson) Huflund. Mrs.
G.'s parents were farmers in Sweden, their native
country, where they were married. After this event,
they came to America and located in Rock Island,
where, on the first of January, 1850, Mrs. G. was
born. Her parents now reside in Western Town-
ship, where they settled on a farm her father had
purchased from the Government, when she was but
a mere child. The record of the children born to
Mr. and Mrs. G. is given as follows : Estella, born
Dec. 31, 1875; Almeda, Nov. 2, 1877; Charles E.,
Dec. 17, 1879; Esther, Nov. 10, 1882; and Mamie,
Feb. 10, 1884.

hristena Gochenouer, resident on section
10, Annawan Township, is the widow of
John Gochenouer, who died on his home-
stead in the same township, July 10, 1873.
He was born in Rockingham Co., Va., in
June, 1803. His marriage to Christena Har-
mon occurred Oct. 15, 1835.

Mr. Gochenouer was twice married, and of the
12 children of whom he became the father, nine still
survive. They were born as follows : Henry, March
28, 1826; Elizabeth, Dec. n, 1830, Adam, May 2r,
1832; William, Feb. 2r, 1834; John M., Dec. 16,
1837; Mary E., Nov. 14, 1839; Joseph, Feb. 18,
1843; Rebeca Jane, May 19, 1845; Sarah M., July

S^f*. a^ei ^A^Mft

7, 1849; Clarissa M., May 1, 1852; Nancy E.,
March 10, 1854; Barbara A., Nov. 1, 1835. All of
the above who are living are well married and regard
their aged mother with the filial devotion which is
due to her advanced years and the manner in which
she has discharged her duties to her household.
Joseph entered the army during the Civil War and
was accidentally shot at Cairo, 111., Oct. 20, 1861.

Mr. Gochenouer accumulated a considerable prop-
erty and was, at the date of his death, the owner of
405 acres of land on which his widow has continued
to carry out his plans since he left her to go to a bet-
ter country. The illness of the father was long and
at the last peculiarly distressing. He was for a long
term of years a devoted Christian, and was for 38
years a Class-leader in the United Brethren Church.
His closing hours were full of peace and trust in the
promises in which he had put his faith all his life.
He came to Henry County in 1858. Mrs. Gochen-
ouer has been a member of the same Church to which
her husband belonged since the age of 15. She
has nine children' living, 47 grandchildren and 19
great-grandchildren.

ames M. Welton, who has followed the oc-

''- cupation of farming' during his entire life,

and is at present the owner of 280 acres

of well improved land, located on section 14,
jt Osco Township, where he resides, is a son of
Lester C. and Ora (Mathews) Welton, natives
Connecticut. The parents were married and
settled in Connecticut, subsequently coming to Peo-
ria County, this State, where they resided until 1855.
During that year they came to this county and
located in Osco Township, and there resided until
1877, when they removed to Cambridge, and thence,
in the fall of 1883, went to Kansas, where they are
at present living. Their children were James M.,
Ellen E., Merritt H. and Margaret A.

The gentleman whose name heads this article was
born in Tivoli Township, Peoria County, this State,
Nov. 2, 1846, and was about nine years old when
his parents came to this county. His education was
acquired in the common schools and in a select
school in Geneseo. The vocation of his life has
been that of an agriculturist, and he has been a

- 1^

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522

Qs-

HENRY COUNTY.

■4

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(!) 1

resident of Henry County since 1855. His landed
interest at the present time consists of 280 acres,
located on section 14, Osco Township, all of which
is under an advanced state of cultivation.

Mr. Welton was married in the township in which
he at present resides Nov. 20, 1872, to Sarah A.
Sherrard, daughter of William and Elizabeth (Bald-
win) Sherrard, natives of Pennsylvania. They were
the parents of 12 children — Joseph R., Samuel T.,
David S., Sarah A., John C, Louisa, George W., La
Fayette and Frank; three died in infancy; Sarah A.
(Mrs. Welton) was born in Lawrence Co., Pa., Dec.
11, 1847. The children of Mr. and Mrs. Welton
are six in number — Luella J., Ora E., Lester C,
James A. and Frank E. ; Rollin S. died when about
three years old.

Mr. Welton has held several of the minor offices
within the gift of the citizens of his township. He
and his wife are believers in the tenets of the Episco-
pal Church. Politically, Mr. W. casts his vote with
the Republican party.

The portrait of Mr. Welton, on the opposite page,
is a necessary addition to the collection made for
this Album.

*■ —

arriet E. Haxby, widow of the late John H.
Haxby, of Annawan Township. Mr.
Haxby had secured and brought to a high
state of cultivation a farm of 320 acres on sec-
tion 28 of that township. Here he lived, took
a deep interest in the welfare of the community
and was a highly esteemed citizen. He was born
Jan. 11, 1840, in Scott Co., 111., of English parents.
He was reared and educated in this State, and quite
early in the history of this county became a resident
nere. Sept. 6, 1865, he was married to Miss Harriet
E. Dewitt, by the Rev. W. J. Beck, of the Kewanee
Baptist Church. Mrs. Haxby was born in Kewanee
Township, this county, Feb. 22,1851. They lived
happily together until the death of Mr. Haxby, and
became the parents of four children, born in the fol-
lowing order: George H, born Sept. 25, 1867 ; Luella
A., Oct. 18, 1869 ; William, Oct. 2, 187 1 ; and Myr-
tle J., March 23, 1876.

In March, 1883, Mr. Haxby was seized with a se-
vere attack of pleuro-pneumonia, which, after a

struggle of seven days, conquered its victim. During
the last days of his illness his mind wandered some.
He had lived a true man, and died at peace with all
the world, and with a firm hope of receiving the fu-
ture reward. He was a kind and affectionate hus-
band, and a tender, watchful father. Politically,-he
was a Republican, and had served in some of the lo-
cal official positions with satisfaction to the public.
With good business judgment and ability, Mrs.
Haxby is managing the 320-acre farm he left her.
Upon this she has a good two-story dwelling, and fair
outbuildings.

nomas Bolen, a pioneer of the township Of
Loraine, in which he has been a resident
since 1857, without intermission, was born
in Jefferson Co., Ohio, Dec. 13, 1813. He is
the son of Thomas Bolen. His parents were
natives of Virginia, and early settlers in the
State of Ohio. His mother died when he was but
three years old, and he was soon provided with a
step-mother by the second marriage of his father.

Mr. Bolen remained in the county in which he was
born until he was 13, when his father died. He then
went to Guernsey County, in that State, and was a
member of the family of his uncle two years. He
was then 1 5 , and took the control of his own fortunes
into his own hands. When he was a year older he
apprenticed himself to a gunsmith at Centerville,
Carroll Co., Ohio, when he had acquired a complete
knowledge of the business he operated as a journey-
man, and worked in various cities in the United
States, until 1840, when he came to Henry County
for the first time. He entered land on section 7, in
the township of Loraine, which was then designated
by the figures which marked its position on the
charts of the Government officials. He cut logs,
built a cabin, which he covered with clapboards, and
obtained lumber from Whiteside County to finish it.
After four or five years he built a blacksmith shop,
and opened a business in that line for the accommo-
dation of his neighbors, and it proved a benefit to
the commuunity as well as a material means of good
to himself. In the spring of 1850 he set out at the
head of a party who desired to cross the plains to
California. They left Henry County on the first of

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•&®&£i — 6V^DU®DHf>T^ — ^^v-

HENRY COUNTY.

523

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(!)

April of the year named, and went to Council Bluffs.
They left there May ist, and arrived at Georgetown
Aug. 2d following. Mr. Bolen found no difficulty in
obtaining work at his trade, which he followed there
two years. He operated as a gunsmith and as a
blacksmith. He returned in 1852 to Henry County,
coming back by the way of the Isthmus. In 1854 he
went back to California, and, remembering the com-
forts of his route of return to the East, he went
there by the same. He opened a shop at George-
town and transacted a thriving business, furnishing
the interior establishments with materials. In 1855
he was made Deputy Sheriff of the place where he
resided, and he served in that position nearly three
years. He resigned in order to return to Henry
County, which he did in the year named, and he has
since been a permanent resident of his farm. He
has worked at the business of a blacksmith 20 years,
and gunsmith 40 years, in all abovit 60 years, and has
hired the work of his farm done by others who made
farming their calling. He is the present owner of
120 acres. At one time he was the proprietor of 200
acres, but he sold a portion as he had more than he
could manage to good advantage. He is the owner
of a tract of land containing 160 acres, in York Co.,
Neb. He has held the office of Constable several
years, and has also officiated as School Director.

Mr. Bolen has been married twice. He was united
in matrimony with Mary A. Davis in r832. She was
a native of Virginia, and died after giving birth to
three children. Only one survives : Julia A. lives
in Nebraska. In 1844 Mr. Bolen was married to
Lydia Potts. They have had three children : Lydia
is the wife of Fayette Martin, of Whiteside County.
Nancy married Edward Somers, and they reside in
Whiteside County. Washington R., the oldest,
lives on the homestead.

illiam H. Cosner, farmer on section 14,
Burns Township, was born in Kewanee
Township, Jan. 5, 1842, where he was
reared and received a good common-school
education. He is one of the few active bus-
iness men of to-day that one meets in Henry
County who are natives of the county. It will be
noticed in reading the sketches in this book that a

vast majority of the men were born in the Eastern
States or across the ocean. The parents of Mr. Cos-
ner are Jacob and Sarah (Leonard) Cosner, both of
whom are natives of the Buckeye State. Mr. C. was
married in .Burns Township, on New Year's Day,
1864, to Adelaide, daughter of C. O. and Philena
Wedge. She was born in Wethersfield Township,
May 14, 1844, and has borne to heV husband two
children, — William O. and Ceria C. Mr. Cosner is
the owner of 172% acres of fine land.

Mr. Cosner has held some of the minor offices of
his township, to the satisfaction of the public, and
politically is a Democrat. Mrs. C. is a member of
the Methodist Church.

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..udson B. Engle, residing at Orion, and en-
gaged in general farming and the raising of
stock, is a native of Burlington Co., N. J.,
where he was born Nov. 4, 1820. The father,
Joseph Engle, was a native of the same county,
where he was married to Hannah H. Burr, a
native also of the same State, and a second cousin
to Aaron Burr. They became the parents of seven
children, of whom our subject was the eldest son
and third child.

His father died when he was about ten years of
age. He continued to reside with his mother, help-
ing her along in her trouble to provide for her family
until he was 17 years of age, when he became an ap-
prentice to learn the wagon-maker's trade, under
David Heaton, of Moorestown, N. J. After working
for four years for Mr. Heaton, he came West with
his mother and two sisters and three other brothers,
the family locating at Richland Grove, Mercer
County. They endured many hardships on their
journey westward, which was made all the way over-
land in three wagons and with six horses. They were
on the road two months, and during the time never
slept in a house, and, as one might naturally expect,
experienced many hardships. In the spring of 1848,
three years after their arrival, the family moved into
Western Township and purchased 40 acres of land
on section 22.

Mr. Engle, however, had come to Orion the year
before, and was married Nov. n, T847, to Miss
Sarah Elwell, daughter of Perly and Sarah (Stanley)

V$!

<?>■?

> 524

-?^w G\®Mm>*^

HENR Y CO UNT Y.

Elwell. Her father died in Massachusetts, and her
mother married again, came to Illinois, and settled
in Western Township, in 1843, where they were very
early and well-known settlers. The wedding of Mr.
Engle was the first to be celebrated in Western Town-
ship. At that time there were but five houses with-
in its borders. They have since made this a place
of their permanent residence, where Mr. Engle owns
115 acres of land, all under the plow, and adjoining
the village corporation line on the north. Mr. Engle
deals in high grades of swine and cattle.

Mr. and Mrs. E. are active members of the Baptist
Church, and Mr. E. is a Trustee. Mr. Engle is a
believer in, and a supporter of, the principles advo-
cated by the Republican party.

^%' y**y^ ; — »-^

yman Lyon, of the township of Geneseo,
was the first settler in the part of Henry
County in which he is now a resident. He
was born Sept. 15, 1814, in Woodstock, Conn.,
and is the son of Uriah and Jerusha (Nooning)
Lyon. His parents were both of English de-
scent and were born respectively in Connecticut and
Vermont. The father of his mother was a soldier of
the War of the Revolution. Mr. Lyon is the fourth
in order of birth of a family of 1 1 children. The
family being large and the parents not in affluent
circumstances, it became necessary for the children
to aid in their own maintenance at as early an age
as possible, and Mr. Lyon obtained employment in
the neighborhood where his family were residents at
the age of nine. He continued to assist in this
manner in the cares of his parents until he was his
own man. At 21 he entered upon the acquirement
of the trade of a shoemaker. After obtaining an
understanding of the details of that profession he
passed the winter seasons in its pursuit and in the
summers worked as a farm assistant.

April 6, 1841, he was united in marriage to Olive
H. W. Buck. Mrs. Lyon was born in Pomfret, Conn.,
July 8, 1823, and is the daughter of Aaron and
Mercy (Sprague) Buck. The former was a native of
Connecticut and the latter of M assachusetts. A t the
time of their marriage Mr. and Mrs. Lyon settled in
Union, in their native State, where the former bought
a farm. He retained his ownership therein until

1850. In that year he located in Henry County.
He first bought a residence in Geneseo, where the
family resided until 1853- Mr. Lyon then made a
purchase of land on section 17, which was entirely
uncultivated. He paid for it the Government price
of $1.25 per acre. The farm contains 60 acres and
is all under cultivation of a most creditable type. It
is enclosed and supplied with all necessary and
suitable farm buildings.

At the time Mr. and Mrs. Lyon took possession of
their place they were without neighbors and they
kept open house in true pioneer style for all comers.
They acquired a well-deserved reputation for hospi-
tality, and their efforts for the comfort of the strangers
who called at their door is remembered most heartily
by those who were the recipients of their considera-
tion while engaged in the work of prospecting for a
location or in preparing their own homes.

The record of the children of Mr. and Mrs. Lyon
is as follows : Alvin M. lives in the township of
Edford. Mary is the wife of Hiram P. Roundtree,
a teacher of elocution in the city of Chicago. Sarah
is also a teacher of elocution at Bloomington. Frank
is a citizen of Grand Forks, Dak. The son first
named was born in Union, Conn., July 4, 1843, and
married Achsah Adams. They have six children.

*-*

-5—

l^enry Goembel, a retired farmer, resident at
Geneseo, is a native of the State of Hesse,
in Germany, and was born June 14, 1822,
on the river Fulda, a tributary of the Rhine, in
the village of Nederaula. He is the oldest son
of Sebastian and Anna Goembel, both of Hes-
sian birth. His grandfather was one of the Hessian
soldiers who were hired to the English by his Gov-
ernment to aid the British in the War of the Revolu-
tion, or, as is claimed, was sold by the German ruler,
as that nation holds the ownership of its subjects to
a certain age, or until a certain amount of military
duty is performed. The ancestor who came to
America under such circumstances was taken pris-
oner at New York, and after his release became a
loyal adherent of the government of the Colonies.
He was engaged some time as a clerk, and after the
declaration of peace he returned to the land of his
nativity. There he reared a family, and in 1834

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HENRY COUNTY.

his son, Sebastian, accompanied by his wife and
eight children, sailed from Bremen for the United
States. They were on. the sea 69 days, and landed
at the port of New Orleans. They came -to America
on a German sailing-vessel, named the Ernest Gus-
tav. After a stay of two weeks at the Crescent Cily,
they set out for St. Louis. However, they debarked
at Havana, 111., and continued their stay there a
month. At the end of that time they went to Peoria,
which was then celled Fort Clark.

The elder Goembel bought a claim on Farm Creek,
in Tazewell County, or rather took possession and
held it until the land sales came on, when he se-
cured his title. At the time he bought the claim of
the first who had settled on it, a log house had been
built, and that was the sole improvement on the
entire track. Mr. Goembel placed the entire estate
under the best character of improvements, and
erected an excellent class of buildings thereon.
After a residence on the property of several years, he
removed to Washington, in the same county. There
the family remained, and there the father and mother
both died. Six of their eight children are yet living.
Mr. Goembel, of this sketch, grew to the estate of
manhood in the county of Tazewell. He was an
inmate of the family of his father until 1849. In
that year he bought timber land, situated about one
and a half miles from the place of his father, and
there he settled. He built a frame house ; and as
he had a natural faculty for the use of tools he did
the main part of the work on it himself. He was
the owner and occupant of the place until 1864. He
then sold the farm, which contained 200 acres, and
of which the half part was improved. In October
of the year named he came to Henry County. He
located in the township of Alba, where he purchased
200 acres of land. It had at the time a reasonably
good set of frame buildings on it, and he proceeded
with the work of its improvement. He was pros-
pered in all his plans, and made additional pur-
chases until he became the proprietor of 700 acres.
He is still the owner of the farm, which he rented in
187 1, and removed to the vicinity of the city of Gen-
eseo. He bought 40 acres lying adjoining the town-
plat, and has since purchased several acres in addi-
tion. He is also the owner of two farms in the town-
ship of Phenix.

The marriage of Mr. Goembel to Catharine Fey
took place in 1849. She is a native of the same

German province from whence her husband came.
Their children are Zachariah T., who lives in the
township of Phenix ; Charles C, of Alba Township ;
Anna, wife of Joseph Greenwood ; Elizabeth (Mrs.
Lawrence Seyler) lives in Audubon Co., Iowa;
John H., of Phenix Township; Millie, Henry L. and
Kittie at home.

ames Gaster, Postmaster at Galva, this
county, was born Dec. 29, 1834, in Fulton
Co., Pa., and is the son of Jacob and Nancy
(Miller) Gaster, born in the same county and
State, the county then being called Bedford.
The grandfather of Mr. Gaster of this sketch
was a native of Germany, a son of Jacob Gaster and
a farmer by occupation. He lived and died on the
old homestead in Pennsylvania, his birth having oc-
curred in 1800. He was married to Nancy Miller,
daughter oT John Miller. She died in the fall of
1 86 1, after having borne her husband 11 children,
namely, John, Sarah A., Philip M., Jacob, James,
Elizabeth, Rebecca. Peter, Daniel, William, and a
child who died in infancy.

James Gaster was educated in the district schools
of his native county, and followed the vocation of
farming on the parental homestead until he attained
the age of 19 years. He was then apprenticed to
learn the house-carpenter's trade, which he followed
until he had attained his 22d year. On arriving at
that age, he came to Galva, this county, where he
was engaged in milling for many years in the Galva
Mills.

Mr. Gaster enlisted in the war for the Union, Aug.
12, 1862, and served until June 20, 1865, when he
received his discharge. He enlisted in Co. G, 1 1 »th
111. Vol. Inf., Capt. James McCarthy, and was with
Major-General A. E. Burnside in the campaigns of
Kentucky and Tennessee, in 1862-3, Major-General
Sherman in the Georgia campaign, in 1864, Major-
General G. H. Thomas, in the Tennessee campaign,
in 1864, Major-General Schofield in the campaign of
North Carolina, in 1865, and was with the company
when the last shot was fired at Goldsboro, N. C,
April 5, 1865. He has participated in 22 general
engagements and 75 skirmishes, principal among

^^z — ^a<^ii d® dii*^a^ — ^^^

526

HENRY COUNTY.

which were Monticello, Ky., Campbell's Station,
Knoxville, Bean Station, Dandridge, Kelly's Ford,
Muddy Creek, Tenn., Resaca, New Hope Church,
Pine Mountain, Kenesaw Mountain, Utaw Creek,
Atlanta, Rough and Ready, and Jonesboro, Ga..
Columbia, Frankville, Nashville, Tenn., Fort Ander-
son, Town Creek, Wilmington and Goldsboro, N. C.
He was a brave soldier, and was never known to
shirk when duty called him.

After the war was over Mr. Gaster returned to
Galva, and once more entered upon the peaceful
pursuits of life. He again engaged in milling, which
he followed for some time, and in the winter of 1872
went into the grocery business, which he followed for
about a year. In 1883, Feb. 27, he was appointed
Postmaster at Galva by President Chester A. Arthur,
which position he has held until the present time.

Mr. Gaster formed a matrimonial alliance Aug. 10,
1865, in Tiskilwa, Bureau Co., 111., with Miss Amy
A. Greeley, daughter of Moses P. Greeley, an old
settler of Peoria County and also of Bureau County.
Her father came to Bureau County in 1853, and died
at Tiskilwa, Dec. 27, 1862.

The progenitors of the Greeley family were three
brothers, who came from England. Horace Greeley
claimed to be a descendant from one of the brothers,
and the family to which the parents of Mrs. Gaster
belonged descended from another of the three broth-
ers. Mrs. Gaster was born May 25, 1841, in Buda,
Bureau County, this State. Of her union with Mr.
Gaster four children have been born, — Chloe M.,
Cora J., William and Nellie O.

Mr. and Mrs. Gaster are both members of the
Methodist Episcopal Church. Politically, he is a
Reuublican, and socially a member of the G. A. R.,
of which organization he is Senior Vice Commander.

ames Fell, who is farming on section 5,

£ Burns Township, was born in Scotland,

May 22, 1832. When an ambitious young

man of 20 years of age, he determined to come

to the New World. After arriving on our

shores he soon made his way to Stark Co.,

For four years he remained there, engaged in

agricultural pursuits, when, in 1856, he came to

Henry County and located in Cornwall Township.

Here he remained for six years, when we again find
him in Stark County. For two years he made that
place his home, when he was again attracted to Corn-
wall, where he passed another two years. He then
came to Burns Township, where he has since lived, .
and where he is the owner of 360 acres of land, all
tillable. He has held several of the minor offices of
the township, and is regarded as one of the solid,
well-to-do men of Burns.

Mr. Fell was married while living in Cornwall
Township, to Miss Hattie Campbell, a lady of Scotch
ancestry, and who was born in Ross Co., Ohio, Jan.
22, 1841. Their marriage occurred on the 19th of
October, 1858. James W., Walter A. and John C.
are the names of their three children. Mrs. Fell is
a member of the Free- Will Baptist Church, and po-
litically Mr. Fell is a Republican.

oseph Morton. This gentleman is devoting
his attention to general farming and the
raising of stock upon section 2, Western
Township. He is the son of Zalmuna and
Clarissa (Moshall) Morton, who were natives
respectively of Massachusetts and New Jersey.
Both had, however, gone to Cincinnati, Ohio, previ-
ous to their marriage, which event was celebrated
about the year 1823. His father was a merchant
and contractor, and after their marriage they lived at
the Queen City for some years, when they moved to
Butler Co., Ohio, and located at Middleton. In the
autumn of 1848 the family came to Adams Co., 111.,
and settled upon a farm near Quincy, where they
spent the remainder of their lives, both parents dying
in 1854. They were interred at the cemetery at
Columbus, Adams County. Three of the older
brothers continued to reside in that county, two sis-
ters in Henry County, and one near Greenfield,
Iowa.

Joseph Morion lived at home with his parents,
attending school at the Methodist Seminary and
Presbyterian High School, then located at Quincy.
At the age of 2 1 he began teaching school in Adams
County, and followed the profession for nine years,
when he turned his attention to farming, having
during the meantime married, as he desired to '' set-
tle down " in life. Miss Margaret J. Cate, daughter

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HENR Y CO VNT Y.

527

of Joseph and Sarah J. (Wilson) Cate, was the lady
of his choice. The ceremony took place at the resi-
dence of Mr. Cate, near Hamilton, Hancock Co.,
111., on the 13th of October,]i868. Mr. Cate and his
wife were both natives of New Hampshire, and were
early pioneers to Illinois, coming in 1837, and were
married a year later. The former is deceased, and
Mrs. Cate is living near Hamilton. Mrs. Morton
was born near Quincy, Dec. 10, 1841. She resided
at home, attending the school at Quincy and at
Hamilton, and began to teach when a young lady,
which profession she followed until her marriage.
The home of Mr. and Mrs. Morton has been blessed
by eight children, one only of whom is deceased.
Clarissa "Jennie " is the name of the eldest, and the
others were born in the following order: George M.,
Clarence E., Lewella A., Margaret " Josie," Horatio
H., Joseph R., and Henry A., deceased.

In 1872, four years after his marriage, Mr. Morton
came from Geneseo Township, this county, where he
had lived for three years, to Western Township,
having puschased 160 acres of land in the year 1856
on section 2, where he has since lived and been a
successful farmer. He also has another quarter-
section of land, which is pretty well improved, in
Republic Co., Kan. Both Mr. and Mrs. Morton are
members of the Lutheran Church, and Mr. M. is
Clerk and Treasurer of the congregation, and Clerk
of the Board of his district.

Samuel Pettit, a well known agriculturist of
Annawan Township and an old pioneer of
this section of the county, who resides on
seetion 32, was born in Cambridgeshire, Eng.,
Jan. 7, 1821. He spent 11 years of service in
the English army, and for six years was sta-
tioned in Canada. However, quite early in the set-
tlement of the fertile prairies of Henry County, he
found his way here in 1855, and secured a quarter
of section 32, of Annawan Township. At that time
this was but partially improved. Here he has made
his home ever since and developed his farm to a
good state of cultivation.

While living in Canada, Mr. Pettit met and was
married to Mrs. Sophronia Rohrer, a native of the
Dominion. She was born July 15, 1820, and was

-*€^ — £A

married April 8, 1855. They became the parents of
eight children, a record of whom is given as follows :
Priscilla Rohrer was born Feb. 17, 1841 ; Alveretta
Rohrer, Jan. 8, 1853 ; Alfred W. Pettit, Aug. 8, 1853;
David N., Sept. 25, 1854; Sarah E., July 29, 1856;
Alvin A., March 1, 1858; John M., Jan. 6, i860;
Giles M., May 6, 1863. Alvin married Miss Eliza-
beth Carter, June 1, 1881, and they have one child,
Eslie A., born June 27, 1883. Mrs. Alvin Pettit
was born Feb. 25, 1861. The family are members
of the Baptist Church, and all, of them are strongly
imbued with the political sentiments of the Repub-
lican party.

^ooo«

nomas Reese, a farmer on section 29, Co-
lona Township, has been a citizen of Henry
County since 1856. He is a native of
Caermarthen, Wales, and was born Sept. 26,
1835. His parents were natives of the same
country, and their names'were'Rollin and Lucy
(Bowen) Reese.

Mr. Reese was reared to manhood on the farm o
his father in the county of his nativity, and at the
age of 14 he entered the mines in the vicinity and
was employed in the Welsh collieries until 1854. In
that year he came to the United States. He went
to Ohio, where he obtained work in the coal mines,
and remained there until 1856, the year in which he
came to Henry County. He first engaged in coal-
mining in the Aldrich mine in the township of
Geneseo, where he operated three years, and at the
end of that time he went to Coal Valley, and was
similarly employed there until 1865. He had saved
his earnings with the purpose of some time engaging
in some other avenue of employ or in some other
mode of life, and in the last year he bought a farm
lying on sections 29 and 32. The place had a house
on it and his family were its occupants until 1876.
Mr. Reese had prospered in his agricultural opera-
tions, and had meanwhile purchased the southeast
quarter of section 29, on which a portion of his farm
was already situated, and in the year named the
household took possession of the house on the new
farm. Mr. Reese is the proprietor of 320 acres of
land, all in excellent condition, well fenced and with
pasture for the supply of the stock on the place.
He has never married. His parents and several

■s

(!)

*,%st-i

s*^\l><£t~ ^^

528

HENRY COUNTY,

sisters came to America with him and the former
were members of his household as long as their lives
continued. His mother died in the fall of [865, and
the demise of his father took place in 1881. Four
sisters are still living: Mary is the wife of David
Hughes, and they live in Wales; Hannah married
Win. Phillips, of Carroll Co., Iowa; Jemima married
Daniel Christmas, of the same county in Iowa ; and
Ann is the wife of Jacob Morgan, and they live near
her sisters.

— *-##!■ ■

•WW

enjamin W. Seaton, proprietor of the
Prairie Chief, published at Cambridge,
and who may be said to have passed al-

^ most a life-time in the publishing business,
was born in Howden, Yorkshire, Eng., Jan.
13, 1825. He was the youngest of Joseph
and Elizabeth Seaton 's 13 children, of whom eight,
four girls and four boys, emigrated to this country in
1830, settling in Utica, N. Y., in June of that year.

At the age of 14 years Benjamin was apprenticed
to Bennett, Backus & Hawley, publishers of the Bap-
tist Register, and also booksellers, in Utica. Mr.
Seaton served seven years' apprenticeship at the
printing business, and, after serving out his time, he
spent four years in the law office of Crafts & Beards-
ley. In those days it took seven years to "make"'
a lawyer, unless the applicant had a diploma from
some college. On the 30th of December, 1849, Mr.
Seaton was united in marriage with Miss Julia E.
Bond, and the next year they came West, and settled
in the then "wonderful" city of Chicago, which con-
tained 28,000 inhabitants.

On arriving in Chicago, Mr. Seaton for a few
months worked as "jour" in.the offices of the Chicago
Democrat and New Covenant. He then became one
of the editors of the Chicago ^Daily Argus, the first
paper to place the name of Stephen A. Douglas at
the head of its columns in 1851 as a candidate for
the Presidency. In 1852, the Argus was sold to
John L. Scripps and William Bross, who changed
the name to the Democratic Press. Mr. Seaton
then devoted his time to job printing, and followed
that business until he was induced to go to Prairie
City, McDonough Co., this State, to take charge of
the Chronicle, which he did, and at the end of the

first year discontinued the same. In June, 1858, he
moved to Kewanee, and there became "boss" printer
in the Dial office. During the year he managed
that paper the office paid all expenses, and left quite
a large balance in the treasury. So well pleased
were the owners of the paper with his "industry and
perseverance" that they offered to give him the office
if he would publish a Republican paper, but he did
not know how; and so declined the offer that possibly
contained a fortune. Soon after, the Dial was sold
to Mr. Wheeler, a former editor of the Chicago Trib-
une. In the spring of i860 Mr. Seaton went to
Chicago and opened a job department for Jones,
Perdue & Small, stationers. This was the founda-
tion of the now celebrated " J. M. W. Jones Print-
ing-House."

In December, 1862, Mr. Seaton started the Galva
Union, which paper he continued to publish until
1864, when the Republicans thought they must have
a party organ, and made some tempting offers to in-
duce the editor to become a Republican ; but he was
not for sale, and so the establishment was sold to Capt.
Johnson, and he retired to a farm on section 16,
Wethersfield Township, where he remained until
1868, when he started the Prairie Chief at Galva,
but afterwards removed it to Toulon, and conducted
the paper at that place until December, 187 1, when
he made another removal, taking his paper to Cam-
bridge, where it took the patronage of the Cambridge
Democrat, that paper becoming defunct. The
Prairie Chief, at present, is one of the solid papers
of the county, and there are only two papers in the
county — the Geneseo Republic and the Cambridge
Chronicle — ihat are older than it is. The Chief
has never known any other editor or manager. It is
his favorite child, though he has three sons and three
daughters living. His eldest son, Frank, died in
1879, at the age of 27 years.

9<OC>^

JPiM B. Cole. The subject of the following
pS££ brief personal sketch, Mr. A. B. Cole, is a
jjfe* well-to-do farmer upon section 28, Oxford
^}j» Township. He was born in .Chenango Co.,
ft N. Y., April 13, 1806. His parents, Amos and
I Dinah (Crowfoot) Cole, were natives of Rhode
Island. Mr. Cole remained under the paternal roof
until he was 2 1 years of age ; during the meantime

M&A^ ^g^r:

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6V«&[Wf>

HENRY COUNTY.

S29

(!)

he received a good common-school education and
assisted his parents.

After leaving home he worked out by the month for
four years, when he bought 40 acres of land in Madi-
son Co., N. Y. There he remained engaged for six
years, when he sold his New York property and left
for the West. He soon found himself in Oxford
Township, this county, arriving as early as June'
1839. He was therefore one of the pioneers of the
county. For 12 years he labored at blacksmithing.
He then entered from the Government 80 acres of
land on section 28. To this he subsequently added
160 acres. Though coming to the county without a
great deal of means, and having to spend so many
years at his trade, he has become one of the promi-
nent and representative citizens of Henry County.
Though not a politician, he has been called upon by
his neighbors and fellow citizens to serve as Justice
of the Peace and Supervisor, and also to fill the re-
sponsible offices of County Treasurer, County Com-
missioner and County Assessor. Politically, he is an
independent Democrat.

While living in the East, Mr. Cole and Miss Au-
gusta Briggs, a native of Massachusetts, were united
in marriage. This event was celebrated Nov. 24,
1830. To them have been born five children, four
of whom are living, — Martha, Festus C, Amos and
Lucy. The first is the wife of A. C. Lockwood, of
Mercer County; Feslus married Elizabeth Taze ;
Amos was married to Miss Kate Emerick ; Lucy is
the wife of W. W. Shakles.

Mrs. Cole died in August, 1877, and Mr. Cole is
now living in retirement on his farm in Oxford
Township.

avid H. Smith, one of the successful farm-

II. ers of Osco Township, as well as one of the

respected and representative men of Henry

'j$£ County, is a resident on section 1 2 . His par-

' H e'nts, Nathan and Susannah (Howard) Smith,

were natives of Pennsylvania, and settled in

Ohio, .where they resided until their deaths.

David H., our subject, was the fourth in order of
birth of a family of six children, and the eldest son,
and was born in Morgan Co., Ohio, Jan. 7, 1834.
There he resided until about 21 years of age, attend-

ing the common schools, and also the Ohio University
at Athens, Ohio, about two years, when he went to
La Fayette Co., Wis., where he resided seven years,
being engaged in farming and mercantile business,
and then at times he was employed in teaching. In
1861 he came to Henry County, and for five years
he rented land and worked the same, at the expira-
tion of which time he purchased 80 acres on section
12, Osco Township, his present location, has erected
splendid buildings, and is now the owner of 160
acres, having made subsequent purchases ; and his
land is all tillable. He has taught school in Henry
County four winters.

Mr. Smith was married in La Fayette Co., Wis.,
Oct. 25, 1855, to Esther Sornborger, daughter of
George and Hannah (Olmstead) Sornborger, natives
of New York State. Mrs. S. was born in Delaware
Co., N. Y., March 31, 1834. The children of Mr.
and Mrs. Smith are six in number, — Howard H ,
Charles M., Will C, Myra E., Ella, who died when
two years old, and Kittie, who died when five months
old.

For five years he has been a member of the Board
of Road Commissioners, and has held other minor
offices of his township. Mr. and Mrs. S. are mem-
bers of the Methodist Episcopal Church, and in
politics he is identified with the Republican party.

'ohn S. Parsons. In 1856 Mr. Parsons came
^ from Rock Island County into Henry, and
shortly afterward purchased 80 acres of
land on section 21, Osco Township, where he
settled. Here he has since lived, and is looked
upon as one of the most highly respected and
well-to-do farmers of Osco. He is a son of George
H. and Henrietta (Carey) Parsons, who were na-
tives and residents of Maryland all their lives. The
eldest of their family of seven children was John S.,
who was born in Worcester Co., Md., March 27,
1824. . Here the earlier years of his life were spent
growing up to manhood and receiving a good prac-
tical education. The last years of his residence in'
Maryland he was engaged in farming. In the spring
of 1852 he came West, and soon found a location in
Rock Island County, where for four years he re-
mained working out by the month. The opportu-

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HENRY COUNTY.

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(•)

nities for accumulating anything by such means is
meagre at all times, but especially so in pioneer
times, when people had but very little money ; and
the early settlers themselves were sturdy, vigorous
and hard-working men. Mr. Parsons, however, must
have saved a little, for we soon find him in this
county, and the owner of 8o acres of land. He
erected good buildings on his farm, which now com-
prises 70 acres of good tillable land.

Shortly after he removed to Henry County, Mr.
Parsons felt that the wisest course for him to pursue
was to secure the advice, assistance and help of a
good wife. This he found in the person of Miss
Mary D. Carroll, the date of the wedding being Oct.
21, T857, in Henry County. Mrs. Parsons is the
daughter of Anthony W. and Belinda (Root) Carroll.
The former was a native of Pennsylvania, while
her mother was a Massachusetts lady. Her parents
settled in Licking Co., Ohio, where her mother died
May 27, T865. Her father went West, and died at
Olathe, Kan., April 27, 1822. Mrs. Parsons was the
eldest of a large family, consisting of eight children,
and was born in Muskingum Co., Ohio, April 2, r827.
She has been an active, enterprising lady in the
community as well as an excellent wife. She has
served her district in the capacity of School Director
for two years. Both herself and husband are mem-
bers of the Methodist Episcopal Church.

eonard H. Richards made his first pur-
chase of land in Henry County in 1870.
He was born in Cattaraugus Co., N. Y.,
April 11, 1836. He is the fourth son of John
/*, M. and Mary (Morfit) Richards. His father was
;_ born in the State of Vermont and his mother in
Connecticut. They were among the earliest settlers
in the State of New York and of the county where
their son was born. The senior bought land in the
dense timber, where he cleared a farm, and was its
owner and occupant until he removed his family to
Erie County, in the same State, in 1848. They con-
tinued to live there until 1856, when they came to
Illinois and located in Whiteside County. They
settled in the vicinity of Leon, where the parents
passed the remaining years of their lives. They
died in 1866 and 1868 respectively.

Mr. Richards came to Illinois on his own account
when 18. He rented a farm in Cook County in the
township of Lyons. He operated there two years,
and in 1856 came to Whiteside County. He was a
farmer there until the second year of the Civil War.
August T4 he enlisted in Co. D, 75th 111. Vol. Inf.,
and continued in the military service of the United
States until the war was ended. He was a partici-
pant in the battles of Mission Ridge, Buzzard's
Roost, Dalton, Kenesaw Mountain, Lookout Moun-
tain and Nashville. He received an honorable dis-
charge June 12, 1865. On being mustered out he
returned to Whiteside County, and continued to
operate there until the year that has been mentioned
as that in which he came to the township of York-
town. He made a purchase of land on section 3,
where he has since prosecuted his farming projects.
He is engaged in what is known as mixed husbandry
and is also occupied in rearing horses and cattle.

Mr. Richards was married Sept. 26, 1861, to Hor-
tensia Sabin. She was born in Portage Co., Ohio,
Sept. 7, 1843. Otis W. and Stella M. are the names
of the children of Mr. and Mrs. Richards.

I \ ichard Williamson, a farmer on section 6,
in the town ship of Munson, came to Henry
County in 1856. He was born in the

township of Kingwood, in Hunterdon Co., N.

J., Aug. 4, 1817. His parents, Derrick and

Catharine (Lafler) Williamson, were born in
the same State, and were residents of the same town-
ship until he was 14, when they removed to Amwell
Township, in that part of Hunterdon County which
has since been set off to Mercer County. That was
his home through the remaining years of his minor-
ity, and he was reared on the homestead estate. He
became his own master at the age of 19, and he
readily obtained employment in the neighborhood,
where he had lived long enough to become well
known.

Sept. 13, 1845, he was married to Amanda P.
Quick. She was born in the township of Hopewen,
in (then) Hunterdon County, and is the daughter of
Joseph and Phebe (Primmer) Quick. The day of
her birth was Jan. 29, 1825. The young couple
rented a farm in Mercer County, and were farmers
there until their removal to Illinois, in the year which

HENRY COUNTY.

i*L,-

■ y;

531

•■ ^

has been mentioned. Mr. Williamson bought 122
acres of land in Munson Township, for which he
paid $15 per acre. It was located on the section on
which he has since lived, and was in an uncultivated
condition. He erected a farm house, and entered
with the greatest vigor into the work of improve-
ment. All of the estate is now under cultivation,
and is all fenced. Many trees have been set out of
several kinds, and the place is a fair manifestation of
the good judgment and industrious perseverance of
the proprietor.

The family of Mr. Williamson comprises two
children. Calvin J. was born in Hopewell Town-
ship, in Mercer Co., N. J., Oct. 26, 1847. He mar-
ried Sarah McCarthy, and they have two children, —
Lillie and Laura C. Sallie was born in the same
township, Oct. 7, 1856, and she is the wife of Jacob
Winans, who is also a native of the same State. They
live in the township of Cambridge, in Henry
County.

The parents belong to the Presbyterian Church.

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1 illiain Roberts, farmer, section 16, Burns
Township. In the year 1833 there jour-
neyed westward from New York in the
the old mode of conveyance a family headed
by Michael Roberts. He and his wife, who
was formerly Miss Minerva Atchison, had six
children at that time, the youngest of whom, or the
next to the youngest rather, was William. This
infant grew up to be William Roberts, the gentle-
man whose name heads this biography. He was
born in Monroe Co., N. Y., Nov 5, 1831. His
parents stopped for a time in Peoria Co., 111., but
soon moved into Fulton County, where they lived
and were well known for a number of years. In
1854 they came into Henry County and settled upon
a piece of land in Burns Township, where the family
have since made their home. Mr. Roberts has a
nice farm here of 121 acres, all of which is tillable.
He has erected fine farm buildings, and is looked
upon as an enterprising farmer. His parents, Michael
and Minerva (Atchison) Roberts, were also natives
of Monroe Co., N. Y., and William was the sixth of
a family of 12 children born to them, and at the
time they moved West he was but two years old.

While living in Fulton County, Mr. Roberts and
Miss Esther Green were united in marriage. This
important event in their lives occurred Dec. 30,
1852. The lady was born in Niagara Co., N. Y., on
Christmas Day of 1837, and is a daughter of William
and Esther (Atchinon) Green, also natives of the
Empire State, and the second of their four children.
Mr. and Mrs. Roberts have had six children, name-
ly : Ida I., Emma L., Frank E., Elmer E., Laura
V. and Roscoe. Ida and Frank are deceased.

Mr. and Mrs. R. are members of the Free-Will
Baptist Church, and in political sentiment Mr. Rob-
erts is inclined toward the Republican party.

ohn L. Jennings. In 1850 Mr. Levi Jen-
nings, who was a native of Virginia, came
with his family to Henry County. Among
his children was a lad ten years of" age, who
has since become a prominent and active cit-
izen of the county. The name of this lad was
John L. Jennings, who to-day resides upon section
7 of Burns Township, and owns a magnificent farm
of 320 acres. The wife of Levi Jennings was Susan
H., nee Shepherd, a native of Ohio.

John L., as might be expected, during the early
years of his life enjoyed only meager advantages for
an education. He was, however, permitted to attend
the Lombard University at Galesburg, and at the
the age of 20 started out to, earn his own livelihood.
He engaged in agricultural pursuits principally, and
has been a resident here since 1850, when he came
to Henry County, as above stated. He is the owner
and proprietor of 320 acres of good tillable land, hav-
ing built upon the same fine buildings, and he is
regarded as one of the leading and enterprising
farmers of Burns Township.

Mr. Jennings was first married at Toulon, Stark
Co., 111., in September of i860, to Mary J. Collins.
His second marriage occurred at Princeton, 111., in
August, 1867, to Mary J. Beck. Jan. 28, 1875, he
was married to his present wife, Sarah E. Oliver.
He is the father of two children, John L., Jr., and
Roy F. Aug. 15, 1862, when President Lincoln
called for more troops, Mr. Jennings enlisted in Co.
H, 1 1 2th 111. Vol. Inf., and served his country brave-
ly for three years. He served as Color Sergeant of
the regiment, and at the battle of Knoxville, Tenn.,

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HENRY COUNTY,

Nov., 1863, he was wounded in the thigh, and at the
battle of Eutaw Creek, Ga., received a wound in the
right leg, and at the battle of Franklin. Tenn., Nov.
30, 1864, he was again a victim of a rebel missile,
receiving a wound in the stomach. Mr. Jennings is
a member of the G. A. R., and is identified with A.
Dunn Post, of Cambridge. He is a Royal Arch
Mason, and politically, has been identified with the
Republican party, but is now a Free-Trader.

: oyal G. Crouch, came to the township of
Atkinson, where he is an agriculturist, in
in 1878. He has a farm of 160 acres on
V<y\ section 16, where he is pursuing his plans
with the success his industry and good man-
agement deserve. He was born March 2,
1831, in the State of Vermont, and his property gives
evidence that he has inherited the practical judgment
and thrifty habits which characterize the stock in
which he had his origin. When he reached the age
of 20 he learned the trade of a brick and plaster ma-
son. He served his apprenticeship in Rutland, Vt.,
and after passing three years in that place he went
to Troy, N. Y., and was occupied there one year in
the same vocation. He came thence to Henry
County and worked at the same business in Gene-
[( ) seo, where he operated as a contractor and took jobs.
In the year 1878 he bought a farm of 160 acres in
Atkinson Township and has been a resident theVe
since. He is a Republican in his political views.

The marriage of Mr. Crouch and Mary E. Hunt
was celebrated Jan. 1, 1855. They have had five
children. Mary Edna was born June t, 1856;
George H., Sept. ro, 1857; Herbert R., July 25,
1862 ; David W., April 9, 1859; Merritt G., Nov. 17,
1874. Mrs. Crouch was born in Vermont Oct. 15,
1835. She is aCongregationalist in religious views.

■ — "•*-*— fi o<s#<llil>-$S>o ■» {<» ■

i illiam Sherrard, proprietor of 1 68 acres
of good farm land, located on section 36,
Osco Township, where he follows the vo-
cation of an agriculturist, is one of the suc-
cessful farmers as well as the respected
citizens of Henry County. The parents of Mr.
Sherrard, whose name stands at the head of this
sketch, were David and Elizabeth (Gilbert) Sherrard,
"-v, natives of Pennsylvania and Scotland respectively.

jU'Vj^i^ ^^^ @7*<>l

They were married and settled in Pennsylvania, and
subsequently emigrated to Mercer County, this State,
in 1853, where they resided until their deaths^

The gentleman of whom we write was the second
child in order of birth in a family of seven children,
and was born in Franklin Co., Pa., Dec. 12, 181 2.
At the age of 18, he was apprenticed for three years
to learn the blacksmith's trade, and followed the
same for three years, after which he engaged in
farming. He first purchased a farm in Lawrence
Co., Pa., on which he resided and cultivated until
1865. In the spring of that year he came to this
county and bought 168 acres of land in Osco Town-
ship. On this land he located with his family and
entered vigorously and energetically upon its im-
provement and cultivation, and has continued to re-
side thereon until the present time, meeting with
success in his chosen vocation, agriculture. His
farm presents the appearance of energy, and is in-
dicative of what may be accomplished by one pos-
sessed of the push and energy of its proprietor.
, The marriage of Mr. Sherrard took place in Law-
rence Co., Pa., and the lady selected to accompany
him through the trials of the future was Miss Eliza-
beth, the accomplished daughter of Samuel and
Mary (Hazen) Baldwin, natives of Pennsylvania.
Mrs. Sherrard was born in Lawrence Co., Pa., July
18, 1817, and has borne her husband 12 children,
namely: Joseph R., S. Theo, David S., Sarah, John
C, Lou, George W., Gilbert L. and James F. are
the living, and William, James and an infant are de-
ceased. Joseph R. resides in Pennsylvania; S.
Theo is a resident of Iowa ; and David S. lives in
Kansas; Sarah became the wife of James M. Wel-
ton, who resides in Osco Township; John C. is liv-
ing in Cambridge Township; Lou is the wife of
Merritt Welton, a resident of Iowa; George W. re-
sides at home with his father; and Gilbert L. is
living in Kansas, while James F. resides in Ohio.

Mrs. Sherrard died in Osco Township, April 14,
1865, and Mr. Sherrard was again married, in Penn-
sylvania, in October, 1869, to Angeline Cunningham,
a native of Pennsylvania. She died in Osco Town-
ship, July 2, 1881, and Mr. Sherwood formed a third
matrimonial alliance, in Munson Township, this
county, Nov. 24, 1883, with Mrs. Barbara Walker,
widow of David Walker, who was killed July 24,
1 88 1, by a team running away with a reaper. He
was in the act of unhitching the horses, when they

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HENRY COUNTY.

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533

started to run, throwing him on the machine, which
caused his death.

Mr. Sherrard and wife are members of the Presby-
terian Church, as likewise was Mr. S.'s second wife,
his first wife having been a member of the Baptist
Church. Politically, Mr. Sherrard is a believer in
and a supporter of the principles advocated by the
Republican party.

■£S$

obert W. Wolever. As early as 1837,
John E. Wolever, the father of our subject,
came from New York to Illinois, and
eventually became one of the prominent
pioneers of Henry County. John E. was born
in Warren Co., N. Y., Oct. 2, 1809, and on
coming to Illinois located at Rochester, Peoria
County, at the place now known as Elmore. He
lived here for a nnmber of years, and in 1852 came
north, and found a location at Geneseo, where, how-
ever, he only remained for about six months, when
he removed to Galva. The railroad was just being
built through this place, and considerable induce-
ments were held out to him to start a hotel. This
he did, and opened the Galva House, which he con-
ducted with some success for three years, when he
sold out his hotel interests, and made some other im-
provements in ihe village. He remained in Galva
until the spring of i860, when he sold his property
there, and bought 166 acres on sections 4 and 5 of
Cornwall Township. It was at the time slightly im-
proved, but he made large additions in the way of
improvements, and brought it to a high state of culti-
vation. In 1834 he married Miss Margaret Hul-
sizer, who was born March 4, 1819. Her death oc-
curred on the 8th of May, 1880, his demise being
on the 4th of October, 1844, leaving a splendid
record as a pioneer and worthy citizen.

Robert W. Wolever, who is farming on section 4,
of Cornwall Township, was born while his parents
were living in Peoria County, the date of his birth
being Nov. 23, 1844. He remained with his parents
until he gained his majority, with the exception of the
time spent in the army. The President kept calling
for troops, and although Robert was but 1 6 years of
age, yet he was determined to shoulder the musket.
He joined Co. H, 57th 111. Vol. Inf., under Capt.

Robbins, of Bureau County, and was mustered in at
Camp Douglas, Chicago, Dec. 26, 1861. During
the following winter, Feb. 10, 1862, his regiment
started for Fort Donelson, and he participated in that
fight. He then proceeded to Pittsburg Landing, and
took part in the battle of Shiloh, where the 57th lost
very heavily. He also took part in the siege of Cor-
inth, and remained in that place until Nov. 12, 1863,
when he was ordered to Middle Tennessee, and as-
signed to garrison duty, while Sherman was prepar-
ing his campaign to Atlanta. He served in the At-
lanta campaign, and engaged in all its eventful
battles. He then did garrison duty at Rome, Ga.,
and in June, 1864, was in the battle of Altoona. On
Dec. 26, of that year, he was discharged at Savan-
nah, Ga., and was mustered out at Chicago, June 10,
1865.

Shortly after his return home, Mr. Wolever was
married to Miss Mahala Fry, daughter of Abraham
and Margaret Fry, pioneers of Henry County. Their
wedding occurred Oct. 21, 1865. Mrs. Wolever be-
came the mother of one child, Cora, who was born
Aug. 9, 1866. In less than a year, May 23, 1867,
the mother died. Mr. Wolever subsequently mar-
ried Miss Rosena Foster. Their wedding occurred
on the 23d of September, 1868. Four children have
been born to them, as follows : Eletha, May 9, 1869;
Lotta, Aug. 5, 187 1 ; Calvin F., June 16, 1875 > and
Lucy, May 26, 1881.

* -^- *

ffcjflenjamin Records, residing on section 36,
Osco Township, where he follows the vo-
cation of a farmer, is the owner of 240
W* acres of land, located on sections 25 and 36
of that township. The parents of Mr. Rec-
ords were natives of the State of Pennsyl-
vania and were by name Philip and Sarah (Hill)
Records. The father died in his native State and
the mother still survives. Benjamin was the oldest
in order of birth of a family of five children. He
was born in Crawford Co., Pa., June 10, 1829. His
education was acquired in the common schools and
he resided on the parental homestead, assisting in
the labors on the farm, until he attained the age of
23 years.
On attaining the age above mentioned, Mr. Rec

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534

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HENRY COUNTY.

ords was employed for about two years in the lum-
ber woods, after which he purchased a farm in
Crawford County, on which he located and cultivated
until the fall of 1863. At that time he came to
Mercer County, this State, and there he resided for
one and a half years, when he removed to Knox
County, and in the spring of 1866 came to this
county. On arriving here, he purchased 80 acres of
land in Burns Township, on which he resided until
the spring of 1875, when he made another move, lo-
cating in Osco Township, where he purchased 280
acres of land on sections 25 and 36. He settled
with his family on section 36 and has continued to
reside thereon up to the present writing, 1885. He
subsequently disposed of 40 acres of his original
purchase, and at present is the owner of 240 acres
in the county, all of which is tillable and in a first-
class farming condition.

The marriage of Mr. Records took place in Ve-
nango Co., Pa., Oct. 15, 1855, and the lady selected
to become his wife was Miss Sarah A. Deets, a na-
tive of the county in which they were married, where
she was born April 7, 1834. Her patents were Jo-
seph and Sarah (Cousins) Deets.

The children born to Mr. and Mrs. Records are
as follows: Andrew J., Ella J., Benjamin S., Frank
S., Emery and Florence (deceased). Mr. Records
has held the position of School Director and Over-
seer of Highways in his township, and, politically,
casts his vote with the Republican party. He and
his wife are devoted adherents to the tenets of the
Methodist Episcopal Church.

l,ndrew G. Anderson, owning 250 acres of
land, located on section 17, Osco Town-
ship, was born in Sweden, April 3, 1839.
Mr. Anderson lived in his native country until
he attained the age of 12 years, when he was
brought by his parents to the United States.
He continued to reside with his parents until two
years after obtaining his majority, when he left the
parental homestead, and set forth to do for himself
in life. Soon thereafter, he purchased a farm in
company with C. J. Hoflund. Not long afterward
they divided their land, and Mr. Anderson traded
his portion for the farm on which he at present re-
sides. His farm comprises, as stated, 250 acres of

good tillable land, and he has erected thereon a fine
frame residence, together with good substantial out-
buildings, and improved his place until it presents an
appearance second to none in the township.

Mr. Anderson was married in Andover Township,
March 12, 1869, to Mary Ellen Johnson, who was
born in that township, Nov. 1,1850. Her parents
were natives of Sweden. Mr. and Mrs. Anderson
have become the parents of seven children, whose
names are : Vernie E., Frank H., Mabel E., Andrew
H, Hannah C, George L. and Nora C. The latter
died June 20, 1885, while in her 5th year. Mr. and
Mrs. A. are faithful adherents to the tenets of the
Methodist Episcopal Church. Politically, Mr. An-
derson affiliates with the Republican party. He has
held the position of School Director in his township,
and is noted for the push and energy he displays in
the management of his farm.

ohn H. Smith, a substantial citizen of
Geneseo Township, is one of the foremost
of the self-made men of Henry County.
He is a pioneer of the township of Edford of
185 1, and was a resident of that section of the
county until 1864, when he came to the place
where he has since resided.

He was born in Prussia Nov. 15, 1820. From the
age of seven until he was 14 he was in the schools
of his native town, according to the laws of that
country, which controls the minority period of all
male children. From the age of nine he was in the
habit of rising at four o'clock in the morning for the
purpose of herding cattle until the hour of school.
At noon he resumed the care of the herds and took
charge of them until dark, receiving for the service
72 cents a month. When he was 14 he hired out
on a farm for the stipulated sum of $16 per year, and
a year later he was paid $18 for the same amount of
labor. Meanwhile one of his brothers had come to
the United States, and when he reached the age of
20 years John received $5° fr°m nlm t0 Pav ms ^are
to this country. He sailed from one of the German
ports and landed in the city of Baltimore after a sea
voyage of seven weeks. On his arrival he found he
had $7.50 remaining of the amount with which he
set out. He went at first to Cumberland, Md., and

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HENRY COUNTY.

535

from there to Somerset Co., Pa., where he was em-
ployed as a farm assistant at $5 per month. He
worked eight months at that rate and then obtained
a situation where he received a remuneration of $84
a year. The first money he earned he used to reim-
burse his brother in order to start fair in the New
World. After that he lived frugally and saved his
earnings to lay the foundations of the competency
which he now enjoys. It may be remarked in passing
that they who come to America in hope and courage,
and manfully place their shoulders to the wheel of
work and progress, such as the customs of the land
afford opportunity for doing, rarely fail to reap the
reward of industry and honorable effort. Mr. Smith
remained on a farm three years and then passed two
years in Cumberland in the capacity of a hostler
connected with a hotel. He then purchased a team
of six horses and engaged in the transportation
business, carrying goods from Cumberland to the
towns of the interior. Four years later his business
was brought to a termination by the advent of the
railroad.

In company with his brother William he then came
to Illinois. They traveled to Alton by the river
route, which was then the medium of the travel to
the West. From Alton they came on foot to Henry
County. They bought 320 acres in the township
which is now called Edford, but which then was un-
organized. The tract referred to was all prairie and
and they purchased 80 acres additional, which was
covered with trees. After completing their purchase
they returned to Cumberland for their families. In
the spring of the next year they took possession of
their land in Henry County. They made their sec-
ond trip to Illinois by the same route as at first, with
the exception of landing at Rock Island. There
they bought a wagon and a pair of horses and came
to their location in township 18. The brothers
worked their estate in company until 1853, when
they divided, each taking 160 acres of prairie and 40
acres of timber. Mr. Smith built a house for his
family on the prairie portion of his properly on sec-
tion 32, and proceeded to put the entire place in
good agricultural condition. He also planted trees
and was the owner and occupant of the place until
1864, when he came to section 16, in the township
of Geneseo. His first purchase included 165 acres
of land in the immediate vicinity of the city of Gene-
seo, and he has prospered until he is at present the

proprietary owner of 700 acres of land situated on
sections 9 and 16, located in a solid body. The
property on section 16 has a good outfit of frame
buildings and the second farm, on section 9, is sup-
plied with a brick house and frame barn. The
business of Mr. Smith is a stock and grain farmer.

He was married in November, 1849, to Ann
Meese, in Somerset Co., Pa. They have four chil-
dren. Elizabeth is the wife of Aaron Ott, and they
live in Kansas. Nancy married Peter Drum, a resi-
dent of Geneseo. Mary E. and John H. are the two
younger. Mr. and Mrs. Smith are members of the
Evangelical Church.

— .S6U-

H. Swain. The current year — 1885 —
completes three decades in which the
gentleman whose name appears at the
P beginning of this sketch has been a resident
of Henry County. He has devoted his time
' and attention to the development of his agricul-
tural interests and is the proprietor of a good farm
on section 23, in the township of Munson. No im-
provements had been made on the place previous to
its becoming his property, and as soon as he became
the owner he erected a small frame house for a
residence. The frame house which now adds to the
value and appearance of the place is a commodious
structure, well adapted to the purpose for which it is
designed, and the remainder of the buildings on the
farm are of a corresponding character. The place
is also supplied with trees of different varieties.

Mr. Swain was born at Brentwood, Rockingham
Co., N. H., Oct 18, T821, and is the son of Stephen
and Hannah (Davis) Swain. The son was reared on
the home farm and trained in a knowledge of the
business of a farmer. He received his education in
the public schools. At the age of 22 he went to
Boston, Mass., to learn the trade of a carpenter, and
he operated there five years. He went thence to
Lawrence and continued to reside there until his
removal to Illinois in the year stated as that in which
he came to Henry County.

Mr. Swain was joined in marriage with Susan M.
Simonton, Oct. 18, 1846. She is a native of the
province of New Brunswick and was brought up in
Portland, Me. They have eight surviving children :

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536

HENRY COUNTY.

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George lives in Cass Co., Iowa. Annie M. is the
wife of Eliphalet Chichester, of Shelby Co., Iowa.
Benjamin R. is a citizen of Hamilton Co., Iowa.
Edith married Roderick Ayres, and they live in
Marion Co., Iowa. Alfred and Lizzie live at home.
The latter is a prominent and popular teacher. Cora
is the wife of Willard Petty e, and they are residents
of Harlan Co., Neb. Lester is the youngest and
lives at home. The mother was born Oct. 22, 1823.
The family are members of the Baptist Church.

r lonzo Morgan is a pioneer of Henry Coun-
|£ ty and also of Munson Township, where
he settled in 1853. His farm is situated
on section 29, and he is considered one of the
representative agriculturists of this part of
the county. He was born at Alexander Bay,
in St. Lawrence Co., N. Y., on a farm located on the
banks of the river of the same name. His birth oc-
curred March 31, 1824. His father, Pliny W. Mor-
'gan, was a native of the same State and was de-
scended from Connecticut parentage. The latter
was born in Oneida Co., N. Y., in 1802. His family
were among the pioneers of that county. He married
Hannah Porter in 1822. She was born in Connecti-
cut. They were residents of St. Lawrence County,
where they went soon after their marriage, but a short
time, and then went to Steuben Township, in the
county of Oneida. The elder Morgan was a shoe-
maker and removed his family to those places in
which he was able to obtain patronage in his busi-
ness, as the customs of those days and that period
differed greatly from the present. In 1840 he bought
a farm in Oneida County and was occupied in the
pursuit of agriculture thereon until the date of his
removal to Henry County. The first land of which
he was the owner was located on section 34, and he
retained his claim upon it until 1858, when he sold
it and removed to the township of Cornwall. There
he bought 80 acres of uncultivated land on section
16, where he proceeded to improve a farm, and
erected a good set of necessary farm buildings. This
continued in his possession until 1867. When he
sold the place he removed to the city of Geneseoand
established his residence, which he maintained there
until 1 88 1, when he went to Davenport. In the year
1883 he died, in that city. He was twice married.

The issue of the first marriage was four children.
All but one, the subject of this biographical narra-
tion, died in infancy. The first wife died Feb. 26,
1828. The second wife before her marriage was
Miss Ruey Hamilton. They had two children. Al-
bert W. lives at Cedar Rapids, Iowa. Herbert J. is
a citizen cf Chicago.

Mr. Morgan, of this sketch, was but four years
old when he lost his mother, and as soon as he was
old enough he took into his own hands the question
of sustaining himself. He worked as a farm assist-
ant in Oneida County, and at first was able to com-
mand but $6 per month. However, that was a
difficulty that was substantially remedied by the
lapse of time, and as he was able to increase his
usefulness his wages increased in proportion.

In 1844 he became a married man. His union
with Martha P. Tuttle occurred on the 4th day of Au-
gust, in the year named. Mrs. Morgan is the daugh-
ter of Orris and Amy (Smith) Tuttle. Her parents
were both born in Camden, N. Y. Her grandparents
in both lines of descent were natives of the State of
Connecticut. Her father was the first white male
child born in Camden. Mr. and Mrs. Morgan set-
tled, after their union in the bonds of matrimony, in
Onondaga Co., N. Y., where they occupied a rented
farm four years. In 1848 they came to Illinois.
They made the journey thither by canal to Buffalo,
and from there by the lakes to Chicago. From there
they took passage on the Illinois Canal to LaSalle,
whence they went on the river of the same name to
Peoria.

They bought a farm in the township of Tri-
voli in Peoria County, after they had been there two
years, during which time Mr. Morgan was operating
as an agriculturist. The purchase included but 40
acres, and it was of the quality of land known there
as hazel-brush land. He built a frame house on it,
16 x 1 8 feet in dimensions, " grubbed " a few acres,
and occupied the place until 1853. In 1852 he came
to Henry County and entered 80 acres of land situa-
ted on the east half of the southeast quarter of sec-
tion 29, in the township where he is at present a
resident. After making his claim he returned to
Peoria County and remained until the fall of the next
year, when he took possession of his property in
Henry County. He had employed assistance to
break a few acres in the previous summer and to
build a house, of which the family took possession on

^2T

HENRY COUNTY.

-54^«sr

541

their removal hither. In the spring of 1854 Mr.
Morgan entered into the work of putting the place
under the best grade of cultivation. The, stock he
owned at that time consisted of a pair of horses, a
cow and calf and one hog. At first he interested
himself in the work of raising grain. For some years
past he has given his attention to stock-raising. He
has made further purchases of land and is now, the
owner of 270 acres, which is all enclosed and is either
under improvement or is in pasture He keeps an
average of 40 head of cattle, six or eight horses and
a drove of hogs.

Adelbert L., the oldest child of Mr. and Mrs.
Morgan, lives in the city of Chicago. Edgar W.
removed to Colorado. Amanda A. is the wife of
Edward C. Sayre, of Munson Township.

•Kaeflrt&S®*' — m

*§&®&im*

ohn Lyle, of Kewanee, was born at or near

f Paisley, in Scotland, July 29, 1806, and was

brought by his mother to America in t8i6.

His father, William Lyle, inherited a small
]£ estate at Alexandria, Va., and in the year of

1810 left his family in* the old country for the
express purpose of realizing upon it and returning to
Scotland ; but when once in the United States he
found the country and the people so congenial that
he decided to remain. So, when his family arrived
they found him at Alexandria, where, instead of hav-
ing prepared for them a home, his generosity had
gotten the better of his judgment, and his appetite
for strong drink had caused him to waste the sub-
stance of his inheritance. Thus they were in a
strange land without money. After probably two
years' stay at Alexandria, they removed to Caledonia
Co., Vt, where the senior Mr. Lyle died, in 1834, at
the age of 66 years.-

In 1836 the subject of this sketch came into Stark
County and entered a tract of land in Elmira Town-
ship, and the following year his mother and two of
his brothers removed from Vermont, and the little
family was once more united. The old lady lived to
-be 95 years of age, and died at the home of her son
Thomas, who was the youngest of the family.. (See
biography of Thomas Lyle.) John Lyle received a
limited education at the subscription schools, and
when 17 years of age bought his time from his father,

3*$%t& ^A^flfl<

paying him therefor, as soon as he could earn it, the
sum of $75. After striking out for himself his first
employment was as a charcoal burner at Chester-
field, N. Y., where he worked for four years, and, as
he says, sowed his " wild oats." He was 30 years of
age when he came into Illinois, and for the succeed-
ing ten years a fair estimate places his labor upon
the farm at not less than 18 hours out of every 24.
His inheritance consisted in an iron constitution and
a physique capable of extraordinary endurance.
From the age of 1 2 years up to nearly four score he
labored like a hireling, and a success of his efforts
will only partially appear in his history. How many
farms he purchased and improved is forgotten even
by himself, though his mind and memory are as
bright at this writing (July, 1885) as if he were but
40 years. Within the past ten years over $75,000 of
his well earned money has been wiped out by bank-
rupts, and it is related that in one single instance he
canceled a mortgage claim of $56,000 in exchange
for a two-year-old stallion, worth probably less than
$1,500. His files contain stacks of outlawed notes
and mortgages, and the aggregate value of such pa-
per yet in force is unknown to himself. To his three
grandchildren, who since the death of his son con-
stitute his only heirs, he has given in money and
other property not less than $120,000, and yet the
sum of his possessions, for one who has made his
money as he has, is quite large. He has~not made
his money as a gambler in margins, nor as a stock
jobber or Government contractor, nor indeed at the
expense of his less fortunate neighbors, but as a
quiet, unostentatious farmer, a laborer, by the buy-
ing of unimproved lands and converting them into
improved property and fine farms, and disposing of
them at their legitimately appreciated value ; by these
and similar methods his money has been made, and
his residuary possessions we say are remarkable.

On the 24th day of May, 1864, he enlisted as a
patriot soldier in Co. K, 134th 111. Vol. Inf., and
served until the expiration of his term, Oct. 25 of
the same year. . When the company arrived in Chi-
cago, examinations preliminary to being mustered
into service disclosed the fact of his age,, and his en-
rollment was peremptorily refused. This was a
sad disappointment to him, and he. returned to Ke-
wanee. Here he visited a barber shop and had his
gray hairs blackened, and returned with some new
recruits to Chicago. Not even his old comrades

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4^K@V|

542

HENRY COUNTY.

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recognized him. Concealing his real age from the
officer, that matter was no longer in the way; but he
had another difficulty to overcome. When a young
man and while engaged upon the construction of a
house in Vermont, a brother workman accidentally
thrust the blade of an ax obliquely through his left
hand ; this permanently disabled that member. In
order to conceal another fact that would undoubtedly
debar enrollment upon his second application, Mr.
Lyle held the wounded hand behind him while the
examining surgeon thumped his chest and held his
ear to his heart, and went through the various ma-
neuvers usual in such cases, and when the officer
passed to an examination of the volunteer's " rear
elevation " the wounded hand was immediately
passed to the front and the good right hand took its
place in the rear! Thus, one hand was examined
twice, the recruit was accepted, and at once took his
march to the front. While in the army he did his
full share of duty, both as a soldier and a forager; in
fact, it is claimed that he could scent a chicken roost
farther than any other man in the company, and that
his " mess " never suffered fiom a lack of variety of
the delicacies of the season.

In the summer of 1863 Mr. Lyle, loaded with all
sorts of keepsakes and kindly remembrances, visited
the " boys " at Vicksburg, and by permission of the
commanding officer accompanied the army six weeks
upon the Meridian campaign. It was probably
upon that occasion that his extraordinary ability as a
"forager" first displayed itself. It is said that upon
one occasion he had so many chickens strung upon
an old musket that they weighed him down, and he
decided to reconnoiter for a beast of burden. Learn-
ing that there were a couple of mules upon a certain
plantation in the neighborhood, he proceeded to pay
his respects to the barn in which they were confined,
with a view to " borrowing " one of them for a few
days! As he neared the barn-yard the planter came
out of the stable leading the two animals to water.
That settled it. He knew at 6nce that neither of
those mules was for " loan," and he retraced his
steps to camp. Relating his experience to the
" boys," one of them volunteered to bring in a quad-
ruped of some sort upon short notice. The terms
were accepted, and when the army moved again the
" boss forager " was mounted.

Years after the war was over, a Baptist minister
from Mississippi visited Kewanee upon his errands

of mercy, and while here and in company with Mr.
Lyle related how that, in the summer of 1863, the
Union army "had depleted his hen roosts, gleaned his
fields and his gardens, stripped his fruit-trees and
ransacked his pantry, and worst of all a soldier led
away the last old mule that had been left him to
draw his family to and from church. The mule was
minutely described and the picture was complete.
The whilom owner of the contraband donkey and
the man who rode it away upon the Meridian cam-
paign stood face to face !

June 19, 1833, Mr. Lyle was married, in Vermont,
to Miss Hester D. Craig, who through all the long
years of toil, accompanied often by hardship, has
been his faithful companion, sharing alike his pleas-
ures and his sorrows. Their only child, George
Lyle, was born in October, 1834, and died May 19,
1862.

But few men are more deserving a prominent
place in the history of this county than Mr. John
Lyle. Few, if any, have done more toward its im-
provement; have exhibited greater enterprise or led
a more energetic life. To his memory, for it is
worthy of perpetuation, we place a full-page portrait
of Mr. Lyle in this Album, and as a fitting and
worthy companion to his we place the portrait of his
wife. She has been a co-worker with him in his
many labors.

eorge Poppleton, a well known, respected
and thrifty farmer of Osco Township,
his residence being on sectior 24, was
born in Lincolnshire, England, August 15,
1831. His parents were William and Mary
(Bannister) Poppleton, natives of Lincoln-
shire, Eng., and of their family often children George,
our subject, was the ninth in order of birth.

He lived at home, under the influence of his par-
ents, until 1851, meanwhile assisting his father on
the farm and attending school winters, but we are
sorry to say his school privileges were somewhat
limited. In the spring of 1851 he came to America,
and lived in Niagara County, N. Y., for three and a
half years, learning the carpenter's trade in the
meantime, and in 1855 came to Geneseo, 111., where
he worked at his trade for four years. He then pur-
chased forty acres in Osco Township, on section 24,

-^€»^ S^DHSniK-^A© :*€^

HENRY COUNTY.

* ,

•!*

543

his present homestead, where he settled and has
since been a resident. He has built a fine set of
buildings upon his farm and is now the owner and
possessor of 353 acres of land, all highly cultivated.
Mr. Poppleton was married in Cambridge, 111.,
Dec. 31, 1855, to Esther Hall, daughter of John and
Jane (Baiiey) Hall, natives of Ireland. She was the
youngest of a family of eight children, and was born
in the North of Ireland, May 8, 1835. Mr. and Mrs.
Poppleton are the parents of six children, viz. : Mary
J., George B., Britton L., Sherman W., John W.,
Esther A. George B. was united in marriage Oct.
3, 1881, to Hattie W. Jackson. They have two
children, — Ruby and Ray. Mr. P. has held several
of the minor offices of the township. In politics he
affiliates with the Republican party. Mr. and Mrs.
P. are members of the Episcopal Church.

ames Withrow, a farmer of Henry County,
|^ was born Feb. t, 1833, at Shawneetown, Gal-
latin Co., 111., and is the son of Neely and
Polly (Eveleth) Withrow, pioneers of the same
county, and of whom an account is given on
another page of this work. He came to this
county with his parents, and underwent the expe-
riences of the son of a pioneer in an unsettled coun-
try. The educational facilities were of the same
primitive fashion as the other surroundings, and the
privileges were of the same grade. His life was
passed on the farm until the country had need of
his services in her defense, and he'made three efforts
to enroll as a soldier, but in vain, as he was physic-
ally disabled, and there was no such thing as escap-
ing the vigilant eye of the examining surgeon. He
was obliged to be content with the life of a civilian.
His marriage to Mary A., daughter of Jonathan
and Charlotte Allen, took place Oct. 3, 1857. She
was born in the State of Pennsylvania. Their chil-
dren are three in number — two sons and a daughter.
Arthur married Luella Cherry and lives in Phenix
Township. Mary A. died when she was three years
old. Edward E. is a resident of Phenix. The mother
died April 23, 1875.

The family removed to Geneseo in 1865, and, with
the exception of one year, have been here ever since.
In 1875 they were on the farm. The estate of Mr.

Withrow contains 240 acres in Phenix Township,
and 40 acres situated in the vicinity 'of Geneseo.
He is also the owner of 240 acres in Nebraska. It
is located in Merrick County, and joins the village
called Central City.

In political connection Mr. Withrow is a Repub-
lican of decided stripe, and he has been prominent
in the local offices of the county. He has served
14 years as Deputy Sheriff, and has been Constable
12 years. He has officiated in the capacity of City
Marshal two years. The Fair Grounds of Geneseo
are on his property, and he takes great interest in
good trotting stock.

amuel Peterson, living on section 15, Osco
Township, and one of the largest land-
owners in that township, as well as one of
the successful farmers and respected citizens
of Henry County, is a native of Sweden. He
was. born in that country Jan. 23, 1836, and on
attaining the age of majority, in 1857, he emigrated
to the United States.

On coming to this country, Mr. Peterson located
in Iowa, where he resided until i860. In the fall of
that year he came to this county and for three years
rented land which he cultivated. At the expiration
of that time he purchased a tract of land in Osco
Township, on which he moved with his family. At
the present time he is the owner of 7 84 acres in Osco
Township, a large proportion of which is under an
advanced state of cultivation. He is also the owner
of mill property in Orion and has several hundred
acres of land in Minnesota and Iowa. He keeps
about 60 head of cattle, 24 head of horses and' fat-
tens about 100 head of hogs on his place annually.
From the foregoing, we see that Mr. Peterson has
accumulated largely of real-estate and personal
property. Possessing but little with which to com-
mence a life of business activity on arriving in this
country, he has by good judgment and energetic ef-
fort procured a competency, and to his own indomit-
able perseverance, coupled with the active co-opera-
tion of his good wife, may be ascribed all the honor.
He is a gentleman whose word is accepted as equal
to his bond ; a respected citizen and a progressive
and successful follower of his vocation in life.

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544

1=3

HENRY COUNTY.

Mr. Peterson was married in this country March
22, 1865, to Miss Anna M. Mangulson, a native of
Sweden, where she was born Oct. 1, 1847. The is-
sue of their union is ten children, seven living and
three deceased. The living are John L., Delia, Ly-
dia W., Otis F., Phebe E., Clifford R. and Florence,
and the deceased were named' Gilmore, Theresa and
Oscar. Iii politics Mr. Peterson is identified with the
Republican party.

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X eely Withrow, deceased, was a pioneer of
Henry County, of 1835. He arrived here
in August of that year, and was a resident
of the township of Phenix ever after until
his death, which took place Jan. 25, 1839, and
which was the result of an accident. He was
born near the city of Louisville, Ky., Feb. 16, i8ro,
and was brought up a farmer. William Withrow, his
father, removed with his family to Shawneetown,
111., in 1828. Mr. Withrow of this sketch was mar-
ried in that place to Polly Eveleth. She was a native
of Pennsylvania, and was born Feb. 12, 1806. Their
marriage occurred May 20, 1830.

Mr. Withrow was the owner of a tract of land in
White County, and they were its occupants until
1833, \,hen they came to Henry County. They came
hither in company with several other families, and
all traveled in the primitive manner in vogue in those
days, there being no method of public conveyance,
and the days of railroads in unsettled regions being
things of a later period of civilization. But the long
tedious progress was not without its benefit, and fam-
ilies became closer knit together in the days that
were of necessity wearisome ; and their new homes
did not seem so desolate and remote from the limits
of civilization left behind, when contrasted with the
monotonous journey that extended through several
weeks. Their means of locomotion included both
horse and ox teams, and all the ins and outs of the
domestic machinery were kept in operation. The
cooking was done by the wayside, and at night they
slept in their wagons. Mr. Withrow stopped a few
months at Knoxville, and in the month of August
pushed on to Henry County. He made a stop at
Red Oak Grove, where he took a claim and prepared

to establish a permanent residence. He built a
pioneer's cabin of logs in the primitive method of
those that wrought with such facilities as the times
and place afforded, and covered the structure with
clapboards and laid a floor with puncheon, there be-
ing no lumber in the State. In the fall of the next
year he came to what is now Phenix Township.
He sold his claim in Red Oak, and secured another
on section 20 of the township named. He made the
same preparations for living, and followed the same
plans in his building. The roof, as in the other in-
stance, was of clapboards, and the floor and doors
were of puncheon. He was the owner of several
head of cattle, and he did his first breaking with
oxen. He was killed by being thrown from a sleigh.
His widow was married Feb. 24, 1841, to Harvey
Hickox. He died Nov. 4, 1853, and she is a mem-
ber of the family of her son Amariah. The children
of the first marriage are Amariah, James N., John
Wesley, Lucy and Neely. Two of three children
born of the second marriage are not living. Eunice,
the only survivor, is the wife of Asaph King, of Cen-
tral City, Mo.

Neely Withrow was the first Justice of the Peace
in the township of Phenix. There was no county
jail, and he had a big blo~k in his house in which he
drove staples, to which he was in the habit of chain-
ing prisoners. They could then reach the fire and
go to bed when occasion demanded. Mr. Withrow
is recorded as one of the first voters at the first elec-
tion held in the county, June ro, T837. The oldest
son married Mary Houston, and lives in Phenix
Township. James married Mary Allen, and they
reside at Geneseo. John W. married Arvilla Allea,
and is a citizen of Hanna Township. Lucy is the
wife of Robert Barge, of Central City, Neb. Neely
married Ellen Paddock, and they live at the place
last named.

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ohn Robb, an agriculturist in the township
f of Munson, became a land-holder in Henry
County in 1858. He is a native of Penn-
sylvania, and his ancestors for many years
%F were born in the same State. His great-grand-
' ? father was the owner of immense tracts of land,
and the inheritance belonging to the grandfather of

<§J

HENRY COUNTY.

—a

i^^v||

545

Mr. Robb im.luded 700 acres. He died in Pennsyl-
vania, in the same house in which he was born, at
the age of 85.

Mr. Robb was born Aug. 16, 181 2, and is the
third son of James and Sarah (Russell) Robb. Par-
ents and son were born in Chester County in the
Keystone State.

The family removed to Ohio when the son was 15.
The settlement was made in Wayne County, where
the subject of this sketch grew to manhood. Before
he was 20, he was occupied as an assistant on the
homestead farm of his father, and at that age he de-
termined to learn a trade, and served an apprentice-
ship at that of carpenter and builder. He operated
in Wayne County until 1855, when he went to Iowa.
He located in Johnson County and secured the title
to 80 acres of land. The tract was in a wild condi-
tion and he passed three succeeding years in the
capacity of a renter.

In that year he came to Illinois and located in
Henry County. He passed the first year in the
the township of Osco, and in 1859 bought the farm
on which he has since operated and made a success
of agriculture. It is located on section 8. Since
1862 Mr. Robb has given his undivided attention to
his farming, and has continued to increase his estate
until he is at present the proprietor of nearly 80
acres. The immense property is all under good im-
provements, and all the appurtenances of the place
are of a character suited to its extent and the meth-
ods of management practiced by the owner.

The marriage of Mr. Robb and Ann Elliott oc-
curred in 1 8s 5. The children which were born of
their union are three in number : Nathan lives in
Adair Co., Iowa; Walter C. lives at home, also the
youngest child, Simon E. Mrs. Robb was born
April 13, 1825, in Wayne Co., Ohio. She and her
husband are Presbyterians in religious belief and
connection.

f ohn Wachs, a farmer residing on section
13, Cornwall Township, is a native of
Switzerland, in which country he was born
Jan. 7, 1851. At the age of four years he ac-
companied his step-mother and uncle to the
United States, his father having preceded them
to this country two years before. Mr. Wachs, his

uncle and step-mother, after a pleasant voyage across
the briny waters, landed at New York, where, after
remaining a few days, they went to Ohio, remained
about three months, and then came to Kewanee,
this county. The father of Mr. Wachs, of this
sketch, was also a native of Switzerland, having been
born in that country in May, 1828. He married
Miss Cathrina Schwab in 1849, m Switzerland.
She died in 1852, leaving one child, John, the sub-
ject of this sketch.

Mr. Wachs was married to Miss Catherine E.
Knapper, Feb. 26, 1878. She was born in this
county, and her father, Gottlieb Knapper, was a
native of Wurtemberg, Germany, and on the 18th of
February, 182 1, he first saw the light of day in that
country. He was united in marriage with Christina
Kingsinger in 1839.

Mr. Wachs, of whom we write, is. at present the
proprietor of 280 acres of good farm land, 120 of it
being in Annawan Township, and the remainder in
Cornwall Township. Of their union four children
were born, — Jacob B., Catherine E., Bertha M. and
John William. They are all members of the Presby-
terian Church. Politically, Mr. Wachs is liberal in
his views.

¥ -^. 4

illiam L. Robinson, a farmer of Munson
Township, has been a resident of the
County since 1855. He was born in
Clermont Co., Ohio (Stone Lick Township),
Marrh 17, 1825. He is the only s6n of
John and Phebe (Hall) Robinson. His grand-
father, whose name was John Robinson, was born in
the capital city of Ireland, and emigrated to this
country about 1800. He came with a nephew who
had the same name — John Robinson. The former
settled at first in Virginia and went thence to Penn-
sylvania. At a date somewhat later he removed to
Ohio and settled in the county in which the subject
of this sketch was born. He died there about 181 1.
Richard Hall, the grandfather on the maternal side,
was a resident in the State of Ohio, and gained con-
siderable notoriety as an Indian fighter, as in those
days the depredations of the red men demanded all
possible vigilance and courage on the part of the
whites. John Robinson died in Clermont County,

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546

HENRY COUNTY.

in 1828. His wife died there in 1857. She was
born Jan. 1, 1795.

Mr. Robinson was but three years of age when his
father died. He lived with his mother until he was
11, when he went to reside with an older sister in
Hamilton Co., Ohio, and he made his home with
her for three years. He then returned to his mother
and was with her -two years. He had acquired a
good education, which enabled him to teach, and he
followed that occupation six years. He had also
fitted himself for the career of a builder, if necessity
or opportunity should demand. In 1850 he came to
Illinois. He operated as a book agent in Peoria for
six months and then returned to his native State.
After teaching a term of school in Goshen, Ohio, he
returned to Peoria County and engaged in the busi-
ness of a carpenter. He was married there March
30, 1851, to Mrs. Catherine (Jameson) Hedstrom.
She was born in Litchfield, Conn., and is the daugh-
ter of Thomas and Laura (Ford) Jameson. Her
birth took place Dec. 20, 1823. She was the widow
of John Hedstrom.

After the marriage of Mr. Robinson, he and his
wife went to Knoxville, and he there managed the
same business as he had followed at Brimfield,
where he was married. Six months later, they re-
turned to Peoria County. He passed six months in
the same employ in the same township, and then be-
came a land-holder there by the purchase of a farm.
He passed the years that intervened between that
time and 1855 in that business in Brimfield Town-
ship. He then sold the farm and came to Henry
County, reaching his destination in October. He
bought land in what was then township 16, now
Munson. It was located on section 23, and a house
had been nearly completed by its former owner, and
it constituted the entire improvements on the farm.
The new proprietor went on with the improvements
and erected all the buildings and put the place un-
der excellent culture. In December, i860, the
family residence was destroyed by fire, and that now
occupied by them was built soon after.

The children belonging to the household, now liv-
ing, are four in number : Melvina is the wife of the
Rev. J. D. Calhoun, a preacher in the Methodist
Church, now stationed at Port Byron ; Ellen L. is
the wife of Rev. H. K. Metcalf, who is the Pastor of
a Church in New Boston, Mercer Co., 111. ; John F.
is a preacher in the interests of the same denomina-

tion, and is connected with the Conference of Cen-
tral Illinois: he is officiating on the Rock River
Circuit. Albert J. was born Jan. 1, 1859, and died
Aug. 12, 1884, in Omaha, Neb. He was one of the
head clerks in the office of the Pacific Express Com-
pany in that city. Florence M. is the name of the
youngest. She and her mother are members of the
Methodist Church.

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mira (Clapp) Stoughton, natives of Connecticut.
The parents of Mr. Stoughton, of this sketch,
were united in marriage and sett'ed in Ashtabula
Ohio, where they resided until their deaths.
Eight children were born of their union : Jonathan
C, Aura A., Mary, Emily, Hardin, Sarah, Henry E.
and Sophronia A.

Henry E. Stoughton, the gentleman whose name
heads this notice, is a native of Ohio, having been
been born in Ashtabula County, that State, April 15,
1837. The years of his minority were passed on the
farm, and in attending the common schools of his
native county. He remained under the parental
roof-tree until he was 23 years of age, passing the
major portion of his life on the farm and in learning
the blacksmith's trade. Reaching that age in life,
he left the old homestead, and for nearly three years
worked at his trade.

Aug. 25, 1864, Mr. Stoughton enlisted in the 177th
Ohio Vol. Inf., and fought in defense of his country's
flag until the close of war, July 7, 1865. After this
Mr. Stoughton returned to Ohio, where he remained
until the following February, 1866, variously occupied,
when he came to this county and purchased 40 acres
of land located in Osco Township. He afterward
sold his 40 acres and purchased 80 acres where he is
at present residing, on section 22, same township.
Mr. Stoughton, by energetic effort and economy, has
succeeded in increasing his landed interests until at
present he is the proprietor of a farm containing 200
acres of well improved land. He has erected on his
farm good buildings, thoroughly and completely
fenced it, and its appearance is indicative of that
energy possessed by its proprietor.

Mr. Stoughton, March 26, 1861, chose Miss Phi-

enry E. Stoughton, the owner of 200 acres of
. good farming land in Osco Township, and re-
siding on section22,is asonof Henry and Al-

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HENRY COUNTY.

547

lenda Richmond as the lady to share his joys and sor-
rows, successes and reverses, through the future, and
they were united in marriage in Ashtabula County,
Ohio. She was the daughter of Alanson and Ase-
nath Richmond, natives of New York, and was born
in Ashtabula County, Ohio, Feb. r, 1841. Of their
union five children were born, — Fitz J., Henry L.,
Eddie, Frank L. and Bertha M. The demise of
Eddie occurred when he was three years of age.

Mr. S tough ton has held the office of Collector,
School Trustee, School Treasurer ai.d Township As-
sessor, and in politics is a stanch Republican. So-
cially, Mr. Stoughton is a member of the Order of
Masonry. He is a gentleman respected for his
straightforward and manly dealings with his fellow-
man, and his accumulations are the outgrowth of an
energetic disposition.

lbridge D. Richardson, cashier of the Far-
mers' National Bank at Cambridge, as a
native of the Green Mountain State. He
was born July 21, 1839, in Pomfret, Windsor
Co., Vt. The family to which he belonged is
of English extraction and settled in the State
of Massachusetts. Mr. Richardson is the fourth in
descent from Elijah Richardson, and the son of the
latter, Baruch Richardson, was a farmer in the State
mentioned as being the first in which the family lo-
cated. James H. Richardson, the son of Baruch,
was born in Barnard, Vermont. He was educated
in that State as a physician and a graduate from the
Medical College at Woodstock, Vt , which in its pri-
mal days had the reputation of supplying some of
the best qualified medical practitioners known in the
profession. He established his business at Westford,
in the same State, and went thence later in life to
Winooski, in the immediate vicinity of the city of Bur-
lington, where he is at present located. He married
Barbara B. Gibson, who is a native of Pomfret, Vt.
She is the daughter of William and Susan (Burns)
Gibson and her parents were also born in Vermont.
On her mother's side the family is of Scotch extrac-
tion. They had four children. Elbridge D. is the
oldest. Mrs. Ellen M. (Richardson) Allen is a resi-
dent of Vermont, as is Mrs. Susan G. (Richardson)
Allen. Clara is deceased. She died at the age of 15.

In October, 1865, Mr. Richardson came to Cam-
bridge. He passed about three years in the sale of
groceries, and, selling out at the end of that time, he
embarked in trade in hardware. He was interested
in that line of traffic five years. During the time, he
was appointed Postmaster at Cambridge, receiving
his appointment from President Grant in 1870. He
discharged the duties of the position until 1881. In
Sept., 1873, Mr. Richardson entered the employ of
C. R. Wheeler & Co., private bankers at Cambridge,
in the capacity of book-keeper. He continued in
their service until July, i88r, when he was appointed
assistant cashier of the First National Bank at Cam-
bridge. In October, of the same year, he received
his appointment to the position in which he has since
officiated. He has the reputation of being a most
reliable and efficient accountant.

His marriage to Sarah M. Alfred took place May
31, 1865, at Fairfax, Vt. She was born in Berk-
shire, Vermont, June 30, 1839, and is the daughter
of Samuel D. and Polly (Smith) Alfred. Her parents
were natives respectively of Massachusetts and Ver-
mont. Her father is of English descent. The
two children of Mr. and Mrs. Richardson were born
as follows: Mary H, Oct. 2, 1867, and Clara G.,
Aug. 2, 1870.

In his political connection and faith Mr. Richard-
son is a strong Republican. He is a member of the
Order of Masonry.

^aniel Hagin, member of the firm of Gaines
& Hagin, at Cambridge, has been a busi-
ness man of Henry County since 1874.
He was born in Lansing, Tompkins Co., N.
, Feb. 12, 1842. His paternal grandfather,
Charles Hagin, was a native of Ireland. The
latter was a soldier in the British army, and was
brought to America to fight the Colonists, who were
in armed rebellion against unjust taxation. He was
in sympathy with the cause of the rebels, and had
too strong a proclivity to taste the sweets of liberty
hirhself to. feel much like aiding in the troubles of
others coming from the same source, and he ex-
changed his red-coat for the nondescript uniform of
the Continental Army. He fought valiantly, and
was made a Lieutenant. He lost an arm in the

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548

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■?<m&m>r

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HENRY COUNTY.

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cause he served. After the termination of the war
he settled at Syracuse in the State of New York.
His wife was Miss Mary Smith, who was a relative
of Governor Yost, of Pennsylvania. Their children
were named Francis S., John B., Sally (Mrs. Howe),
Charles C, Matilda (Mrs. Teeter), and Barnard M.
The oldest son was born Feb. 12, 1816, in Lansing,
N. Y., and died in the same place July 2, 1883. He
was a soldier in the war of the Rebellion, and en-
listed in the 109th Regt. N. Y. Vol. Inf., and was
enrolled in Co. G. He was in the battles of the
Wilderness, at Spottsylvania and North Anna.

Catherine Teeter, who became his wife, was born
in Lansing, N. Y., May 1, 1832. She died there
July 8, 1856. She was one of a family including one
on and nine daughters. She became the mother of
eight children, — Daniel, Mrs. Flaville Etter, Charles
M. and Franklin M. (twins), Amsey, George, Seth
(deceased) and Mary. Franklin M. and George
were enrolled soldiers in the 15th N. Y. Vol. Cav. ;
Amsey and George are deceased.

Mr. Hagin was educated in the place where he
was born, and after finishing his studies he engaged
in the business of a farmer until he entered the mil-
itary service of the United States. Aug. 2, 1862, he
enlisted in the 109th Regt. N. Y. Vol. Inf., and was
under rebel fire in the actions in the Wilderness,
North and South Anna, Cold Harbor, Petersburg,
and the campaign in the vicinity of Richmond.
After the war was closed he returned to his nat ve
State, and was a grain operator at Ithaca, and he
also interested himself in building canal boats and in
that variety of navigation for about four years. In
1866 he came to Cambridge, and through the first
year he was interested in farming. He went to the
pineries of the North, and from there returned to his
native State. He resumed his old interests in the
construction of canal-boats, and on the canal, and
passed several years in that avenue of business. In
March, 1874, he returned to Cambridge, and formed
the partnership in which he is at present interested.

Mr. Hagin was married Aog. 20, 1868, in Erie,
Pa., to Dovia G. Owen. She was born Aug. 3, 1849,
in Warren Co., Pa. John Owen, her great-grand-
father, was 108 years of age when he died. He
was a soldier in the French and Indian wars and in
the Revolutionary struggle. Reuben Fenton, late
ex-Governor of the State of New York, was one of his
grandsons. His son, Eben Owen, was the father of

Eben G. Owen, who died Aug. 2, 1864, in Warren
Co., Pa. The latter married Sarah S. Loucks, and
they had the following children : Mrs. Terrissa H.
Middaugh, Mrs. Dovia G. Hagin, Mrs. Odessa Ment-
zer and Mrs. Alissa M. Mentzer. The children of
Mr. and Mrs. Hagen were born as follows : Fred E.,
June 3, 1869; Frank G, June 26, 1873; Eddie S.,
March 7, 1878; Alissa L., Jan. 10, 1881.

'ohn D. Hill, a farmer of the township of
jjjf- Munson, is the son of William T. Hill, of
whom a sketch is to be found on another
page. He was born in Rappahannock Co.,
Va., March 19, 1843. An account of the re-
moval of the family to Illinois is given in con-
nection with the sketch referred to, and Mr. Hill
celebrated his arrival at the age of 12 years while on
the journey hither. He passed the remainder of his
minority on the farm in Munson Township where he
attended the public schools. In 1862 he entered
the military service of the United States. He en-
listed in Co. C, 112th Regt. 111. Vol. Inf., and re-
mained in active military duty three years. He
received his discharge after the close of the war.
The list of battles in which he was a participant are
as follows : Knoxville, Sanders' Raid, Bean Station,
Resaca, Kenesaw Mountain, Pine Mountain, Eutaw
Creek, Atlanta, Jonesboro, Franklin, Nashville, Wil-
mington (N. C), Fort Anderson, Kelly's Ford, Dand-
ridge, and many others of greater or less importance.
During the last year of the war he was the color-
bearer. June 20, 1865, he found himself at liberty
to return to home and friends.

His marriage to Esther, daughter of Buenos and
Sarah (Osborn) Ayers, took place Sept. 30, 1867.
Mrs. Hill was born May 14, 1845, in Hicksville,
Ohio. Her parents are at present residing in Gen-
eseo, but they were then farmers in Munson Town-
ship.

In February, 1868, Mr. Hill bought land in Iowa,
but he did not remove to it, and later he exchanged
it for land in the township of Cambridge, Henry
County. Of that he took possession in 1872. Mean-
while he was the manager of the farm of Mr. Ayers.
After a residence of two years in Cambridge, Mr.
Hill sold the property there and bought a considera-

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HENRY

COUNTY.

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ble tract of real estate on sections 7 and 8 in Mun-
son Township. The family have since been its
occupants, and their residence is located on the west
half of section 8. In 1880 Mr. Hill bought the west
half of the northwest quarter of section 17 in the
same township, and he is now the owner of 243
acres of good land under the best type of improve-
ments. He is interested in rearing Hereford cattle.
His horses are of good grades and he turns off a
large number of hogs from his estate yearly.

Mr. and Mrs. Hill are members of the Christian
Church.

-5-

#-#

Iraf uman Woodward, a successful farmer of
EJylf this county, residing on section 21, Osco
Township, is a son of Hiram and Cynthia
(Root) Woodward, natives of Vermont and
Ohio. The grandfather of Mr. Woodward of
this sketch, Asa Woodward, was a soldier in
the Revolutionary War. Luman's father and moth-
er after marriage settled in Licking Co., Ohio, where
they resided following the vocation of farming until
1852, when they came to this county with a team
and wagon and settled in Osco Township. For a
more extended notice of their lives see the biogra-
phy of Hiram Woodward, elsewhere in this volume.
The children of the parents were nine in number.

Luman Woodward was the eldest in order of birth
of the children of his parent's family. He was born
in Licking Co., Ohio, Feb. 4, 1831. The school
privileges of Mr. Woodward were limited, and his
accumulation of practical knowledge is due to his
own individual efforts, and what education he is pos-
sessed of was acquired by the same perseverance on
his own part as the practical knowledge that he pos-
sesses. He resided at home or. his father's farm in
Licking Co., Ohio, assisting him in the labors thereon
until 1 85 1. In the spring of 1855, Mr. Woodward
came with his wife and one child to this county, and
purchased 60 acres of land on section 21, Osco
Township. He with his family settled on his land
and engaged vigorously and energetically upon the
task of its improvement and cultivation. He has
erected fine buildings, set out numerous shade trees
on his farm, and by economy and energetic labor has
increased his landed interests until he is at present

^§i^ a^y QJ^QW\

the owner of a fine farm containing 140 acres, all of
which is under an advanced state of cultivation.

The marriage of Mr. Woodward took place in
Licking Co., Ohio, Aug. 15, 1852, and the lady
chosen to accompany him through the trials of the
future was Miss Laura, the accomplished daughter
of Norman and Mary (Edelblute) Woodworth, na-
tives of Vermont and Virginia respectively. After
her parents' marriage they settled in Licking Co.,
Ohio, where they reared a family of six children,
namely : Charles, Laura, Rebecca, Gilmore, Seibert
and Norman, and where they continued to reside un-
til their deaths.

Mrs. Woodward was born in Licking Co., Ohio,
Aug. n, 1834. She has borne her husband one
child, Cynthia Alice, who was married to John W.
Hadley, a resident of Newman, Jasper Co., Iowa,
and who were the parents of two children, Mary A.
and Laura M. Mary A. died April 24, 1882, in her
27th year, of diptheria, and Laura M. died in 1864.

Mr. Woodward has held the office of Commission-
er of Highways, as well as other minor offices within
the gift of the people of his township. Politically,
he is a believer in and supporter of the principles
advocated by the Republican party.

In selecting persons in different parts of the county
to represent the different callings and professions in
the portrait department of this work, we find in Osco
Township a number of truly representative agricult-
urists. Prominent among these, however, ranks Mr.
Woodward, of this sketch, and we give his portrait
in connection with this sketch.

A .1. ■!■ .1. <■ ' {~

.ohn W. Chapman, father of Chapman
Brothers, editors of the Chronicle, pub-
lished at Cambridge, was born Feb. 10,
1835, in Madison, Ind. He is the son of John
and Mary A. (McKin) Chapman, who were
natives of the State of Ohio. The family to
which he belongs is of English extraction, his grand-
father, John Chapman, having descended from that
nationality. The latter was a resident of Lancaster
Co., Pa. His son John was the father of five child-
ren,— Elizabeth V., Henry C, William (deceased),
John W. and M. Frances.
John Chapman, Sr., was born in Ohio, and died in

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552

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HENRY COUNTY.

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Madison, Ind., in 1841, at the age of 41. In early
life he was a boatman on the Ohio River, and in
later years he was a magistrate in the city of Madi-
son. He also served as City Marshal and as City
Assessor. He was a man of excellent abilities and
was the recipient of general esteem.

His son, John W. Chapman, was reared in Madison,
and there made himself ready for the contest of life
by learning the trade of wagon-maker. March 2,
1858, he was married to Catherine Sturgis. She was
the daughter of Levick and Mary (Simons) Sturgis,
and died Oct. 25, 1883, at the age of 45. The
three children to whom she gave birth are living, and
are named William O., J. Harvey and Emma E.
Mr. Chapman afterward removed to Indianapolis,
where he followed his trade for eight years. In
April, 1876, he came thence to Cambridge, and has
since been occupied in the pursuit of his vocation
here.

His sons were educated in the public schools of
Indianapolis, and began their acquaintance with
journalism in that city, in the capacity of newsboys,
which was their occupation while attending school.
In the year succeeding that in which the family
came to Cambridge, William O. Chapman, of the
Chronicle, entered the office of that journal, then in
the hands of George C. Smithe, and began to obtain
a knowledge of the trade of a printer. He passed
one year subsequently in Rock Island and at Daven-
port working at his trade. When Harvey Chapman
reached the age of 14, he became at attache of the
Chronicle office, where he also learned his trade.
February r, 1885, the two brothers took charge of
the paper, and are engaged in its successful manage-
ment.

red Stahl is a farmer on section 13, Mun-
son Township, and is engaged in the man-
agement of 144 acres of valuable land.
He is a native of Germany, and was born in
/JRC the Province of Holstein, Jan. 17, 1842. He
attended the schools of his native country as
long as the law prescribed, and at 16 he went to
work on a farm. He continued in that employ until
he came to America.

In 1867 he set out for a land which he had reason
to believe afforded a chance for a poor man to secure

the privileges which he believed were the inherent
right of every man, and he landed at Quebec, in the
Dominion of Canada. After a stay of two days he
left that city for Chicago. Arriving there, he made
no stop, but at once set out from there for Henry
County. He found a cousin — Charles Stahl — with
whom he remained a short time. He speedily ob-
tained work, and he operated as a farm assistant
until 1869.

In that year he was married to Minnie Peterson.
She is a native of Sweden, and was born Feb. 1,
i84r. As soon as he was married Mr. Stahl rented
land and conducted his affairs after that method two
years. In 187 1 he bought a farm on section 13.
There was a house on the place, which he has re-
built, and he has also erected a good frame barn,
having a stone basement. Mr. Stahl is interested in
raising stock and grain.

He and his wife are the parents of four children,
named Emil, Jennie, Nellie and Mabel.

-£3-

teenry L. Goold, dealer in fine furniture,
pii^ pianos and organs, at Kewanee, 111., was
born in Knox County, this State, Dec. 26,
1850. His parents, Sylvester and Ella T.
(Macklin) Goold, natives of Vermont and Dela-
ware respectively, reared a family of two sons
and one daughter, Henry being the eldest. Sylves-
ter Goold was for many years a merchant in Galva,
and carried on farming and stock trading pretty ex-
tensively at the same time. In T877 he removed to
San Benito Co., Cal., where he has since been en-
gaged in the live-stock business.

The subject of this sketch was brought up on his
father's farm and liberally educated at commor.
schools, graduating at the Galva High School in 1869,
and subsequently spending two years at the Evanston
University. In the spring of 1872 he went to Cali-
fornia and remained about three years teaching
school, keeping books and . civil-engineering. Re-
turning to Illinois in 1875, he at once formed a part-
nership with a Mr. Fairbanks, and engaged in his
present business. In 1879 a third party was ad-
mitted to the firm, changing the style to Fairbanks,
Goold & Blanchard, and in 1881 Mr. Goold became
sole proprietor. In addition to the furniture and

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HENRY COUNTY.

553

musical instrument business, he is the most exten-
sive undertaker in the village. He is largely inter-
ested in agriculture in Iowa and Nebraska ; is a
stockholder in the " Haxtun Steam Heater Works,"
Kewanee, and also in the First National Bank of
that place. For so young a man, Mr. Goold's suc-
cess has been decidedly flattering. Not a cent has
been given him. What he has he has worked for.
He is a member of the Independent Order of Odd
Fellows and prominently identified with the Meth-
odist Episcopal Church.
-In April, 1875, he was married at Galva, 111., to
Miss Florence F. Hurd, who died in 1881, aged
about 28 years, leaving three children: Ellen
Frances, Theodore, Fred and Harry. Feb. 5, 1884,
at Kewanee, Mr. Goold contracted a second mar-
riage, the lady being Miss Matilda Wentworth, the
accomplished daughter of John Wentworth, Esq., re-
tired contractor and builder, formerly of Maine, but
has made his home in Kewanee since 1881.

eorge Goodrich, jeweler at Cambridge,
was born in 1829, in Hamilton, Madison
Co., N. Y. The family is of Scotch and
English extraction. Their ancestors settled
in the State of Connecticut. Henry C. Good-
rich removed from the "land of wooden nut-
megs" to the State of New York with his family in
1812, and 'there died, at the age of 65 years. His
demise occurred in 1848. He was a citizen of
prominence, and was active in the affairs of the State
militia, in which he was a Captain. By occupation
he was a farmer. He'was married in Connecticut to
Sally Gillett, a native of that State. She died in
Hamilton, N. Y. Of the 12 children of which she
became the mother seven reached maturity. Mrs.
Eunice Martin is a resident of Oneida, 111. George
is the next in order. Parma still survives. Two
daughters, Mary and Ellen, died in Knox Co , 111.
Five children died in the State of New York.

Mr. Goodrich was reared on a farm till he was of
age. He then learned the trade of a millwright, and
followed it in connection with the business of a car-
penter until he came in 1849 to Victoria, Knox Co.,
111., where he was similarly occupied until the spring
oi 1853, when he yielded to the desire to see the El

^^^ — &m>m

Dorado of the American Continent, and joined a
company of 20 men, who crossed the plains to Cali-
fornia. The entire trip was made without accident.
In California Mr. Goodrich operated in the mines
six years, but with unsatisfactory results after the
first. He then went to the Redwood country, where
he joined a logging camp. He passed three years
there, and operated meanwhile to some extent as a
mechanic. Finally he interested himself in farming,
in which he passed seven years, with excellent suc-
cess. He managed a cattle ranch, and owned a
great number of working oxen, with which he hauled
his supplies — sometimes adistance of from 30 to 150
miles, as occasion demanded. He made from $r,ooo
to $3,000 annually. He remained on the Pacific
coast 17 years, and at the expiration of that time he
returned to Knox Co., 111. He rested there a year,
and then came to Cambridge, where he embarked in
the sale of drugs, and also maintained a boot and
shoe store. Not long afterward he opened the busi-
ness of a jeweler, in partnership with John A. Hart,
now a resident of Oskaloosa, Kan. The latter rela-
tion continued five years, and at the end of that time
Mr. Goodrich bought the interest of his partner, and
has since managed the business alone. The drug
interest in which he had a share was terminated at
the end of six months by its destruction by fire.
During the last ten years he has been engaged in the
management of a saloon and billiard hall. Mr.
Goodrich has devoted much interest to the advance-
ment of the business prosperity of Cambridge, and
has erected a number of business buildings.

The Rebellion and its several issues made him a
Republican, and he has since been unswervingly de-
voted to the interests of that party.

S<Ot*

_arl Swiger is one of the representative
agriculturists of the county, where he has
resided since i860. He was born in Sax-
ony, Germany, Feb. 7, 1836. Carl and Chris-
tina (Richter) Swiger, his parents, were also
of German birth. After he passed the time
required by law in attendance at school he was put
to work on a farm. He was 24 when he left the land
of his birth for the New World. He crossed the
ocean on a sail vessel, and after a voyage of six
weeks landed at the port of New Orleans. He stayed

(fa

HENRY COUNTY.

in the Crescent City two days, and proceeded thence
to St. Louis. He remained there two days, and then
came to Rock Island. The next day he came to
Henry County. He was the possessor of $10 when
he arrived in the county, where he is now an inde-
pendent land-holder. He engaged in farming in
Munson Township and did his first work for D. P.
Merrill.

In September, in 1861, he enlisted in the Ninth
111. Cav., enrolling in Co. B. He obtained a dis-
charge for disability in June, 1862, and returned to
the township from which he enlisted. For several
months he was unable to do any work, and as soon
as he was sufficiently recovered he again interested
himself in farming. He entered the employ of the
same man — Mr. Merrill. In 1867 he bought 80
acres of land on section 10, where he operated with
the most unqualified success as an agriculturist. In
1371 he exchanged the property for the place where
he has since lived and carried on his plans with the
same good results. The farm is situated on section
9, and is supplied with good and creditable farm fix-
tures. The buildings are of the same type, and the
place is increased in value and appearance by the
addition of fruit and shade trees. Mr. Swiger raises
stock and grain, and is interested in the dairy busi-
ness.

The marriage of Mr. Swiger and Miss Theresa
Miller occurred Oct. 26, 1867. Their children are
named Hattie and Frank. Mrs. Swiger was born in
Saxony, Germany. Both herself and husband are
members of the Lutheran Church.

i illiam H. Terpening. The name that
opens this biographical notice will be rec-
ognized as that of a pioneer of Munson
Township of 1851. Mr. Terpening was born
in the township of Virgil, Cortland Co., N.
, April 22, 181 8. His father, Henry Ter-
pening, was born in Ulster Co., N. Y., and married
Sarah Byram, a native of the State of Vermont.
They located their home in the county where their
son was born, about the year 181 2. The father
was a carpenter and joiner by profession, and he
purchased a tract of land which was covered with
the heavy forest for which the Empire State was

.o, A

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noted in its primeval days, and, as he wished to
follow his trade, he employed assistance in the labor
of clearing the farm in Virgil Township. After some
years he abandoned his business as a builder, and
and gave his undivided attention to farming. His
wife died on the homestead, and he was again mar-
ried. He went to the village of Cortland to pass the
closing years of his life, and died there, at the age
of 78.

Mr. Terpening of this sketch was instructed in the
details of farming, and also in those of the trade of
a carpenter, by his father, and acquired a complete
knowledge of both by working under the competent
instructions of his sire. He was the assistant-on the
farm and in the work of a carpenteruntil he was 20,
when he was released from his obligation to his par-
ents and commenced the world in his own interest.
He started for the West, and went to Brownsville,
Union Co., Ind., where he worked as a carpenter a
year. At the end of that time he bought a saw-mill ( n
and engaged in the lumber business. He also pur- ^
chased land and erected a commodious frame house
This was burned five years later, and he lost his mill J}{{
on a judgment held against the man from whom he §j§
had bought the property, and these disasters, both 5j^
coming together, nearly ruined him in a financial Q
sense. He went to Fayette County in the Hoosier 4
State, and there, in company with a man named / >J
Sands, he built a saw-mill two miles from Conners-
ville, and operated as a business man four years.
He then sold his interest in the mill, and went to
Cincinnati, Ohio, where he obtained employment at
his trade until the year he came to Illinois. He set-
tled in Henry County in June, and made a claim on
section 36, in what was then township 16, and is now
included in the territory of Munson. Mr. Terpening
commenced the building of a house, but did not com-
plete it, as he went to Knox County, and remained
until late in the month of December. He then re-
turned to Henry County, and brought his family back
with him. As their own abode was not ready for
their accommodation, they lived in another until the
following March, when Mr. Terpening completed the
house he had begun on first coming to the county. |
They took possession of it as soon as possible, and V
the proprietor at once began the improvement of the Jy
land. He secured his claim from the Government, pj\
and was its occupant until 1855. ®j

In that year he sold the place, and with his family ^

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HENRY COUNTY.

555

started for Iowa. He was a second time a pioneer,
and he settled among the first in Union County,
where he entered 560 acres of land. He also bought
an improved claim of 160 acres, which contained a
house. He entered with energy into the work of an
agriculturist on an extensive scale, and continued to
increase his acreage until he was the owner of i.too
acres. He also took an active part in matters per-
taining to the general welfare of the public, and he
was elected to fill the position of Justice of the Peace
and as Supervisor. After a residence there of nine
years he returned to the township of Munson. He
had rented the estate in Iowa, and he bought 168
acres on section 27. No improvements had been
made on it, and he has placed the whole under the
best type of cultivation. He has erected good build-
ings and improved the acreage of the farm, and has
operated in the same methods to which he has been
accustomed all his life, and has increased his estate
in Munson Township until he is the owner of 284
acres. Mr. Terpening is interested in raising stock
and in mixed husbandry.

While a resident of Iowa he enlisted as a soldier
in the cause of the Union. He was enrolled in Au-
gust, 1 863, in the 29th Iowa Regt., I. V. I , and after
staying in the camp at Council Bluffs two months he
fell ill, and was discharged as unfit for the rugged
duties of a soldier. His sons, George and Clinton,
enlisted in 1863, in the 12th 111. Cav., and each
served nearly three years. Both were minors at the
time they enlisted, and both returned with health
permanently impaired. They receive a pension of
$12 monthly.

Mr. Terpening is a man of uncommon abilities.
He has a well-stored mind, is a great reader and a
-close observer of all things that have a beneficial
effect on the mental powers. In political faith he is
an adherent of the National Greenback party, and
holds to tolerant religious views. He is a pleasant
companion socially, and has a good understanding
and control of fluent speech.

June 18, 1839, Mr. Terpening was married to
Eliza A. Mason. She is a native of Cincinnati, and
was born May 4, 1816. The record of the children
which constitute the issue of the union is as follows :
Martha is the wife of Samuel Wilson, and they are
living in Republic Co., Kan. ; Missouri A. married
William Reese, who was a soldier in the 4th Iowa
Vol., and died in the military service of the United

States; she afterward married George A. Terpening,
her cousin, and lives in Munson Township; George
A. lives in Republic Co., Kan., and is a farmer there,
and Justice of the Peace ; Clinton W. is a photog-
rapher in Bedford, Iowa; Francis is a prominent
citizen of Washington Co., Kan. ; he is a farmer and
merchant at Alba, and also officiates as Postmaster;
Melissa A. married E. G. Ball, of Chicago; Minnie
married William Hutchinson, and they are residents
of the township of Munson ; Marion is a business
man in Creston Iowa; he is a druggist and an ex-
tensive farmer ; Charles S. lives in Washington Ter-
ritory; he is a teacher by profession and is also
interested in farming; Mary E. is married to James
Orr, of Cornwall Township, this county.

ohn A. Schoettler, dealer in groceries, etc.,
at Cambridge, was born in the township of
Concord, in Bureau Co., 111., Aug. 26, 1852.
He is the son of Frederick and Maria (Schwar-
zentraub) Schoettler, both of whom were na-
tives of Germany. The former was born in
Hesse and the latter in Bath. The father died in
Bureau County in 1879, and the mother in the same
county Jan; 10 of the same year. His death took
place July 30. They came to Illinois and settled in
the county where they passed the remaining years of
their lives, in the year 1842. They located in the
vicinity of Tiskilwa. Their children were ten in
number, and were named Christian L., Jacob F.,
Mary Eliza, Joseph W., John A., Emma F., Amelia
F., Mina L., George E. and Ellen L. All are living
and married, with two exceptions.

The gentleman of whom this sketch is given was
educated in the county where he was born, and after
passing some years in the labors of the homestead,
he went to Buda, 111., and entered the employ of B.
F. Waite, who was engaged in the business of a mer-
chant at that place. He operated as a clerk about
13 months, and then commenced to work in a similar
capacity in the interests of B. N. Stevens & Sons, in
Tiskilwa. He remained in their employ a year, and
passed the year ensuing in farming on the home-
stead. The next year he traveled in Nebraska, and
when his journeying was ended he returned to Buda
and passed a year in the prosecution of the work of

y
&

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2ir

556

HENRY COUNTY.

a carpenter there. He came to Cambridge from the
place last mentioned and operated in the capacity of
Assistant Postmaster under W. J. Vannice. He
filled that position two years, and next received an
appointment as postal clerk on the railroad between
Bureau and Peoria. He ran between the two points
15 months, and at the end of that time he came
again to Cambridge. He opened the line of business
in which he has since been engaged, and which he
is conducting with satisfactory results.

His marriage to Eliza R. Buck took place Feb. 18,
1885. She is a native of the township of Munson,
in Henry County, where she was born May 7, 1857.
She is the daughter of Edmund and Margaretta
(Woolsey) Buck. Her father is a pioneer of the
county.

Mr. and Mrs. Schoettler are connected by mem-
bership with the Congregational Church. He is a
member of the I. O. G. T., and has been identified
with no party in politics, but has acted independ-
ently.

'[juiigust Samuelson, engaged in farming on
section 34, is one of the prosperous and
energetic farmers of Osco Township. He
was born in Sweden, Oct. n, 1839, and came
to America in 185 1 with his parents, who
located in Western Township, this county,
where the father died. Mrs. Samuelson still sur-
vives.

August is the youngest of his parents' family of ten
children, and lived at home, attending the district
schools in the acquisition of an English education,
and actively engaged with his father in the pursuits
of the farm until he was 28 years of age. At that
period in life occurred one of the most important
events of our subject, which was his marriage, in
Rock Island County, on the 24th of October, 1867,
to Matilda L. Anderson, also a native of Sweden.
She was born Jan. 1, 1851, and was but a child of
six years when with her grandmother they emigrated
to the New World.

In the fall of 1870, August, of whom we write, made
a purchase of a tract of land of 1 60 acres, located on
section 34, Osco Township, his present site, and up-
on the same entered immediately on its improvement
jind cultivation, and now has some of the finest land,

being in excellent condition, in his township. He
has also increased his landed interests by subse-
quent purchases, until he is now the possessor and
proprietor of 274 acres of good tillable land in this
county.

Mr. and Mrs. Samuelson have had their home
blessed by the birth of five children, — Emil G., Etta
A., Ely A., Lillie G. and August W. being their
names. Mr. Samuelson and family are members of
the Methodist Episcopal Church, and politically Mr.
S.'s affiliations are with the Republican party.

ohn W. Crawford, of the township of
Munson, has resided in Henry County
since he came hither in 1850. He at that

f time located on section 31, of what was then
town 16, and is now Munson. He is therefore
justly entitled to the cognomen of a pioneer of
the county.

He was born in Bowling Green, Warren Co., Ky.,
Sept. 18, 1828, and is the son of John and Elizabeth
(Howard) Crawford. His father was a native of Vir-
ginia, and was a preacher in the Cumberland Pres-
byterian Church. When he was still a young man he
left his native State to settle in Kentucky, where he
remained until 1833, the year in which he came to
Illinois. He set out with his wife and four children,
and with two pair of oxen and a wagon, in company
with a party of pilgrims with the same object in view
as led the great army of pioneers to the Prairie State.
The entire party led the lives of gipsies while they
were on the journey ; and, when it is remembered
that it is a fast growing custom for the delicate and
refined in higher social circles, to make such trips for
the sake of their novelty and adventure, as well as
for health, it may well be conjectured that the trav-
elers in search of homes found something to make
their travel pleasant and profitable. They located in
Knox County. The father of Mr. Crawford bought
land of the United States Government, on which the
city of Abingdon is now built. He erected a log
house, which had a puncheon floor and was roofed
with clapboards. He was occupied with his farming
and preaching at that place until his death. His
widow still owns a farm in the vicinity of Abingdon,
where she makes her home.

Mr. Crawford remained on the farm of his father

i.
®

■^v&dii&hh&'/c) j^k-

HENRY COUNTY.

-4*^$v|!§

557

until 1850, when he came, as has been stated, to
Henry County. The place where he bought this
tract of land was all wild prairie, and cut logs and
had them sawed into material suitable for a frame
house, which he built for the accommodation of his
family, and which was 16 x 18 feet in dimensions.
He broke first 40 acres and fenced it. He was the
owner and occupant of that place until he exchanged
it for land on section 19 in the same township, which
transaction took place in 1852. In the spring of
1855 he commenced the work of breaking the acres
of his new farm, and in the fall he erected a house
and removed thither. He still holds the place and
has added to its dimensions until it comprises 240
acres. It has all been improved and good and suit-
able buildings erected. Mr. Crawford has set out a
considerable variety of trees.

He was married Aug. 14, 185 1, to Mary E. Snyder.
Mrs. Crawford was born in Warren Co., Ohio, was the
daughter of Frederick and Hannah (High) Snyder.
She became the mother of three children : Libbie H.
is the wife of William Sheaffer, Farragut, Iowa ; Ida J.
married Byron Markham, who lives in Washington,
Kan. ; Clara A. is the wife of George Howard, and
they reside near Shenandoah, Iowa. The mother died
Nov. 3, 1863. Julia Morrow became her successor
June 14, 1864, and of the second marriage there are
six children: Nory Ella, who died Aug. 5, 1883;
Minnie M., Arthur J., John W., Jay Edson and Jes-
sie Martin.

Mr. Crawford is an Elder in the Presbyterian
Church, and his wife is a member of the same or-
ganization.

i,ri Wilson, a citizen of Cambridge, where he
is living in retirement from active life, has
been a resident of Henry County since
1855, when he settled on a farm of 100 acres
in Burns Township. He continued its occu-
pant until the spring of 1882, when he removed
to Cambridge. He operated as a general farmer
and stockman, reaping the reward of industry and
frugality. He made additional purchases of land,
and is now the owner of 195 acres in Burns Town-
ship, which is in profitable agricultural condition.
Mr. Wilson was born April 3, 1819, in Otsego Co.,

N. Y. His parents, John and Jane (Decker) Wil-
son, were born in the State of New York. The
family of the former was of Scotch origin. Jacob
Decker, the maternal grandsire, was of Dutch ex-
traction. John Wilson died in the State of New
York. Eight children were born to himself and wife,
in the following order: Jessie, Marvin, Harriet,
Asenath, Uri, Ahira, James and John. Jessie went
to Michigan. Marvin became a soldier in the Civil
War, and died in the summer of 1885. The other
children, with the exception of Mr. Wilson, of this
sketch, went to Iowa.

The latter was a farmer in his native State. In
February, 1855, he came to Henry County, and in
the fall of that year he located in Burns Township.
He is a Republican, and while a resident there he
filled several local official positions.

He was married April 5, 1840, in Friendship, Alle-
gany Co., N. Y., to Rebecca Britton, who has borne
eight children. Selecta (Mrs. Clark) is not living;
Sylvia is Mrs. Taylor ; Nathaniel, Ersula (deceased),
Sarah, Emma, Julia and Etta were born in the order
named.

Mrs. Wilson was born June 26, 18 19, in Lycoming
Co., Pa. Nathaniel and Hannah (Howe) Britton,
her parents, were natives of Pennsylvania, of Ger-
man descent. William Howe, her paternal grand-
father, was a soldier of the Revolution.

eorge W. Benedict, Supervisor of Cornwall
Township, and a general farmer, residing
"K on section 15, is a New Englander by
birth. He is the son of Elijah and Dolly
(Foster) Benedict, also natives of the Green
Mountain State. They married and settled in
Cornwall, Vt., where they lived until 1841, when they
came to Morton, Tazewell Co., 111. Here they lived
until 1852, when they moved still further northward
and settled in Cornwall Township, Henry County.
Here the elder Benedict died, May 6, 1876. His
widow still survives him and resides in Cornwall.
They had born to them a family of five children, as
follows: Elijah F., Abel E., Rollin Z., George W.
and Albert J. Rollin Z. died when about seven years
of age.

George W. was born in Cornwall, Vt., Oct. 4, 1836.

•3

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^nn&niif^^

558

"TJT

HENRY COUNTY

He received a good common-school education, which
was supplemented by an attendance at the academy
at Geneseo and at Knox Academy, Galesburg. He
has devoted his efforts to general farming, with the
exception of three years spent in the army in the de-
fense of his country's flag. He enlisted Aug. 9,
1862, in the 112th 111. Vol. Inf., and for nearly three
fears faithfully served his country. He was discharged
at Alexandria, Va., and at once returned to his home
in Cornwall Township, where he has since lived.
Here he owns a farm of 165 acres, most of which is
tillable. He has been entrusted with the affairs of
his township as Supervisor, and given a prominent
position in the management of the affairs of his coun-
ty for five years. He has also served as Township
Clerk for several years, and was Justice of the Peace
for eight years. The people have also called upon
him to serve as Collector and School Director. In
fact, he has "gone the rounds" of all the offices of
his township. He is an active worker in the ranks
of the Republican party.

Mr. Benedict was married in Burns Township, this
county, on the 25th of May, 1869, to Lydia A.
Brown. She was the daughter of Coles J. and Sally
M. (Coul) Brown, and was born in Putnam Co., N.
Y., Jan. 30, 1844. She was the youngest of a fam-
ily of three children, the two older being Benja-
min J. and James B. Her children number three :
Minerva E., Rollin I. and Mary K.

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lames Mascall, resident at Cambridge, is a
pioneer of Henry County of 1838. He was
born Jan. 29, 1814, in East Kent, Eng-
land, and is the son of John and Elizabeth
(Neeves) Mascall. His parents came to
America with their surviving children in 1830.
A fuller account of them is given in connection with
the sketch of Richard Mascall, which appears else-
where in this volume. The family lived in Litch-
field, Bradford Co., Pa., eight years, when they came
to Illinois, and after a short stay in Stark County,
in June, 1838, they came to Henry County. The
first business outside of his farming (and this was 18
years after coming to Henry County) in which Mr.
Mascall was^engaged was the sale of groceries and
provisions at Cambridge, and in the spring of 1838

he bought 160 acres of land on section 15, in Cam-
bridge Township. This was the beginning of his
transactions in real estate, and he has pursued his
business schemes and relations until he is one of the
solid men of Henry County. His first land entry in-
cluded 80 acres, and he is now the owner of an es-
tate of 1,300 acres in excellent agricultural condition.
The first few years were full of struggle. He realized
small proceeds from his crops and at the time he was
ready to settle in life, in 1848, he was the possessor
of a cash capital of about $40, with which to fit
his home for living purposes and to pay his taxes.

He was married April 4, 1848, in Cambridge, to
Mary A. Lilly. She was born Aug. 1, 1827, in
Oneida Co., N. Y., and is the daughter of Carlo H.
and Wealthy (Ladd) Lilly. Her paternal grand-
father was named Norman Lilly, and was a native of
New England. Her mother was the daughter of
Jeremiah and Mary (Franks) Ladd, the former a na-
tive of England. Carlo Lilly and his wife were born
in the State of New York, where the father died,
and the mother died in the township of Andover,
Henry Co., 111., whither she came in June, 1846.
The had eight children. The children of Mr. and
Mrs. Mascall are six in number: John R., Mrs.
Sallie J. Walline, Daniel S., Mrs. Anna Perkins, Mrs.
Mary Melloy and Emma L.

The business career of Mr. Mascall is one of
marked interest, from the fact that he has for years
labored under the most disheartening circumstances,
such as would have relegated most men to oblivion
and life-long poverty. Since 1856 he has not ex-
perienced a day of firm, sound health. In the first
days of that year he sprained his knee and he has
suffered from unremitting lameness since that date,
30 years ago, and much of, the time he has been
compelled to use crutches. Notwithstanding his in-
firmity, he never allowed his large and increasing
business relations to grow less or be interrupted. In
April, 1863, he incidentally pricked his right hand
with a needle, and although the injury was seemingly
very slight, the puncture not being deep enough to
draw blood, the hand became permanently lame. In
1882 his other hand became lame. The crowning
affliction which overtook -Mr. Mascall was the loss of
his eyesight, which occurred in 1878, as then a
cataract commenced on the right eye. He can now
descern daylight, but, since 1879, has been wholly
unable to read or use his eyes in business.

V®

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#*-

-^&s: SV^IIItW^r

HENRY COUNTY.

561 ~r '-

He is now a member of the mercantile firm of
Mascall, Walline & Co., dry goods and groceries. He
has been in the mercantile business for 28 years, and
also heavily engaged in buying and selling stock and
grain for about five years since he came to Cam-
bridge.

I iram Woodward, residing on section 2 1 ,
Osco Township, is a son of Asa and Ruth
(Joy) Woodward, natives of Connecticut
and Massachusetts. The parents of Hiram
Woodward were married and settled in Ver-
mont, and in 181 8 remov.ed to Licking Co.,
Ohio, where the father died Aug. 30, 1837. The
mother's demise occurred in Knox County, that
State, June 22, 1853. Asa Woodward was a soldier
in the War of the Revolution, and was with Wash-
ington at Valley Forge. He was also with Ethan
Allen at the taking of Ticonderoga, where through
the strategy of their Colonel not a man was lost or a
single drop of blood shed. The children of Asa and
Ruth Woodward were nine in number, namely :
Sally, Margaret, Masury and Asa B. (twins), Eben-
ezer G., Arunah, Hiram, John M. and Sarah.

Hiram Woodward, whose name heads this sketch,
was bom in Cornwall, Addison Co., Vt, July 6, 1807.
He continued to reside in his native State until he
attained the age of 1 1 years, when he accompanied
his father to Licking Co., Ohio. What schooling Mr.
Woodward has received was acquired in a log school
house in Licking Co., Ohio. He resided at home,
assisting in the maintenance of the family by work-
ing on the farm, until he attained the age of 24 years.
In the fall of 1852 Mr. Woodward came to this
county and " took up " 320 acres of Government
land in Osco Township, on a portion of which he
has resided until the present time. He has disposed
of all his landed interests in^he county except one-
quarter of section 21, Osco Township. On this traet
he has resided, passing the sunset of his years in
peace and quiet, respected by all who know him as
a gentleman, fair and honest in his dealings with his
fellow-man, and one who possesses a heart that al-
ways responds to the sufferings, afflictions and
troubles of others.

Mr. Woodward was married in Granville, Licking
Co., Ohio, Oct. 1, 1829, to Cynthia Root, daughter

of Noble and Damaris (Bennett) Root, natives of
Massachusetts, and whose children were seven in
number, named: Alanson, Belinda, Cynthia, Re-
becca, Laura, Orrila and Amanda. Cynthia (Mrs.
Woodward) was born in Granville, Ohio, Feb. 28,
18 10. She has borne to her husband eight children :
Luman, Laurinda, Amanda, Jerusha, Eben, Frank-
lin, Mary and Martha. Jerusha, Mary and Martha
are deceased.

Mr. Woodward has held the office of Supervisor
two terms, and likewise other minor offices within
the gift of the people of his township. He and his
wife are members of the Presbyterian Church, and
politically Mr. W. is identified with the Republican
party.

For over 30 years he has lived in this community.
Indeed, the community has grown up around him.
As a venerable patriarch, and one who has done
much hard work and given much valuable aid to-
ward building up the county and moulding the
character of the people, his memory should be
cherished and preserved. It will live in the minds
of those who know him personally as long as they
live, but the generations to come will know nothing
of his labors, his trials and good works unless some
means are taken to hand down to them a record of
his life. This brief sketch and the accompanying
portrait will serve to perpetuate the memory of a
good pioneer of Henry County.

~4S*-

enry Boomer, a prominent agriculturist of
the township of Atkinson, has been con-
nected with the business interests of Henry

County since his permanent removal to the
State in 1862 His farm is located on section
28 and contains 205 acres- The land is of ex-
cellent type and is well fitted for the prosecution of
the plans of the owner. Two pood dwellings have
been erected on the place, two barns of extra dimen-
sions and two smaller ones.

Mr. Boomer was born in the State of New York,
July 23, 1826. Michael Boomer, his father, was born
April 23, 1794, and he married Martha Moore, who
was born in 1795. The son was an inmate of the pa-
rental home until his minority was passed. He came,
on being released from his obligations to his parents,
to Illinois, and located at Elgin in 1847. He was

$f^K

■^«ys — @?A<*iiii®iin&4£ — *^*-

HENRY COUNTY.

•^HxxflS^

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there about a year and then returned to his native
State. He continued there three years and was mar-
ried meanwhile. Julia Wood became his wife March
i, 1849. She was born in the State of New York,
Aug. 10, 1828. James Wood, her father, was born
April 22, 1779. Barbara Ireland Wood, her mother,
was born Oct. 3, 1785. In 185 1 Mr. Boomer re-
turned to Illinois and passed a season in trapping on
Fox River, catching mink and beaver. He made
about $600 for the season's work. He spent another
year in his native State, and in 1852 came to Aurora.
In the course of the next year he removed to LaSalle
County and there engaged in farming during the next
nine years. He came thence, as has been stated, to
Henry County. Mr. Boomer is an adherent of the
Greenback party.

The children of Mr. and Mrs. Boomer are four in
number, and are named Emma G., Herbert E.,
Gertie A. and Jay A.

,oses Adams, a former citizen of Munson
Township, at present residing in Chicago,
is a native of the State of Maine and re-
^*f\ moved to Henry County in 1852. He was
a citizen of the same township until his re-
moval to Chicago in 1877. He was born in
Old Falmouth, Cumberland Co., Me., Dec. 21, 181 1,
and is the second son of Moses and Sarah (Skillin)
Adams. The grandfather of our subject was a
soldier of the War of the Revolution, and was in
the fight at Bunker Hill. He was in the Colonial
service throughout the war and after the declaration
of peace he settled near Portland, Me. He was
born in Newbury, Mass. The father of Mr. Adams
inherited the traits of his father, and when the second
war with the British Government was declared he
enlisted in the defense of his country. He was bom
Sept. 16, 1775. After his marriage he settled at
Portland in Maine. The family removed there when
the son who is represented in this sketch was about
16. The latter was apprenticed to a merchant and
was in the same employ five years, officiating as a
clerk. When he was 21 his employer set him up in
business in Portland and he conducted his commer-
cial operations there 16 years. A disastrous fire
ruined him in a financial sense, or nearly so~ and he

returned to his former station of clerk. He engaged
at first as an assistant in a warehouse and later as a
clerk in a store. He came West in 1851 and was
employed in the positions last named in La Salle, 111.

In 1 85 2 he came to Henry County and entered a
claim of land in Munson Township, or what is now
known as such. It was situated on the northwest
quarter of section 22. He took possession of the
place as resident owner and manager in 1854, and
occupied it as long as he remained in the county.
Mr. Adams is a member of the fraternity of Masons
and also belongs to the I. O. O. F. He has been
connected with the latter since December,. 1843.
He was brought up in the tenets of the Presbyterian
Church, but he is now a believer in the principles of
the Universalist Church. He is a firm believer in
the doctrine of the final subjugation of sin and the
restoration of all mankind to a reconciliation with
the Savior.

In 1835 Mr. Adams formed a matrimonial alliance
with Frances E. Cutler. She was born in Medford,
Mass., May 26, 1811, and died in Munson Town-
ship, Aug. T7, 1867. Seven of the children of which
she became the mother are living : Frank, the old-
est son, was a soldier in the 14th 111. Cav., and was
for a long time a prisoner at Andersonville: his
health was injured beyond recovery by the privations
he endured, and he is now a resident of Topeka,
Kan. ; Moses A. lives in Cook County ; Edward is
an engineer in Oregon; Sarah M. is the widow of
Asa Smith: he served in the 124th 111. Vol. Inf., and
lost his life in the war; Elethea is the widow of
Lorenzo Eldredge; Mary married Henry Boyce;
Charlotte L. is the youngest.

harles F. Wennerstrum, a merchant of
I^IJS Cambridge, was born July 29, 1852, in
g Nye, near Hwetlanda, Sweden, and is the son
of Jonas P. and Frederika (Lindgren) Wenner-
l strum. The former died in that place (in f
which he was also born), March 8, 1885. He was
70 years and six months old. The mother is still
living. Her children are Hilda, C. F. and Johan. (
Mr. Wennerstrom obtained such education as was ^
possible in his circumstances in his native land, and (
came thence to the United States in i860. ,

-mmB^rB — ^^^-

-6V^HM@ D Df^V^ — >4;^-

1=1

HENRY COUNTY.

563

He located in Woodhull, this county, and was at
first employed as a farm assistant. He operated in
that capacity until 1874, when he entered the em-
ployment of Mr. J. D. Bell, a merchant in that
place, and continued in the same service three years,
during which time he went to Nebraska in the inter-
ests of his employer to take charge of his large farm.
He remained there seven months, from March 17 to
Nov. 10, 1877. In the fall of 1877 he went to Mo-
line, near Rock Island, and became an assistant in
the mercantile establishment of J. W. S. Home. He
was in the employ of that gentleman until the spring
of 1878, when he went to Texas. After a short stay
there he returned to thi North and made a brief tarry
in the State of Kansas. In the fall of the same year
he returned to Henry County. In the spring of the
year succeeding he became a clerk in the mercantile
establishment of John Johnson, of Osco, and contin-
ued in his employ-two years. He next obtained a
situation at Woodhull in the same capacity and was
in that place one year in the interest of Edward Wea
ver & Co. In the spring of 1882 he formed a part-
nership with James Mascall and P. E. Walline, of
Cambridge. They have one of the finest business
houses in this locality and are engaged in the prose-
cution of a popular and prosperous trade. Messrs.
Walline & Wennerstrum are the agents for all the
trans-Atlantic steamship lines, and also buy foreign
exchange for the accommodation of the traveling
public in this vicinity.

The marriage of Mr. Wennerstrum to Tillie Wen-
trand occurred Jan. 18, 1880, at Cambridge. She
was born June 1, 1856, in Sweden. They have a
daughter, Winnifred, who was born Aug. 20, 1883.
Mrs. Wennerstrum is a member of the Methodist
Church. Mr. Wennerstrum is a Republican in his
political sympathies, and he is a member of the
Order of Masonry.

-■o+o«>

eorge Walker, a fanner in the township of
Munson, is the youngest of six brothers
who came to Henry County in 1858.

James remained for a few years in this county

and then removed to Iowa, where he died.

David located in Cambridge and died there.

was for some years a resident in Munson

Alexander lives in Cambridge Township. William is
a citizen of Cornwall Township. Helen, a sister,
married James Richmond and settled in Adair Co.,
Iowa.

Mr. Walker was born in Aberdeenshire, Scotland,
in 1839. He was reared in the shire where he was
born and in 1858 he came to Amercia. He sailed
from his native land in August and landed at the
port of Quebec after a voyage of seven weeks and
five days. He came directly to Henry County and
remained a year. In company with his brothers he
rented land in Munson and Cornwall Townships.
They managed the land which they had taken five
years and at the end of that time three of the broth-
ers bought the southwest quarter of section 9 in Mun-
son Township. Soon after Mr. Walker, of this sketch,
bought 80 acres of land on section 27. The broth-
ers operated together for two years. From that time
Mr. Walker has managed his affairs alone. He broke
the land on section 27 and retained possession of it
two years. On selling it, he bought the south half of
the southeast quarter of section 8, and has since
made additions to his estate until he is the owner of
264 acres of land, which is all improved and consti-
tutes a valuable estate. The family residence is lo-
cated on section 16.

Mr. Walker married Ruth Ann Owen, and they
have two children, — Nina May and George Albert.
Mrs. Walker was born in Indiana.

Mr. and Mrs. Walker attend the Presbyterian
Church, of which she has been a member since Oct.
5, 1847.

ia&BJ®^r— w>

K«h-»*©£SX3OT»«»

Township and removed to Grand Forks Co., Dak. T,

^.dward Bell, deceased, formerly a farmer on
section 20 of Western Township, is son
of Josiah and Sarah Bell, who were na-
tives of Tennessee and died in Ohio State
when Edward was very young. His mother
died of cancer, after having gone to Preble Co.»
Ohio, when Edward was somewhat grown up.

The subject of this sketch was married three times.
The first time he wedded Miss M. McWhinney, who
died in Ohio, leaving one child, Angie by name. She
married Eugene Mercer and resides in San Buena-
ventura, Ventura Co., Cal. Mr. Bell's second wife
was Miss Elizabeth Adams, whom he married in

(>*7

£±.

■3^r-

4^>C^}

E^e^ET"

T^Mmwi>^T

$@&c@y{

564

HENRY COUNTY.

v<)

Preble County, Ohio, and who died in Western
Township, this county, about 1865, leaving two
children, — Herbert J., who has since died of con-
sumption, and Albert W., now living in Norlhville,
Spink Co., Dak. Mr. Bell's third marriage was to
Miss Sarah J. McHenry, daughter of John and Mary
(Williamson) McHenry, natives of Indiana Co., Pa.
The latter were married in that county, and Mrs.
Bell, of this sketch, was born April 18, 1835. Her
father was a farmer and came to Illinois when their
daughter was about. 17 years old, settling in Western
Township, this county, where she lived until her
marriage. Her parents afterward, in T879, removed
to Lynn Co., Kan. They are now aged respectively
76 and 75 years.

After his marriage Mr. Bell settled on a farm in
Western Township, where he finally died, May 6th,
1872, at the age of 48 years. Mrs. B. is the mother
of four children, two of whom are deceased. The
living are John and Elmer, and Laura and Maria
died when young. Mrs. B. is a member of the Meth-
odist Episcopal Church, as was also her husband.
He had been Justice of the Peace of his township
for 12 years before his death; was a Republican, and
was an exemplary citizen, a devoted husband and
father, and his loss was borne by a large circle of ac-
quaintances. Mrs. Bell has a quarter-section of
land in her homestead and it is managed by her sons.

harles Van Housen, a prominent citizen
of Munson Township, was born Jan. 6,
1824, in Greene Co., N. Y. He is the
son of Cornelius and Harriet (Hogabome)
?^ Van Housen, and they were born in Coxsackie,
Cumberland Co., N. Y. Mr. Van Housen
grew to manhood in Lexington, where he was born
and was reared a farmer. The most important event
of his early manhood was his marriage to Elizabeth
Smith. She was born in Prattsville, Greene Co., N.
Y., |and was married to Mr. Van Housen Nov. 17,
1847. They took possession of a rented farm in
Lexington and were its occupants until 1859, when
they came to Illinois. They passed three years in
La Salle County, where they first located, renting
land in the township of Tonica. In 1862 they re-
moved for a permanency to Henry County. Mr.

Van Housen bought a farm on section 14 in the
same township where he is now a resident. He was
at first the proprietor of 80 acres, but by a later pur-
chase has increased his possessions and is now the
owner of 120 acres, all of it being in a valuable and
well improved state.

Hezekiah, the oldest son, lives in Laramie, Wy-
oming Territory ; Arlington is a resident of Colfax,
Neb.; Romain is living at the same place; Lora is
the wife of Warren Cramer, and they are settled in
Munson Township; Iretus lives at home. The par-
ents are connected in membership with the Christian
Church. Mrs. Van Housen is the daughter of Hez-
ekiah and Chloe Smith.

g.hobal V. Deem, a resident of Galva, who is
now engaged in the buying and selling of (

[Vs horses, was born Aug. 1, 1849, in Darke*
County, Ohio, and is a son of Adam C. and (I
Catherine (Vail) Deem. The latter is a'
daughter of Shobal and Elizabeth Vail, and i
her home was blessed with two children, our subject 1
and his brother Adam. S

Adam C. Deem, the father of our subject, was born *
in 1813, in Butler Co., Ohio, and died April 3, 1876, (
north of Galva. He was in the mercantile and mill-
ing business in Ohio, and in March, 1857, came to
Geneseo, Henry Co., 111., and there was engaged in
the grain trade and in milling for many years. La-
ter he came to Galva Township and located on the
south half of section 15, and in the year 1865 pur-
chased 520 acres of land there, of which the sons
are now the owners. Catherine (Vail) Deem, the
mother of the subject, was born in Middletown, But-
ler Co., Ohio, Feb. 27, 1815, and died at her home
north of Galva, March 9, 1880.

Shobal V., whose name heads this notice, was
reared on a farm, alternating his labors thereon by
attendance at the district schools' of his native State *
and also of this county in the acquisition of an edu-
cation. From 1878 to 1883 he was engaged in the
cattle trade in Nebraska, on the South and North
Loop river. Since then he has been dealing in
horses.

September 23, 1873, Mr. Deem was united in mar-
riage near LaFayette, 111., the lady whom he chose "|

A^-

« I*

HENRY COUNTY.

565

to share his successes and reverses, joys and sor-
rows, being Miss Happie Emery, daughter of Jacob
and Lydia (Parish) Emery, both old pioneers of
Stark County. Mrs. Deem was 'born Feb. 25, 1853,
neat LaFayette, same place where married, and of
her marriage to Mr. D. has been born one boy,
Frank E., born Aug. 25, 1879. Mrs. D. is a mem-
ber of the Congregational Church, and her husband
is a Republican in political matters.

Mrs. Happie Deem's parents were born, the for-
mer in Mifflinsburg, formerly called Yunksmanstown,
Pa., Jan. 16, 1803, and the latter Jan. 4, 1813, in
Leeds Co., Canada.

In the 17th century, William and John Emery,
two brothers, emigrated to the United States from
Europe. William was a ship-carpenter and settled
in Maine. John was the progenitor of the Emery
family in this country. His son, John Emery, Jr.,
was a noted and wealthy man. He had one daugh-
ter and eight sons. Of these Conrad was a black-
smith, and married Sarah Fisher, who was born in
Pennsylvania. Her mother, Mrs. Mary (Brock)
Fisher, was a native of Philadelphia and a relative
of Sir Robert Peel. Conrad Emery was born in New
Jersey, and became the father of 13 children, 11 of
whom reached maturity. His son, Jacob Emery,
was also a blacksmith in early life, but afterward a
successful farmer in Stark County, to which he came
as early as 1835.

evi Fronk, a thriving farmer of Cornwall
Township, residing on section r6, of which
he owns a quarter, was born Dec. 4, 1815,
in Pennsylvania. • He is a son of Henry and
fa Sarah (Buchannan) Fronk, natives of Pennsyl-
vania.- He remained with his parents until he
was 22 years of age, spending most of his time. work-
ing on the home farm and very little of it in attend-
ing the common schools. While living in Pennsyl-
vania, Jan. 1, 1838, he was married to Miss Nancy
Shields, who was born in the Keystone State in 1822.
They had born to them a family of ten children, as
follows: Mary Henrietta, Sarah E., Rebecca J.,
Henry Benson, Margaret, Tansey, John, Cyrus (de-
ceased), Chauncy, Matilda, Joseph and Clementine.
Mr. and Mrs. Fronk have 28 grandchildren and two

<*A3IM

great-grandchildren. Mr. Fronk has a good sub-
stantial house on his farm, and by his industry and
energy has placed it under excellent cultivation and
improvement. Religiously, they are Baptists. Mr.
Fronk is a Republican in political sentiment.

-~3-

-e~-

<>>

jilliamT. Hill is a pioneer of Henry County
of 1855, and has been for 30 years a resi-
dent within her borders. He was born
April 10, 182 1, in Culpeper Co., Va., and is
the oldest son of John K. and Grace (Jenk-
' ins) Hill. His father and mother were both
born in the Old Dominion, and the former was a sol-
dier of the War of 181 2.

The son was still in infancy when the parents re-
moved to that part of Culpeper County which has
since been set off to Rappahannock County, in the
same State, and there he attained to the period of <
his legal freedom. He was brought up on the farm, fy
March 30, 1841, he was united in marriage to Eliza- ^
beth Buckhart. She was born in Rappahannock <j$J
County Jan. r3, 1821. They resided in the same ^
county until r845, when they removed to Rockingham ^
County, also in Virginia, and there Mr. Hill was a <:
farmer six years. He then went to Augusta County, r y\
where he rented a farm, and was its manager four
years. In 1855 he started with his wife and nine
children for the far West, as Illinois was then styled.
The party traveled in the manner then popular and
also convenient, with teams, transporting the family
and household belongings to the new home. Mr.
Hill and his family journeyed with two-horse teams
and two wagons, and passed 30 days on the route
between the Virginia home and Henry County. He
had previously come alone to the county and had
rented a farm in the township of Cornwall. On that
place they lived two years, and Mr. Hill then bought
160 acres of land in its natural prairie condition in
Munson Township, on section 24. There had been
no house built, and the new proprietor erected a
frame building, of which the household took posses-
sion as soon as it was completed, in November, 1856.
In the same year Mr. Hill broke a few acres of the
land, and in 1857 he harvested the first crop that
was grown on the property. That farm is all enclosed
and improved and Mr. Hill has made additional

^3"

■*ty^®J*M»

566

HENRY COUNTY.

-i^^c^vi

<£»

purchases until he is the owner of 280 acres. The
entire acreage is in valuable condition for farming
purposes. He is the proprietor of 240 acres in Ne-
braska.

Mr. and Mrs. Hill have been the parents of 14
children; 12 are still living. John is a resident of
the same township, where his father first settled on
his own estate. George R. lives on the homestead.
Elizabeth S. is the wife of George Dugdale, of the
township of Cornwall. Julia F. is deceased. Ed-
ward L. lives in Geneseo. Victoria R. married
Porter Liken, of Munson Township. Mary E. and
her husband, Adam Young, are residents of Black
Hawk Co., Iowa. Philip D. lives in Geneseo. Jen-
nie A. married Herman Wiedenhoeft, of the township
of Munson. James N. is a citizen of Colfax Co.,
Neb. Emma P. married James Callender, and they
are residents in the county in Nebraska last named.
Stephen R. is a citizen of Geneseo. Estelle L. is
the youngest daughter, and lives at home. The
oldest son, William J., was born in Rappahannock
Co.,Va,Jan. 15, 1842. At the age of 20 he became
a soldier. He enlisted in August, r862, in Co. C,
112th Regiment 111. Vol. Inf. He was killed in the
battle of Kenesaw Mountain June 17, 1864. Julia,
the deceased daughter, was born Feb. 20, 1848, and
was the wife of Samuel G. Murphy. She died Dec.
24, 1884, leaving four children. Mrs. Hill died Oct.
2, 1884. She and her husband belonged to the Chris-
tian Church.

George R. Hill, third son of the subject of this
sketch, was born in Virginia, Aug. 13, T844. He
was past ten years of age when he accompanied the
family of his father to Henry County. He was
brought up on the homestead in Munson, and ob-
tained a good degree of education in the public
schools of that township. He passed one year at
the University of Kentucky, at Lexington, which ad-
vanced him in learning to a satisfactory degree. At
22 he commenced teaching and passed the alternate
winter sessions of eight years in that vocation. He
operated as a farmer during the remaining portions
of the year.

His marriage to Mary M. Taylor took place Dec.
31, 1873. She was born in Cornwall Township, and
is the daughter of John and Elizabeth (Ogden) Tay-
lor. After their marriage they commenced the world
in their own behalf on a farm in Cornwall. They

were its occupants eight years and at the end of that
time they went to Sully Co., D. T. Mr. Hill pre-
empted r6o acres and also secured a tree claim of
the same acreage. 1 He remained in the territory two
years and returned to the State of Illinois, to the
township he had lived in in his boyhood, and where
he has since resided, on the same estate where he
was reared. He still retains the ownership of his
land in Dakota. He is a member of the A. O. U.
W., Dakota Lodge, No. 1 1. While a resident of the
township of Cornwall he acted in the capacity of
Justice of the Peace and also as Assessor.

His family now includes four children, — George
B., Arthur E., Roy and Eva.

Tea&ert&f©'*

-»@£@<ZOT*<»

!|p||afrvid ft. Wimermark, M. D., was born in
[ Sweden, March 28, 1857, and is the son of
Claes B. and Louise E. (Lundberg) Wimer-
%ffi mark. He received his literary education in
the Stockholm Lyceum and took a regular
1 course at the Pharmaceutical Institute of
Stockholm and was graduated in 1876. From 1876
to '79 inclusive, he held the position of prescription
clerk in Stockholm and Karlstad.

The subject of this biographical notice emigrated
from Sweden to America in April, 1879, coming di-
rect to Galesburg, 111. Shortly afterward he went to
Cambridge, of the same State, but remained but a
short time and returned again to Galesburg, where
he purchased a drug store. He continued in busi-
ness at the latter place but a year, when he sold out,
and returned to Cambridge, at which place he re-
sumed the drug business in May, 1881, and pursued
the study of medicine with Dr. J. L. Bryan, of that
place. In September, 1882, he sold out his drug
store in Cambridge and removed to Chicago, where
he attended three courses of lectures at the Rush
Medical College of that city, and graduated Feb. 21,
1884. Mr. Wimermark then came to Moline, and
the following April began practice. In June, 1885,
Dr. W. removed to Cambridge, his former home, and
is there engaged in his profession.

Dr. Wimermark was united in marriage at Cam-
bridge, 111., Jan. 25, 1880, to Mrs. Pauline Nelson,
widow of Albert John Nelson, and daughter of John
Hjelm. Mrs. Wimermark was born in Arv{ka, Swe-

■^a4>IW@llll$A£ ^^

-4*§^®Y(|I§

HENRY COUNTY.

S67

•^g den, and had two children (daughters) by her former
marriage. Dr. Wimermark is a member of the Mo-
line Medical Society and of the Town and Illinois
Central District Medical Association ; is an Odd
Fellow and a member of the Order of Modern Wood-
men. He and his wife are members of the First
Baptist Church of Cambridge.

He was naturalized in Rock Island County, 111., in
April, 1884, and votes the Republican ticket. Dr.
Wimermark is a young physician of fine attainments
and begins practice with flattering prospects of suc-
cess.

(i)

« ■■»

|=enry Kuhl is a farmer in the township of
Munson and he has been a citizen of Hen-
ry County since 1856. He was born May
14, 1816, in Holstein, Germany. After reaching
the age required by law he attended school un-
til he was 16, and after that, as long as he re-
mained in his native country, he worked on a farm.
He came thence to America in 1853. He made
the voyage on a sailing vessel and after a voyage of
40 days landed at New York. He proceeded to
Chicago and from there to Davenport. He remained
in the city last named four weeks and then came to
this county. He went to work on the railroad a
short time and then found a situation on a farm as
an assistant. He then rented land and made a little
start on his own account.

In 1857 he bought 80 acres of land in this
county and settled on it during the progress of
the Civil War. He placed the land under improve-
ments and built a house. His family were its oc-
cupants ten years. Mr. Kuhl then exchanged the
property for 160 acres on section 10 in the township
of Munson. The place is now well improved. He
has since bought 80 acres on section 4 of the same
township and is at present the owner of 240 acres in
all. The whole acreage is in a condition for profit-
able farming.

The marriage of Mr. Kuhl and Mary Westphal
occurred in 1858. Their eight children are named
Lena D., Henry O., Matilda, August, Herman,
George, Willie and Lewis. Lena is married to
Christ Schroeder, of Munson Township ; Henry is a

citizen of the same ; Matilda is the wife of Ernest
Weinrich.of Geneseo; the others are unmarried.

The members of the family are connected with
the Lutheran Church.

athaniel Bartlett Gould, President of the
First National Bank, of Cambridge, and
one of the enterprising and public-spir-
ited citizens of that place, has been identi-
lk fied with its interests since 1856. He was born
March 31, 1828, in Piermont, N. H. His earliest
traceable ancestor, Zaccheus Gould, was born in
England about the year 1589, and came, as nearly
as has been ascertained, to the American Continent
about 20 years after the Pilgrims landed at Plymouth
Rock. He finally fixed his permanent residence at
Topsfield, Mass., where he died about 1670. Phebe
Gould, his wife, died in 1663, leaving six daughters
and a son, all of whom reached mature life and be-
came heads of families. (An incomplete genealogy of
the descendants of Zaccheus Gould was published
at Salem, Mass., in 1872. The preliminary investi-
gations showed them to be numerous and of honor-
able record, representing the professions and various
branches of industry.) Amos Gould, Sr., the pater-
nal grandfather of N. B. Gould, was a soldier in the
War of the Revolution, and subsequent to that
struggle he removed from Massachusetts to Canaan,
N. H. He married Rebecca Perley, and they reared
13 children.

N. B. Gould is the son of Amos, Jr., and Nancy
(Harris) Bartlett Gould. His mother was a de-
scendant of one of the prominent Colonial families
and was the daughter of Nathaniel and Susannah
(Clark) Bartlett. Her father was a farmer and was
one of the original Trustees of Canaan, where he
became wealthy and influential. His demise oc-
curred about 1841. The death of his wife transpired
some years earlier. A considerable account of the
parents of Mr. Gould is given on another page of
this volume in connection with the personal narration
of Amos Gould. Their family included nine chil-
dren, who were born in the following order : Hon.
John M. Gould, resident at Moline; Amos; a
daughter who died; Lyfe Y., Nathaniel B., Nancy
J. (Mrs. John Dean) Dan W., George D., Susannah

3gys @;A<j!||n®DII<$AS ^f©*^

mmmt^

^H?

HENRY COUNTY.

<■>

C. (Mrs. B. H. Burroughs) and Lora H. The latter
j, is deceased; she was the first wife of John Dean,
who married her eldest sister after her death. The
members of the family are so located that they can
A), assemble together at very short notice, which is
somewhat remarkable, as is the order in which the
sons and daughters were born. The father died at
Moline in February, 1864. The demise of the
mother took place at Cambridge in December, 1884.
Mr. Gould was brought up in the method common
to the training of the sons of New England farmers.
He obtained a thorough knowledge of agriculture
and received a common-school education. He re-
mained in his native State until 1857. He grew up
with the ambition and high spirit which in the cases
of so many sons of New England have made them
such valuable factors in the development of the West.
The home farm contained 100 acres, which was
valuable property, as are the farms of New England,
but it was inadequate to the ambitious ideas of Mr.
P" Gould. He was a hardy, rugged son of the Old
S$'. Granite State, and his native hills seemed close, its
t3 valleys narrow and the outlook altogether promised
>$? little of advancement, either in fame or fortune. His
oldest brother 'had come, in 1844, to Illinois, and
had already accomplished the initiatory to a success-
ful career as a business man, and had been prominent
in citizenship. His rapid progress heralded much
to the younger brother, to whom the New England
hills seemed only a restraint to a natural ambition to
make his way in the world.

In r85i Mr. Gould came to Moline, Rock Island
County, and entered the employ of John Deere, an
extensive manufacturer of that place, in whose inter-
ests he was, for a period of five years, a traveling
salesman.

Again his field of operation seemed to yield little
opportunity of advancement, and he settled, in 1856,
at Cambridge which, for several reasons, appeared a
desirable point of location. He and his brother
Amos engaged in the joint management of the Cam-
bridge House, and they operated together in that
line of business until the fall of i860, when Mr.
Gould, of this sketch, sold out to his brother. In
the spring of r86i he took possession of 400 acres of
unimproved land, lying on section 1, in the township
of Cambridge. He built a frame house, which his
family occupied three years, and during that time he
bought 400 acres additional and placed 640 acres

(!)

under the best type of agricultural improvements.
The original property is still in his possession, and
the whole estate forms one of the best improved
farms in the county, with suitable buildings, and it is
also well-stocked with graded and thoroughbred
cattle. Mr. Gould personally superintends its man-
agement.

In 1864 he removed to Cambridge, where he
bought 145 acres of land, now included within the
village corporation, and which was then an unbroken
prairie. In 1868, associated with his brother Amos,
he bought 80 acres additional, and in the same year
160 acres was platted under the name of Gould's
addition. Since that time he has devoted the greater*
part of his time to the improvement of his town
property, erecting buildings and trafficking in town
real estate.

Mr. Gould has exercised unremitting activity in
the interests of the village and township of Cam-
bridge since his connection with them began. He
officiated with them 16 years as Supervisor of the
township, and was made Chairman of the Building
Committee that had charge of trre erection of the
fine court-house at Cambridge.

Mr. Gould is one of the foremost citizens in his in-
terest in and devotion to educational matters, and he
has acted nine years as School Director. He has
also been actively interested in the affairs of the
Agricultural Society of Henry County.

In July, 1881, the First National Bank at Cam-
bridge was organized, with Mr. Gould as its Presi-
dent, Henry White, Vice-President, and F. G.
Welton, Cashier. The latter gentlemen have ex-
changed their official positions and Mr. Gould still
retains the incumbency of chief.

Although not a declared adherent of any denomin-
ational body, Mr. Gould recognizes the influence
and moral bearing of religious institutions on society
and is a liberal contributor to their support.

His ancestors were Democrats of the Jacksonian
type, but he was trained under the influence of New
England institutions, which bred in him independ-
ence of thought and sentiment, and he imbibed
therewith the principles of liberty which have formed
the basis Of his political faith. He cast his first Presi-
dential vote for John v P. Hale in 1852. Though
warned that his vote would be wasted, he sturdily
adhered to the principles he had formed. He held to
Free-Soil opinions until the organization of the Re-

@*$iiiasiii8*

(!)

(3*

«! »

HENRY COUNTY.

"^T^/^S^"

S7* <

publican party, when he fell into its ranks and has
since acted uncompromisingly under its banners.

Mr. Gould was united in marriage to Mary Jane,
daughter of Levi and Susan (Huls) Jennings, Nov.
24, 1859. She was born Nov. 14, 1838, in Peoria
Co., 111., and came with her parents to Henry
County in 1849. A biographical sketch of her family
is given on other pages.

Two daughters were born to Mr. and Mrs Gould.
Nellie L., born Oct. 20, 1863, died Feb. 23, 1879,
aged 15 years and four months. She was the child
of many hopes and extraordinary promise, and, her
death in the dawn of womanhood was a sharp afflic-
tion to her family, and to a large circle of friends.
She went from life before the corroding hand of the
world had touched the bloom of her girlhood. Her
lovely character had so endeared her to the circle
in which she moved that her early death came to all
like a personal loss. Her illness was brief in its
fatal work, and before it was realized that the hand
of disease was laid on one of the village favorites,
the " bell's deep knelling " told of her passage to the
land of perennial youth. Condolences came in pro-
fusion; a wealth of floral offerings paid generous
tribute to her worth; all that the occasion could
prompt transpired, but they were but trifles in the
light of the remembrance in which she is still held,
though she has been hidden several years by the
" green curtain that never outward swings." Katie
M. was born Nov. 29, 1865, and around her cluster
the hopes and desires of the parents who delight in
her as the treasure of their home.

-5-

harles F. Weinrieh. is a practical farmer,

dairyman and stockman of the township

of Munson. His farm is located on sec-

$fo tion 9. He was born in Saxony, Germany,

J |J March 19, 1841, and is the son of John and

l| Rosa Weinrieh. They were born in the same

province as their son. From the age of six to 14 the

latter went to school. He then operated as a farm

assistant until 1825, when he came to the United

States. He made the passage across the ocean in a

sailing vessel and the voyage consumed five weeks

and two days. He landed at New York and at once

came to Henry County. He obtained a situation as

a farm hand and worked by the month until he be-

came a land-holder himself. In 1878 he bought the
farm which is still his property. He is the owner of
120 acres under good improvement. It is also
supplied with all necessary and suitable farm build-
ings.

His union in marriage to Metta Schrader took
place in 1872. They have now (1885) the following
children : Edward J., Frank O., Anna E. and Min-
nie L. Their mother was born in Oldenburg, Ger-
many. Mr. and Mrs. Weinrieh are members of the
Lutheran Church.

§J\©)^F

ared H. Smith, farmer, section 22, Osco
Township, was born in Litchfield Co.,
Conn., Nov. 18, 1827, his parents being
Anson and Abigail (Holt) Smith, residents in
that county. His education was such as the
common-school system then gave, and, aided
by the practical knowledge gained by spending his
early years on the home farm, did much towards
forming those traits of character that later years have
made manifest.

When 27 years old he settled in Henry Co., 111.,
and in the fall of 1853 purchased the quarter-section
upon which he now resides. Improvements were
made as rapidly and thoroughly as circumstances
would permit. Property was added to property
until at present writing his landed interests are of
great extent and value. His present position is a
legitimate result brought out of normal conditions by
the indomitable energy and will that characterize
the man.

Mr. Smith was married in Connecticut, Oct. 1,
1854, to Miss J. A. Welton, of Litchfield County, a
woman of rare worth, whose devotion deadened the
most trying features of pioneer life. To her interest
and care must be attributed much of the success
that marked the few years of married life, and one
could not in justice speak of Mr. S. without noting
the life of one who demonstrated her love by the
sincerity of her deeds. She is indeed to be consid-
ered a faithful wife in the highest sense, a mother
whose husband and children will ever hold in mem-
ory and call her '' blessed." Three children were
born to them : Amelia M., Anson W. and Myra J.

&&: @^<*||||@||||&4<§ ^€3^-

572

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HENRY COUNTY.

Mrs. Smith entered into rest Feb. 17, 1863. Anson
W. died Feb. 24, 1865. Amelia M., now Mrs. M.
Nash, resides in Adair Co., Iowa. Myra J., now
Mrs. W. F. West, resides in Osco Township.

Aug. 18, 1864, Mr. Smith was married to Miss
Mary E. Knowles, daughter of Henry and Eliza
(Radbourne) Knowles, an estimable woman, emin-
ently fitted for the requirements and cares of the
position. Keenly alive to responsibilities, apprecia-
tive, full of sympathy, one gladly traces her influence
in every subsequent advancement. They are blessed
with six children Henry A., Anna E., Jared H.,
George R., Charles E. and Mary E.

Mr. Smith has held from time to time positions of
honor and trust in his county and township, and is
deeply interested in' educational and eleemosynary
work. As one of the founders of Grace Church
Parish, and Warden, he has proven his love for the
Church of which he and his family are honored
members. In all respects he is a representative of
the old-time energy and enterprise. As a Christian
gentleman, an earnest and solid citizen, Mr. Smith is
prominent in spite of his reticence, and is as widely
known for the integrity and nobility of his character
as for his industry and usefulness; and therefore no
man in the county is more worthy to be represented
in the collection of portraits in this Album than he.
Our artist has accordingly given the delineations of
his features upon a page in close proximity.

|&,dward Ferkinson, a farmer on section 17,

Cornwall Township, is a son of William
Perkinson, a native of Queen's Co., Ire-
-?^>- land, where they lived and died. Edward was
born at the same place in r8i8, and when a
young man, 18 years of age, started for the
New World, landing at Quebec, Canada, where he
remained for five years. He then went to Rutland,
Vt., stopped for another year; then to Dutchess Co.,
N. Y., where he spent 18 months, when he made
another move, this time going to Luzerne Co., Pa.
Here he remained and made his home until after his
marriage.

After this event in his life, he and his wife- started
West, and in June, 1853, reached Henry Co., 111.,
and on section 17 of Cornwall Township, their pres-

ent location, they settled. Here they have 80 acres
of good land. While living in Pennsylvania, Mr.
Perkinson met and wedded, as above stated, Miss
Catherine J. Evans, a native of Pennsylvania. Mrs.
P. is a member of the Methodist Church, while her
husband is a Catholic in belief and a Democrat in
politics.

lexandor F. Murphy, a well-known and
prominent farmer of Henry County, and at
present in Geneseo, where he has moved
for the purpose of educating his children, is a
son of John Murphy, a native of Trumbull Co.,
Ohio, and was born Oct. 22, 1804. The elder
Murphy moved with his parents in 18 1 6 to Allegheny
Co., Pa., where he married Miss Elizabeth Bigger-
staff. Their wedding occurred Jan. 20, 183c. After
remaining there for some time, he came West, and in
November, 1844, located in Fulton Co., 111.

He remained there for ten years, when he removed
into Henry County, and located in Cornwall Town-
ship. His wife, who had journeyed and labored with
him for nearly half a century, died in 1879. They
were the parents of eight children, among the eldest
of whom was Alexander F. The elder Murphy is
living in this county, and, for a man of his age, is
enjoying good health, is active, and retains his men-
tal faculties to a good degree.

Alexander F. Murphy was born Dec. 20, 1834, in
Allegheny Co., Pa., was brought West by his parents,
and Aug. 13, 1859, was united in marriage with Miss
Mary H. Goshorn, a native of Ohio, and of German
ancestry. Four children, two sons and two daugh-
ters, have come to bless their home, namely : George
W., born June 16, i860; Dora J., ADril 16,1863;
Nellie E., Aug. 22, 1869; and John H, March 9,
1877. Dora has been a student of Prof. Gardner's,
of Hillsdale, Mich., and is highly accomplished as
an artist. She possesses rare ability as a portrait
and landscape artist, and the family have some very
fine specimens of her work. At present she is en-
gaged in painting some portraits and some fine land-
scapes.

Mr. Murphy has a splendid farm of 240 acres,
upon which he has a good frame dwelling and reason-
ably good outbuildings. It is carried on by his son,

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HENRY COUNTY.

573

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George W. The family are members of the Free
Baptist Church, and Mr. Murphy claims to be an
"Independent Temperance Republican."

H. Long, a farmer residing on section 29,
Cornwall Township, was born Nov. 17,
1837, in Virginia. Mr. Long came West
with his parents when he was 19 years old and
located with them in Henry County in 1857.
His years, prior to attaining his majority, were
passed on the farm, and his education was limited
on account of the necessity which required his act-
ive labors to assist in the maintenance of the family.
The marriage of Mr. Long to Miss Almira Casteel
took place Oct. 9, 1864. She died in 1875, and he
remained a widower for three years, when he formed
a second matrimonial alliance,with Sarah Zumerman,
the date of their wedding being Oct. 4, 1878. Of
the latter the deceased are : Mary B., Bertha, John
W. and Jewit R. Those living are Edwin, Frank
and Anna.

Mr. Long is liberal in his political views, voting
for the best man regardless of party issues.

fames Orr, a well-known farmer of Corn-
Ifc wall Township, and who is comfortably lo-
cated on section 9, is a son of James Orr,
a native of Ireland. About the year 1845 he
jC came to America, where he reared a highly

respectable family. He is now deceased.
James, Jr., was born May n, 1856, in this county,
whither his parents had moved. He remained an
inmate of his father's home until he was 2 1 years of
age, when he began to work at different places in
the neighborhood. He was reared on the home farm
in Henry County, and received his education in the
district schools of the vicinity. He is one of the
very few of the active business men of the county of
to-day who are natives of the county. He has a good
farm of 160 acres, well improved, and provided with
a good two-story frame dwelling. He has an excel-
lent grade of stock, and supplies the creamery at
Geneseo with a large quantity of milk. He is a gen-

erous, good-hearted man, liberal to the poor, and
always willing to help when his services are needed.
Politically, he is a Greenbacker.

Mr. Orr was married to Miss Mary Terpening,
who, like her husband, is a native of this county, and
a daughter of one of the early settlers. The cere-
mony was solemnized Dec. 20, 1882, the Rev. Bush-
nell, of Geneseo, officiating.

-5-~

•5-

*-*

arlos G. Jewell, a retired farmer, residing
at Galva, was born Feb. 26, i8r6, in
Winchester, Cheshire Co., N. H., his an- (
cestry being of English origin. His first
American progenitor, Thomas Jewell, was
born in England, came to Boston, and bought
land in that vicinity in 1639, and his descendants,
the ancestry of our subject, in line, were Joseph for
three generations, then Asahel and Rufus, the latter
being the father of Carlos G. Mr. Rufus Jewell, who
was by occupation a farmer, was born June 28, 1782,
in Winchester, N. H, and died there May 19, 1842.
He married Olive Pratt, Dec. 25, 1805, who became
the mother of ten children, and is now deceased.
Mr. Jewell, after her death, married Elizabeth
French, and by her had one child.

The subject of our sketch was educated in his
native district, brought up on a farm, came West in
1846, landing at Chicago June r, and settled in Wil-
mington, 111., where he lived for nearly 20 years, and
where he was moderately successful in farming pur-
suits. He then resided in Joliet one summer, in-
tending to go to Georgia ; but instead of emigrating
southward he settled near Aurora, 111., where he
remained until 1870; then, after spending a short
time in Iowa, he returned to this State, and since
then has resided at Galva. Here he followed farm-
ing the first three years, when his son took charge of
the place, and in August, 1 881, he sold the farm,
and is now enjoying the fruits of a well-spent life and
a hard-earned competency, in the retirement of a
comfortable home. *

Mr. Jewell has been married twice. His first wife,
Melancy Cass, died in New Hampshire, leaving
one son, Le Roy, who was afterward killed in our
late war, on the skirmish line in front of Dalton, Ga.
His second and present wife was Amy Cook, who

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574

HENRY COUNTY.

was born in Milford, Mass. By the present matri-
monial union there are four children living, namely :
Mrs. Maryette Crocker, of Ohio; Albert, of Mis-
souri; William, also of Missouri ; and Mrs. Charlotte
Best.

Mr. Jewell, in his religious sentiments, sympa-
thizes with the doctrines of the New Jerusalem
Church, and politically, he chooses from the candi-
dates of the various parties, principally Democratic.

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£enry W. Ole has but recently embarked in
W^ farming. In 1879 he left Geneseo, where he
had been working for Esquire Harper for
13 years, and bought 80 acres of land on sec-
tion s, of Cornwall Township. His native
place is England, where, in Somersetshire,
3, 1844, he was born. His father, William O.,
was born June 7, 1818, and still lives on the old
place in England. Henry came to America and
landed at New York city, May 5, 1866, and from
there came direct to Geneseo, and was engaged as
above stated.

Just prior to his leaving England, he was married
to Miss Frances Ward, March 29, 1866. She died
March 3, 1875, and on June n, of the following
year, Mr. O. was married to Eunice M. Kewer. By
his former wife he had two children, and the present
Mrs. O. has borne him a like number. The names
of the four are : Edwin Morris, Jennie Helena,
Francis William and Susan Alice.

Mr. Ole is an Episcopalian, while his wife is con-
nected with the Methodist Church.

eorge B. Phillips is a farmer on section
18, Cambridge Township, where he has a
"* fine location overlooking the village of
Cambridge and the surrounding country. He
was born Jan. 12, 1823, in Berkshire, Tioga
Co., N. Y. The family is of English extrac-
tion and is the same to which Wendell Phillips
traces his origin. Asa Phillips, the grandfather of
Mr. Phillips, was born in Massachusetts in 1754.
He was one of the most daring soldiers of the War

of the Revolution, and was specially commended for
bravery at the battle of White Plains, After the
action at that place his clothes bore the proofs of
having been pierced by upwards of 20 bullets. He
was a personal friend of Gen. Washington, and was
detailed for dangerous and important services, which
he successfully accomplished. He was at one time
sick, and wishing to go outside the lines, he applied
to Gen. Washington for a pass. He received one
permitting him to go when and where and stay as
long as he desired. When it was shown to a superior
officer, he remarked, " There is not another man in
the army that could get such a .pass as that." He
was married in the Bay State, in 1779, to Lurinda
Warren, who was a near relative of Gen. Joseph
Warren, of Revolutionary fame. They had nine
children, as follows : Eunice, Asa, Daniel, Thomas,
Elisha, Isaac, Clark, Lurinda and Samuel. After
their children were grown and settled in life, they re-
moved to Cortland Co., N. Y., to live with their son
Daniel, where the one died in 1828, aged 74, and
the other in 1838, aged 80 years.

Daniel Phillips, the father of Mr. Phillips of this
personal narration, was born in Windsor, Mass., in
1788, and died at Dryden, Tompkins Co., N. Y., at
the age of 82. He was a commissioned officer in
the War of t8t2, and afterward removed to Berk- j\
shire, N. Y., where he married Lydia C. Belcher, (JJ
who was bom Feb. 13, t8oi, in Cherry Valley, N.
Y. "She died in Dryden, N. Y., Sept. 19, 1878,
when 77 years of age. She was the daughter of
Elijah and Lydia (Clark) Belcher. Her father was
born in Massachusetts, resided a short time in Cherry
Valley and finally settled in Berkshire, N. Y., where
he died. His eldest brother, Jonathan Belcher, was
a soldier in the War of 1812, and died on board of a
British prison ship.

Mr. Phillips was the eldest of the children of his
parents, of whom six attained to the age of maturity.
They were named Henry M., who was a soldier and
lost his life in the Civil War; Aaron P., Mrs. Maria
L. Keeny, Mrs. Mary E. Sears and Susan Olive.
The latter is deceased.

Mr. Phillips was reared on a farm in his native
State, where he obtained a good education and for
some time was engaged in the business of teaching
school. He came to Henry County in October,
1855, and during that winter taught school in the#

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HENRY COUNTY.

575

village of Andover and music in both Cambridge
and Andover, and the following spring opened a-
new- farm on the prairie in the township of Osco. In
1857 he removed to Cambridge and passed eight
years there in business. He then bought a farm of
140-acres, situated southeast of the village, and on
which he has since resided.

Mr. Phillips is a Republican in political relations,
and a friend of all religious and moral movements.
He and his family are all active members of the
Congregational Church. His marriage to Sarah C.
Benedict took place at Scipio, Cayuga Co., N. Y.,
May 13, 1851. She was the youngest daughter of
Uriah and Sally (North) Benedict. Her parents
were natives respectively of Norwalk, Conn., and
New York city. Mr. and Mrs. Phillips have eight
children, — Emma M., Charles H., Florence A., Louis
B., Fannie M., La Villa, Eloise and Lydia C.
Charles H., the eldest son, is a graduate of Hamilton
College and of Auburn (N. Y.) Theological Semi-
nary, and is now preaching in Dakota. Louis B.,
the second son, was married Jan. 4, 1883, to Cora
V. Howe, and has one daughter, Ethel M., and has
settled on the home farm.

W. Gamble, the subject of this personal
sketch, is one of the early settlers of Oxford
Township, and one of its prominent farm-
ers. He located on section 24 of that town-
ship in 1857, where he has since remained.
His parents, Samuel and Isabelle (Wilson)
Gamble, came from Pennsylvania, their native State,
and located upon part of the same section during
that year. Both of them died upon this place, the
former in 1870, and the latter in 1863.

T. W. was born in Perry Co., Pa., April 19, 1830,
and remained with the " old folks," assisting on the
farm for a time and going to school, until 23 years of
age. At 19, however, he was apprenticed to learn
the harnessmaker and saddler's trade. At this he
worked four years, when, in 1855, feeling that he
could better his condition in life, he came West and
located in Abingdon, Knox Co., 111., where for two
years he worked at his trade. In 1857, as above
stated, he purchased 80. acres of his present farm.
Subsequently he secured as much more, and since

that time, with the exception of 14 months spent in
Cambridge in a hotel enterprise, he has resided there.
Politically, Mr. G. is a Democrat, and, with his wife
and six children, is a member of the Presbyterian
Church, and of that body he is Elder. He is also
serving as School Director, and is looked upon as one
of the solid and influential men of Oxford Township,
Sept. 2r, 1854, in Franklin Co., Pa., Mr. Gamble
and Miss Margaret C. Elder were united in mar-
riage. She is the daughter of Matthew and Nancy
(McConnell) Elder. Eight children have been born
to bless their home. These have been named in the
order of their birth, as follows : Isabelle, Annettie,
Aramantha, Kate M., Carrie L., Lloyd^E., Nellie T.
and Myrtle L. The deceased are Nora and an in-
fant.

-4-

erome Black. A prominent and extensive
land-owner, a large stock-dealer, and one
of the highly respected citizens of Corn-
wall Township, is Mr. Jerome Black. His gjft
residence is located upon section 14, where he ers
has a fine farm. Altogether, he owns 680 ^j\*
acres of good farm land, all well improved and J\
equipped for farming, and is an extensive dealer in , N
cattle and horses. He was a Christmas gift to his
parents in the year 1844, while they were residing
in Knox Co., Ohio. He remained with them until
he was 17 years of age, when he entered the service
of his country, enlisting in the 43d Ohio Vol. Inf.,
under Captain Eckheat, and was mustered in at Mt.
Vernon, Ohio. He served his country faithfully for
three years and seven months, and has a very inter-
esting and eventful military career. He participated
in some of the most eventful conflicts of that terrible
struggle. Among the first service he did was at the
siege of New Madrid, Mo. ; next at the famous con-
flict of Island No. 10, and in the spring of 1862 he
participated in the siege of Corinth, and in the au-
tumn actively engaged in the battle at that place,
which was among the most severe of the war.

About the time that Grant made siege to Vicks-
burg, his regiment was on duty at Memphis, Tenn.,
where they remained for six months, when they were
ordered to the vicinity of Decatur, where most of the
regiment enlisted as veterans. They then returned

^^ oj^mwm$>

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576

Cse? ^s

HENRY

-i^(@\

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to Memphis, and subsequently marched on to Deca-
tur, Ala., then to Chattanooga; then joined the main
army, and engaged in the battle of Resaca, Ga. ; the
following July found them in front of Atlanta, and
he participated in the battles of the 22d and 28th,
and was also in the battle of Dasal ; he was also at
Jonesboro, and accompanied Sherman on his famous
march to the sea. On July 22, 1865, he was mus-
tered out at Columbus, Ohio. During all these
years of hard service he was fortunate in not receiv-
ing any of the enemy's missiles. He returned home
and soon found his way West.

Mr. Black came to Henry County in 1865, and
made his location in Cornwall Township. April 22,
1874, he was married to Miss Catherine J. Orr, by
the Rev. F. J. Moffitt. Mrs. Black was born March
8, 1846, in County Antrim, Ireland, and was brought
to America by her parents in 1849. The four chil-
dren of Mr. and Mrs. Black are Sarah E., John M.,
Paul J. and Frank. The family are members of the
Christian Church, and in politics Mr. B. is a Repub-
lican.

|^ F. Hathaway, an industrious and enter-
JL prising citizen of Galva Township, Henry
County, 111., residing at Galva, was born
Oct. 2r, 1821, in Adams Towhship, Berkshire,
Co., Mass. His parents are of English extrac-
tion, Jeptha Hathaway, the father, having been
born in 1777, in Bristol, Rhode Island, and died in
1852, at the age of 75 years, in Adrian, Mich. He
was a painter in early life. He formed a matrimo-
nial alliance in early life with Nancy Albro, a New
Englander, who died in Berkshire Co., Mass., in
1842, leaving a family of ten children to mourn their
loss. The following are their names : Adeline, Eliza-
beth, William, Abbie, Sarah, Lydia, Celinda, Arthur
F., Ephraim F. and Jane. Qf these Mrs. Adeline
Beals, Mrs. Sarah Drew, and Mrs. Lydia Smith, re-
side in Adrian, Mich. Mr. H.'s ancestors were
Quakers in religious belief.

Our subject was reared in Massachusetts, and at
the age of 15 years came West, with the intention of
living with a brother in Michigan, but at which place
he did not remain long. Came as far as Chicago,
111., and in 1839 returned, continuing backward and
forward several times, and engaging in various occu-

pations, namely, teaming, stage-driving, rafting, etc.
In 1850, at the time of the " gold " fever, he joined
the " West-bound throng," and in company with
three men, all from Pennsylvania — Thomas Free-
man, Amos Biddle and Ira Marsey — they started
across the country in a wagon, for the land of gold.
May 8th they left St. Joseph, Mo., in safety, and
then continued their journey, arriving at Weaver-
town, Cal., August 8th of the same year. While in
California he engaged in mining nearly all the
time, and had various success. In November,
1852, he returned to New - York, via Isthmus of
Panama, by steamer. From New York he went to
the pineries of Michigan, where he became a partner
in the firm of Jacob, Henry & Aaron Beidler — one
in the oldest lumber houses in existence in Chicago
at the present day. Mr. Hathaway remained with
the, firm for three years, being fairly successful in
that line of business, he being in the pineries with
headquarters at Muskegon, Mich. From there he
came, Jan. 12, 1856, to Galva, and at this latter
place he was engaged in the lumber business until
1874, when he went to farming, continuing the same
until 1883. He then moved to town, where he is at
present residing. Mr. Hathaway is the owner of
some land, having over 600 acres near Galva, be-
sides considerable in Iowa and Nebraska.

Mr. H. was united in marriage in Muskegon,
Mich., to Jane Mowatt, a native of Scotland, and
who has become the mother of six children, four of
whom survived : Celinda is the wife of A. A. Barlow,
who affiliates with the Republican party; Abbie,
Jeptha B. and Jane, are the remainder of those who
survived, the deceased being Ida and Adeline.

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-y o/saa®

I acob Long, a farmer residing on section
Wilt 31! Cornwall Township, is a native of Vir-
1 ginia, where he was born March 5, 1808.
The father of Mr. Long whose name stands at
the head of this biographical notice, by name
John Long, was a native of Pennsylvania, in
which State he was born in 1788. In 1812 he moved
to Virginia, where he engaged in the occupation of
farming, and where he continued to reside until the
date of his death, in Rockingham Co., that State, in
1823.
Jacob Long, of whom we write, has supported

HENR Y CO UNT Y.

<•*"«*«,

-4'^^^ ,fe*

577

himself ever since he was 14 years of age, following
the vocation of a farmer. He came to this State in
1857 from Virginia, and rented land from William
O. Clark and others, and was engaged in farming on'
rented land until 1863. "During that year he pur-
chased 80 acres, located on section 31, and after-
wards purchased 80 acres additional, and is at pres-
ent the proprietor of 160 acres of as good farming
land as can be found in Henry County. He has a
fine brick residence on his farm, two-stories in height,
and also another residence, frame, one and a half
stories, together with good and substantial outbuild-
ings, and his farm is indicative of that energy and
perseverance of which Mr. Long is possessed.

The marriage of Mr. Long to Nancy Ryan took
place Sept. 5, 1832, Rev. Kilpatrick officiating.
Mrs. Long was born in Virginia, Jan. 26, 181 1, and
has borne her husband ten children, three daughters
and seven sons, namely: Charles M., John, Wil-
liam T., Jewet H., Mary S., Catherine A., Rebecca,
Robert, James S. and Jacob O. Mr. and Mrs. Long
are members of the United Brethren Church. In
politics Mr. Long affiliates with the Democratic
party.

ohn Sears, residing on section 22, Cornwall
Township, and the owner of 400 acres of
good farm land located thereon, is a native
of Connecticut, having been born in Litchfield
County, that State, May 20, 1818. The father
of Mr. Sears of this sketch, John Sears, Sr.,
was born in Connecticut in 1785, and died in On-
tario Co., N. Y.,in October; i860. He married Miss
Almira Gould, a native of Connecticut, who departed
this life in her 80th year.

John Sears, Jr., the gentleman whose name stands
at the head of this notice, formed a matrimonial alli-
ance with Miss Mary W. Jewett, Sept. 17, 1856, Rev.
William Jewett, of the Methodist Episcopal Church,
officiating. She was born and reared in Connecticut.
After marriage, in 1856, they came to this county,
where Mr. Sears purchased 400 acres of good tillable
land on section 22, Cornwall township. On this
land they located and entered vigorously and en-
ergetically upon its cultivation and improvement,
determined not only to make it a home for them-

selves in time to come, but for their children. Mr.
Sears erected on this land good farm buildings, and
otherwise improved it, and to-day they are the joint
owners of a farm which is not only indicative of a
life of labor, but is also a pleasant and profitable
home for themselves and children.

The union of Mr. and Mrs. Sears has been blessed
by the birth of seven children, six of whom are liv-
ing. The record is as follows: Mary J., married
to Doctor J. Porter; Frank S., John S., Jr., Sarah,
Nellie, whose demise occurred in 1884, William H.
and Jessie L.

-S3-

-E4-

illiam L. Gochenouer, of the township
of Annawan, is a respected citizen of
Henry County, whither he removed in the
year 1856. He is located on section 15,
where he is the owner of 40 acres of excel-
lent land under good cultivation.
He is a native of the State of Ohio, and was first
introduced to the light of day in Warren County,
Feb. 21, 1834. When he was one year past his ma-
jority he came to Henry County to make a perma-
nent home for himself, and at first he purchased 80
acres on section 16, which he sold in 1861 and en-
listed in the military service of his country. The
Civil War made a change in his prospects, as there
was no use in trying to establish a home in a land
which was torn by a struggle between the different
sections ; and he felt it his duty to aid in securing the
peace that was so necessary to all concerned. He
enrolled in Co. I, 27th Regt. 111. Vol. Inf., in August,
1861, and was mustered into the army of the United
States at. Camp Butler, Sept. 5, 1861. The company
was commanded by Captain Merrill, and the regi-
ment by Col. N. B. Buford. After the process of as-
signment to the service the regiment was ordered to
Cairo, 111., and remained there until March 10, 1862.
On that day the command was sent to Island No.
10, but Mr. Gochenour was at home on sick leave.
He rejoined his company at Big Springs, Miss., on
the 14th day of July. He was a participant in the
battle of Belmont, Mo., and in September, 1862, he
was in the siege of Nashville. Dec. 30 of the same
year he fought at Stone River, and in the three days
succeeding, — Jan. 30 and 31 and Feb. 1, — through

(i)

■ g®s>-

r=r

t^hh^hii^^ — >*€^

578

x=x

HENRY COUNTY.

which the action there continued. On the first day
of the fight he was conscious that he was hit by a
bullet, and ascertained that the missile had pene-
trated several folds of his blanket and also his over-
coat, after which it fell to the ground, without having
the smallest scratch inflicted on his person. Follow-
ing is the list of battles in which he took an active
part: Winchester, Jan. 3, 1862; Franklin, Feb. 23,
1863; Columbia, Hoovers' Gap, Salem, Gay's Gap,
Fairfield, Tullahoma, Chickamauga (Sept 19 and 20,
1863), Kossville, Chattanooga, Mission Ridge (Nov.
28), Dandridge, Rocky Face Ridge, Resaca, Calhoun,
New Hope, Ackworth, Pine-Top Hill, Nickajack,
Kenesaw, Honey Creek and Peach-Tree Creek. At
At the last named place he was shot through the calf
of one of his legs, July 20, 1863. He afterwards
fought at Spring Hill, Franklin and at the siege of
Nashville. He was mustered out at Louisville, Ky.,
July 9, 1865, and received his discharge at Camp
Butler, 111. He is the recipient of $6 a month as a
pension. On his return to Henry County, he bought
the farm on which he is now living, and on which he
is engaged in mixed farming.

He was married March 8, i860, to Elmira L. Ca-
rey. Their children number four : Lillie L. was born
Oct. 17, 1867; Ada F., Nov. 28, 1872; Olive M.,
March 29, 1875 ; Anna C, July 8, 1880. The mother
is a native of Warren Co., Ohio, where she was born
May 1, 1841.

In his political connection Mr. Gochenouer is a
Republican. He has held the positions of School
Director and Road Commissioner. In the first he
officiated three years. He is a member of the Grand
Army Post at Annawan, and with his wife belongs to
the United Brethren Church.

~>wiggi$| gasifr/v^

avid T. Dickey, a prosperous and well-to-

IL do farmer as well as representative citizen

of Henry County, is a resident of section

He was born Dec.

j^*» 27, Cornwall Township.

flf J9> 1835, in Grayson County, Ky., near Mam-
moth Cave, and is a son of Samuel and
Elizabeth (Cooper) Dickey, natives respectively of
Chester Co., Pa., and Ohio. Samuel (the father)
was born in 1802 and married in Louisville, Ky.,
in 1831.

Ai§)$«§§f§« ^g^e: P-A

David T., our subject, received such educational
advantages as was possible in that early day, and
farmed with his father on the old homestead when
opportunity afforded ; so our subject was thoroughly
initiated in a farmer's life and the duties of such. In
1855 Mr. Dickey removed into Cornwall Township,
where he is now the possessor of a tract of land of
560 acres, all improved, which by his indomitable
energy and perseverance he has brought to a high
state of cultivation. He has succeeded in life, and
eflgages quite extensively in raising fine grades of
cattle and fattens large numbers of hogs for the mar-
; ket each year. His farm is considered to be second
'to none in the township, having upon the same a
good dwelling, barn, and the land all fenced.

David T. Dickey and Miss Eliza E. Peterson were
united in the holy bonds of matrimony in Fulton
County, this State, on the 4th day of April, 186 1.
Mrs. Dickey was born in Crawford Co., Pa., Sept.
18, 1836. Her father died in Pennsylvania in the
year 1845, a°d three years later Mrs. Dickey came
to Fulton County, this State, and located near Can-
ton, where she remained until her marriage. Mr.
! and Mrs. Dickey have become the parents of three
1 children, two of whom survive, as follows : Arthur
J., born Sept. 23, 1863; Gracy L., born Sept. 4, 1866;
and Allie A., born Jan. 20, 1862, died March 12,
same year.

Mr. and Mrs. Dickey are members of the Free
Baptist Church, and in his political affiliations Mr.
D. is a Republican.

iram F. Humphrey. Among those who
very early in the history of Henry County
came here to make their homes, is the sub-
ject of the following biographical sketch. He
resides on sec'ion 23 of Annawan Township,
where he has 340 acres of excellent farming
land, and a well improved and equipped farm. He
came to Illinois as early as 1849, and located at
Elmwood, Peoria County. Here he worked by the
month for a year and a half, when the advantages
that Annawan Township afforded for_ a young man
were made known to him. He soon found his way
here and began breaking prairie. In 1855 he bought
100 acres of land in this township, to which he has

Vg)

I
I

Ig^)*&^

HENRY COUNTY.

vi* since added at different times until now he has a
rR splendid farm of 340 acres.

Mr. Humphrey was born in Ashtabula Co., Ohio,
Dec. 18, 1825. When but a small lad his parents
moved into Michigan, where they resided for five
years. They then moved into Indiana, where Hi-
ram E. spent the next five years of his life. As
might be expected, the advantages thus offered him
for an education were very limited. Shortly after his
arrival in Henry County, or rather after the purchase
of his farm, he was married to Miss Martha Becker,
by Elder McDermott, of the Baptist Church. This
important event in his life occurred Sept, 2 1 , 1856.
The lady who had thus signified her desire to join
with him in the ups and downs of life, was born May
5, r835, in Norfolk Co., Ontario, Canada. Five years
previously she had accompanied her parents to the
United States. Five children have blessed this mar-
riage, and these have been given the following names
in the order of their birth: John A., Minnie E.,
> Franklin G., Jennie M. and Charles A.

Mr. Humphrey devotes considerable attention to
S his Short-horn cattle, and Norman and Clydesdale
j^J and English Draft horses. He has a well-improved
55 farm, upon which he has erected a two-stoty dwell-
!0J ing, 45 x 60 feet in size, has two good barns, put
S down about 500 rods of tile drain, and has some five
i ") miles of hedge fence on the farm. He is an esteem-
ed and respected citizen of the community, and has
served his people in several official positions.

<!>

^0O>€

enry Stickney. Among the prominent and
influential pioneers of Henry County, was
Mr. Henry Stickney, who arrived here in
April, 1862, and for the years he lived perhaps
was one of the most highly esteemed men of
his neighborhood. He was born in Grafton
Co., Vt., June 29, 1807. He was educated and
reared, there, and on June 20, 1837, was married to
Miss N. A. Wood. This esteemed lady was also of
(3* New England birth, having been born in Rindge, N.
H., Feb. 22, 1810. A few years after his marriage,
Mr. Stickney, hearing such glowing accounts of the
fertility of the Valley of the Mississippi, determined
to come Westward and seek a location. He found a
suitable place in the southwestern part of Henry
County, where he became one of the leading spirits

in moulding the affairs of that section. He was not
only one of the early settlers of Henry County, but
a man who was universally respected for his habits
of industry and economy. He was a self-made man
in every particular, starling in life with a limited
education and without means. By his own efforts,
however, he was able to leave an estate valued at
over $50,000. He died Nov. 16, 1866, and his loss
was keenly felt by the community. William C. and
Alfred Stickney, both prominent citizens of Clover
Township, are his sons. A sketch of each is' given
in this volume.

Prominent among that already large and rapidly
increasing number of sturdy old pioneers who have
been laid at rest from the trials and tribulations of
life, is Mr. Henry Stickney, and as such is eminently
worthy to be represented in the portrait gallery as
given in this volume. We give his portrait in con-
nection with this sketch.

-43-

— E3-

onathan Shaw, of the township of Anna-
wan, is one of the prominent agriculturists
of Henry County. He is the proprietor of
530 acres of land located on section 21. The
estate is in excellent farming condition and

'^ supplied with all necessary and modern fix-
tures for the best type of mixed husbandry. Mr.
Shaw has served in several official positions, among
which are Supervisor and School Trustee. He has
J>een prominent in the Masonic Order since 1870.

He was born in Wayne Co., Ind., May 12, 1824.
His father, Benjamin Shaw, was born in Pennsyl-
vania in 1799, and married Elsie Moore in 1820.
She was a native of Tennessee, where she was born
in 1804. They became the parents of nine children,
whose births occurred as follows: Maria, March
12, 1821; Amanda, Aug. 18, T822; Jonathan, May
12, 1824; Phebe, April 24, 1826; Milton, March
29, 1828; John, born in 1830, died when he was two
years old; Lewis, March 16, 1832; Nathan, Aug. 1,
1834; Eliza J., Sept. 27, 1837. Tne father died
April 17, 1849; his wife's decease took place in
1873. They were members of the Methodist Epis-
copal Church and they passed their lives in con-
sistent conformity with their religious professions.

Mr. Shaw passed the first ^24 years of his life on

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HJENkY COUNTY.

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the farm of his father, and was occupied generally
after the manner of farmers' sons in labor on the
homestead and in early attendance at the common
school. In 1845 he attended the University at La
Porte, Ind. April 3, 1849, he was married to Eliza-
beth E. Everts. She was born at Athens, Ohio.
The children who have been added to the household
of Mr. and Mrs. Shaw were born as follows : Enter
E., March 24, 1851 (see sketch); Hattie E., Aug. 9,
1853; Ruth Ella, April, 1856 (died Aug. 3, 1858);
Alvin'A., July 16, 1859; Wellington J., Aug. 2,
1861; Wheelock B., March 18, 1863; Achsah May,
May 14, 1866; Herman, Oct. 24, 1868 (died Dec. 13
of the same year).

Wheelock Everts, the father of Mrs. Shaw, was
born Nov. 17, 1785, in Rutland, Vt. He was mar-
ried in 1820 to Miss Ruth Brown, who was a native
of Pennsylvania and was born Feb. 16, 1792. Fol-
lowing are the names and dates of birth of their
children: Achsah A., March 17, 1821; Josephus
B., Dec. 14, 1823; Alvin, Jan. 12, 1825; Elizabeth
E., June 26, 1827; Gustavus A., April 9, 1830;
James M., Oct. 30, 1832. Mr. Everts died from ac-
cident, Feb. 16, 1836. His wife's demise took place
March 15, 1870.

eorge H. Schrader is one of the enterpris-
ing farmers of Edford Township and is
K extensively engaged in general farming
and in raising stock. He was born in Olden-
burg, Germany, Oct. 19, 1834. His parents,
John and Catherine (Wicker) Schrader, were
natives of the same part of Germany.

The experiences of Mr. Schrader in his youth in
his native country were of the same character of
those of other children in the class to which he be-
longed by birth, and he attended school there as the
law required. When about 17 years of age he made
his way to a seaport to embark for the United States.
He set out on a sail vessel and after a passage of 42
days he landed at the port of New Orleans, June 1,
1852. He came thence immediately to Rock Island
County and engaged in farming in the township of
Hampton. When he landed at Hampton, he had
$12.50 in money in his possession. During the first
summer he received $7 per month for his labor, and

in the winter that succeeded he attended school, do-
ing chores for his board. He operated as an assist-
ant on a farm until 1859, when he bought a tract of
land in Hampton Township. He resided on the
place four years, and in 1863 he came to Edford
Township. One year subsequent he passed in the
capacity of a renter. In 1864 he bought 80 acres of
land on section 15, and the place has since been his
home and field of operation. He is now the owner
of 240 acres of land, all of which is in a fine state of
improvement. He is engaged largely in the duties
of a general farmer and also of raising fine grades of
stock.

Mr. Schrader was married in 1859 to Wilhelmina
Weigand, a native of Prussia. They have seven
children, — Henrietta P., born Oct. 13, 1863; Martha
F., Feb. 25, 1866; John H, Feb. ir, 1868; Charles
F., June 21, 1870; Minnie L., Oct. 5, 1874; Louie
A., April 25, 1876; Elmer A., Feb. 12, 1881.

,harles Nelson, a farmer on section 14,
Munson Township, is a native of Sweden.
His parents belonged to the laboring class,
and as soon as he was of sufficient age he
was placed at work. Since that date he has
earned his own livelihood. He was born
Sept. 20, 1826, and came to America in 1852. He
made the voyage across the ocean in a sailing vessel
and landed at Quebec, Canada, after a passage of
uncommon length. He came directly from the Do-
minion to Henry County, and at once found employ
as a farm assistant. He was a faithful and indus-
trious workman and had no difficulty in obtaining all
the employment he needed. He was able to com-
mand good wages, and in 1859 he bought a farm on
the section which has been mentioned as the place
of his residence. He found himself in the position
which he held in his imagination when he came to
this country — that of the owner of the soil whereon
he expected to expend the labor of his life. He was
then thetowner of a pair of horses and two cows, and
with this outfit he commenced his career as an in-
dependent American farmer. His place is all under
improvements and fitted with farm buildings and
other fixtures of the best kind. His prosperity has
enabled him to continue his purchases of land until

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HENRY COUNTY

S»3

h« is the owner of a farm of 200 acres. The place is
well stocked.

In the same year in which he settled in life as a
farmer on his own account he was married to Miss
Hannah Armstrong. She was born March 17, 1831,
in Oneida Co., N. Y. The family includes five chil-
dren. Justina C. is the wife of George Hutchinson,
to whom she was married March 15, 1882. They
settled in the township where she was born. Etta
V., Mamie M., Willie C. and Freddie J. are the
names of the other children. The two oldest daugh-
ters have been teachers in the public schools. This
is a fact that hardly entered into the father's plans
when, in the land of his birth, he saw a possibility of
becoming a responsible citizen of a republic.

yW^-*"

• ohnM. Burns, one of the extensive farmers
and stock raisers, residing on section 30,
Western Township, and one of the ener-
getic and reliable citizens of Henry County,
was born in Finley Township, Allegheny Co.,
Pa., Sept. 9, 1826.

The grandfather of the subject of this notice, Alex.
Burns, was a native of Scotland, and of Scotch an-
cestry. He was a direct descendant of the famous
Scottish bard, Robert Burns, and of about the third
generation. He emigrated to the United States, and
settled in Allegheny Co., Pa., when he was a young
man, and was married there.

After the grandparents were married, the grand-
father followed the occupation of a farmer, and
during the time the Indians were numerous, were
constantly harassed by them, and underwent all the
experiences incident to the early settlement of a new
country in that county and State. They died in
Allegheny Co., Pa., after they had improved a farm
from the wild and uncultivated condition which it
presented when they first settled on it. Their family
owned a whole township of land in that county, the
major part of which is yet owned by the offsprings of
the original progenitors. The grandfather was a
popular Presbyterian, and a prominent citizen of his
day and generation. His family was large, consist-
ing of some 12 dhildren, of whom Robert, named in
honor of the poet, and the father of our subject, was
the younger son. He was reared on the farm in Al-

legheny County, and attended the common schools,
receiving a fair English education, and was married
in the county of his nativity to Miss Jane Marshall,
a daughter of John Marshall, who emigrated from
Scotland to this country previous to his marriage.
He married Jane McBride, who was of American
parentage, and he followed the occupation of a farmer
in Allegheny County, where both died some years
ago. The father of the subject of this notice was
born Feb. 1, 1797, and died at his residence March
22, 1874. The mother was bojn May 10, 1803, and
died Jan. 4, 1880. They had met with considerable
success in the vocation of their lives, and were
prominent and highly respected citizens in the com-
munity in which they resided. Their union was
blessed with ten children, four sons and six daugh-
ters, of whom John M. was the third in order of
birth. All the children lived until they attained
the age of majority, and eight of the number yet
survive.

John M. Burns, subject of this biographical notice,
resided at home and assisted his father on the farm,
alternating his labors thereon by attendance at the
common schools, and continuing to reside with his
parents until he developed into manhood. He was
united in marriage in Finley Township, Allegheny
Co., Pa., Oct. 18, 1849, with Miss Esther Meanor,
the only child of Samuel and Mary (Meanor) Meanor,
natives of that county and State, of American
■ parentage, and of Scotch descent. Her father was
a farmer, and also a carpenter by trade, and lived all
his life in that county, and there died Aug. 22, 1875.
The mother also died there June 22, 1849. They
were both active members of the Presbyterian
Church, of which the father was an Elder, and both
were highly respected citizens of the community in
which they resided.

Mrs. Burns was born in Finley Township, Jan. 29,
1828. The parental instruction which she received,
and the religious influence surrounding her early
life, were such as to develop in her a remarkable
amount of social and religious qualities, and physical
mental strength. She remained at home until her
marriage, and, being the only daughter, was so in-
structed as to be thoroughly prepared for an active
life of effort and real good. Their two children,
John Sanford and Mary J., were born Nov. 25, 1851,
and Sept. 17, 1855 respectively. The former was
married in Rural Township, Rock Island Co!, 111.,

M*>*r§ — ^^^

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584

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^M-XSer%i<

HENR Y CO UNTY.

Feb. 20, 1884, to Miss Belle Coffee. She was born
and reared in that county, and their only child was
born June 30, 1885, and christened Clifford C. They
now reside in Rural Township, where they are en-
gaged in farming. The young Mr. Burns had a
good practical training in commercial matters, and
was well fitted for a business career. Mary J. was
married Sept. 26, 1883, to Dr. L. L. Long, a skillful
physician of Toulon, Stark Co., 111., where the Doc-
tor is having a remarkably successful practice. They
are the parents of one child, Bessie E., born Sept.
16, 1884.

Two years after his marriage, on the 2d of Janu-
ary, Mr. Burns started for California, via Panama
and the water route, and landed at his destination,
Gold Hill, June 1, T852. The trip was made in
search of gold, and on the whole was a successful one,
although he experienced considerable hardships and
exposure. He returned in 1854, arriving home Dec.
8. One year later they came West, and made a
purchase of 351 acres of prairie land, which he has
made one of the best farms in the county. He now
has 560 acres, and one of the most pleasant and de-
lightful homes in the county. Mr. and Mrs. Burns
are active members of the Presbyterian Church, and
politically he is a sound Republican.

Mr. B. takes considerable interest in the relics of
the past, and among those he has in his possession
are two canes, made out of the logs of the old cabin
home in which he was born and reared. It was a
rude log cabin, with puncheon floor. The canes are
fine specimens of workmanship, one having a large
gold head upon it, the other headed with cherry
wood, made from the door of the hut.

#**

^mer E. Shaw, a farmer in the township of
Annawan, resident on section 22, was born
March 24, 185 1, in the county of La Porte,
Ind. He is the son of Jonathan Shaw, and a
full sketch of his parents appears on another
page. He passed the first 26 years of his life
in the home of his boyhood as was the assistant of
his father on the farm. He obtained his education
in the common schools, and later was an attendant
at the college in Grinnell, Iowa. He went after-
wards to the Normal School in the place of the same

name in Illinois, which he attended about one year.
He went thence to Little Rock, Ark., and from there
six months later down the river on a steamboat trip,
returning by land.

He was married to Annie M. Davidson, March
8, 1877. They have three children, — EmerB., born
June n, 1878; Clifford, July 10, 1880; and Martha
E., April 16, 1885. Mrs. Shaw was born Feb. 22,
1859. Mr. Shaw is engaged in farming and is the
owner of about 40 acres of land. The place is well
fitted with good and necessary buildings.

auies Ringle, of Munson Township, re-
\ moved to Henry County in 1856. He was
4 born in Westmoreland Co., Pa., April 3,
1837, and is the son of Joseph and Mary A.
(Whitesel) Ringle. The personal account of
the parents is given on other pages of this
work. The maternal grandparents of Mr.' Ringle
were natives of Holland. His grandfather Ringle
was a soldier in the War of the Revolution, and
after the war was ended settled in Pennsylvania.

Mr. Ringle passed the years of his youth and mi-
nority in the county where he was born, and remained
there until he came to Illinois. He was 19 when he
set out from his home with four horses and a wagon
to make an overland trip to Henry County. He
passed 30 days on the road, and spent the first win-
ter in the family of the Rev. Mr. Leavenworth. In
the following spring the parents followed the son to
Henry County. The father bought a farm in what
is now the township of Osco, which was situated on
section 14. That township was then known as " 16."
It was all in its primal condition of unbroken prairie.
The senior Ringle was the resident owner of the
place seven years, and at the end of that time re-
moved to Cambridge."

Mr. Ringle is the oldest son, and he remained
with his parents until he became the head of a family
of his own. His marriage to Miss Caroline Lamp-
rey took place July 22, 1862. Mrs. Ringle is the
daughter of Eli and Hannah (Sanborn) Lamprey,
and was born in Rockingham Co., N. H. After
their marriage they passed a year and a half on the
homestead, and in 1864 Mr. Ringle bought 80 acres
of land on section 18, in Munson Township. He

®)^f|-

■^ti!i»>^ — w-

HENRY COUNTY.

-®4^

5«s

<§*

* »

erected farm buildings and was the occupant of the
place until 1868, when he sold it and bought 164
acres on section 7, and has since lived on the place.
The farm is a valuable one, and supplied with mod-
ern fixtures of the most approved style.

Mr. and Mrs. Ringle are members of the Presby-
terian Church in Munson.

vwH"

'. on. Hilton M. Ford, real-estate dealer and
T formerly a merchant, residing at Galva,
was born Jan. 13, 1823, in Milo, Yates Co.)
N. Y. His grandfather Ford was a native of
Connecticut, where he married, spent an active
life and died. Of his children, Dyer Ford, the
father of our subject, was born at Hampton, Wind-
ham Co., Conn., May 8, 1798. He was a school-
teacher during his early life, but in i8i8he removed
to Western New York, where he became a prominent
merchant. He removed from West Dresden, Yates
Co., to Pultney, Steuben Co., N. Y.,and subsequent-
ly moved to IPainted Post, and in 1844 he came
West and located in McHenry Co., 111. Some three
years later he removed to Galesburg, that his chil-
dren might enjoy better educational advantages. In
that city he was also engaged in the mercantile bus-
iness. In 1856 he removed to Viola, Mercer Coun-
ty, where he remained in active mercantile life until
1865, when he returned to Knox County, locating at
Oneida, where, on the 30th day of December, 1884,
he died at the age of nearly 87 years, standing at the
time of his death the representative head of five liv-
ing generations. He was twice married, the first
time in 181 9, to Louisa Morris, who died ten years
later. She was the daughter of Stephen Morris and
the mother of four children who reached the age of
maturity, viz. : Mrs. Esther Miller, deceased, the
subject of this sketch, Mrs. Chloe C. Barnett, and
James B. Ford, deceased. He was again married in
1 83 1 to Sophia Wollage, of New York. She died; at
Oneida, 111., Jan. 5, 1881.

He united with the Presbyterian Church in the
State of New York in 1835, and lived an humble,
consistent christian life. In his day he was an active
business man and a useful and highly respected and
honored citizen.
Milton M. Ford, whose name heads this sketch,

was educated principally in the common-schools of
the State of his nativity, and attended one winter the
Academy at Penn Yan, New York. However, with
these limited advantages, he devoted much of his
time while engaged at work to reading and studying,
until he acquired an excellent general education.
During his early life he clerked for his father until
the age of 16 years, when his parents went to Paint-
ed Post and he to Penn Yan, and there engaged as a
clerk, for Charles C Sheppard, one of the leading
and most successful merchants in the county of
Yates. At the age of 23 years he became partner,
under the firm name of Sheppard & Ford, Mr. Shep-
pard withdrawing from active business, throwing the
responsibility and active duties of the establishment
upon his partner, the management of which proved
successful and satisfactory. In 185 1 he visited his
father at Galesburg. 111., and became owner of his
first real estate by location of some of the Govern-
ment land then subject to entry in Henry County.
This being a profitable investmentwhe again returned
to the State in 1856 on an exploring tour and pur-
chased on joint account for Mr. Sheppard and him-
self a large quantity of land in Lee and Mercer
and for himself in Knox and Henry Counties. In
1858 he sold out his mercantile interests in New
York, and in i860 removed with his family to Galva,
that he might be near his lands, and again entered
into active mercantile business, to which he added
the lending of money, and has successfully handled
large amounts of Eastern capital as investment for
others. Since that time he has resided there, and
has always been identified with the business interest
and whatever contributed most to the strength, pros-
perity and upbuilding of the town and her citizens.
When a lad and clerk in New York, he studied law
and was admitted to the Bar in Illinois in 1868, but
has never made the practice of this profession a bus-
iness, using it only as a means to assist him in con-
ducting his real-estate enterprises. Mr. Ford, since
his residence in this county, has taken an active part
in political matters and has had conferred upon him
by the citizens of his county and his party political
honors and offices. For years he was Chairman of
the Republican Congressional Committee, and has
been otherwise instrumental in serving the party
whose cause he advocates. In 1864 he was elected
to the Legislature from the 46th District. He was
Chairman and member of important committees. In

*!i

<*■ ©r^HaSH!!^

ges-

HENRY COUNTY.

1878 he was again elected to the General Assembly,
this time to represent the 21st Senatorial District, and
during the session served as Chairman of the Com-
mittee on Finance and a member of the Committees
on the Judicial Department, Revenue Appropriations,
Insurance, State Charitable Institutions, Miscellany
and on Congressional and Senatorial Appointments.
During this session he took an active part in further-
ing the interests of the temperance petition presented
to the Senate by the members of the W. C. T. U.

Mr. Ford was married at Bath, N. Y., Jan. 13,
1846, to Miss Laura Spencer, a native of Columbia
Co., N. Y. She is the mother of three children, who
have reached maturity, namely : Florence, now the
wife of Dr. B. S. Peck, of Strausburg, Neb. ; Dyer
Ford resides at the same place and is engaged in
the mercantile business with Dr. Peck. He married
Mary E. Mitchell, daughter of Col. A. L. Mitchell,
of Davenport, Iowa. Jennie S., their youngest child,
now resides at home. Mr. and Mrs. Ford and all
their children are members of the Congregational
Church, of which Mr. Ford has been a Trustee ever
since he came to Galva. He is an active, enter-
prising man, and takes a deep interest in everything
pertaining to the general welfare.

->i-$ <xS#«IW®>o *~-f<" •

rittan Hadley, a resident of Cambridge, is
the acting cashier and book-keeper in the
First National Bank in the place where he
® has been a citizen since 1878. He was born
Feb. 4, 1856, in Geueseo, 111., and he is the
son of Jeremiah and Martha (Poppleton)
Hadley, who were natives of Lincolnshire, England.
They came to this country in their early lives, and
were married in the State of New York. After their,
union in the bonds of matrimony they settled in the
vicinity of Lockport, N. Y., where the senior Hadley
was a farmer. They removed to Henry County and
settled finally in Munson Township, where they are
still residing. A sketch of their lives will be found
elsewhere in this volume. They are the parents of
five children, born in the following order: John W.,
Brittan, Mrs. Emma E. Call, Franklin J. and Lester
G. John W. married Alice Woodward, of Osco
Township, and now resides in Jasper Co., Iowa. She
is the daughter of Luman Woodward (see sketch), of
the township of Osco, in Henry County,

Mr. Hadley was educated in the county where he
was born. He was employed on the home farm in
early life. He entered the mercantile house of
Messrs. Hagin, Gould & Tee, of Cambridge, 111., in
1877, an<^ operated in their interests about four years.
In September, i88r, ne accepted the position in which
he is now acting. In his political connection he is
identified with the Republican party.

hilip B. Keeler, Chairman of the Board of
Henry County Supervisors, residing at Ke-
Ep^S' wanee, was born at Clarendon, N. Y., Aug.
27, T843. He was the youngest son born of
Ira B. and Clarissa H. (Foley) Keeler, natives
of the State of New York, and of English and
Irish descent, respectively. The elder Mr. Keeler
was, by occupation, a contractor and buildsr of
ability, and his mechanical genius was transmitted
largely to his son whose name stands at the head of
this sketch. Philip was only seven years old when
his father died, and from that early age was thrown
largely upon his own resources. At" the common
schools of his native State he -acquired something of
a juvenile education, which was subsequently aug-
mented, materially, at the High School of Kewanee.
His mother removed from York State to Kewanee
in 1859, arid 'here Mr. Keeler learned the trade of
watch-maker, and worked at the same for about three
years. When about 19 years of age, he abandoned
watch-making and took up the machinist's trade, and
in less than a year had the great misforune to lose
his right hand and a portion of the fore-arm. The
accident, serious as it was, did not keep him back in
the least, nor, in fact, did it drive him from his trade,
for with his one hand he successfully manipulated
the machine for about three years.

In 1866, Mr. Keeler engaged in the sewing-machine
and musical instrument business, and has since fol-
lowed it with success. He has served the public
two terms as Tax Collector, and is at this writing,
October, 1885, serving his third term as Supervisor.
Mr. Keeler is an active worker in the ranks of the
Republican party, and a prominent member of the
I. O. O. F., belonging to the Encampment, also to
the Grand Lodge, to which organization he has been
a representative, continuously, since 1872.
What of this world's goods Mr. Keeler has en-

HENRY COUNTY.

« *

joyed, have been acquired by his individual efforts
and industry, and his credit and good name in the
community indicate conclusively that, unless more
serious ill-luck happens than has hitherto befallen
him, old age will find him possessed of a sufficient
competency to retire in independence and peace.

Mr. Keeler was united in marriage, Dec. 22, 1866,
at Peoria, 111., to Miss Mary F. Whittemore, who
has borne him one son, — Rufus W., a recent gradu-
ate of the Kewanee School, and who is possessed of
much of his father's faith and ingenuity.

en. John H. Howe, deceased, formerly a
resident of Kewanee, was born in Riga,
""* N. Y., Sept. 12, 1822, and died at Laredo,
Texas, April 3, 1873. The parents of Gen-
; ; eral Howe were Joseph and Eunice (Smith)
f Howe, natives of Vermont, of English extrac-
tion, who followed the vocation of agriculture, and
who brought their six sons and one daughter up to
rural pursuits. The family removed to Pennsylva-
nia in 1834, and there the father and mother spent
their lives.

John H., whose name stands at the head of this
biography, after attending several winrers in the pub-
lic schools of this neighborhood, was, at the age of
15 years, sent to Grand River Institute, at Austin-
burg, Ashtabula Co., Ohio, where he spent four years,
going thence to Kingsville Academy in the same
county. From the age of about ten years, he enter-
tained the idea of studying law, and as soon as op-
portunity afforded he took up the study. When
22 years of age he was examined by the two distin-
guished lawyers and statesmen known to American
history as Joshua R. Giddings and Benjamin F.
Wade ; was admitted to the Bar, and soon afterward
hung out his shingle at Monroe, Ashtabula Co.,
Ohio, where he followed his profession for about two
years. From Monroe he removed to Union ville,
Lake County, same State, and there practiced his
profession a short time. While at Kingsville Acad-
emy he formed the acquaintance of Miss Julia A.,
the accomplished daughter of Amasa and Rosalinda
(Watrous) Castle, of Ashtabula, at which place, on
the 27th of March, 1845, he married. Her father
was one of the old defenders of Ashtabula against

the British, and spent the years of his life in that
town, dying in 1870, at the age of 84 years, his wife
having preceded him to the land of the hereafter the
year before, in the 83d year of her age.

In 1855 Mr. Howe came to Kewanee, this State,
and continued the practice of his profession at that
place until i860, when he was elected to the Circuit
Judgeship to fill out the unexpired term of Judge*
Drury, resigned. In 1862 Judge Howe enlisted in
the service of the United States in the war for the
Union, and on the organization of the 124th 111. Vol.
Inf. became Lieutenant Colonel of the Regiment.
He was with the regiment all the time ; was brevetted
Colonel, and in March, 1865, brevetted Brigadier
General. His commission, however, did not reach
him until after his discharge, in August, 1865, it
having been returned to Gov. Oglesby from the Dead
Letter Office, and forwarded to Gen. Howe's home.
Following is a copy :

" State of Illinois,
Executive Department, Springfield,

May 23, 1865.
"Brevet Brigadier-General John H. Howe,

Kewanee, J 11. :

" General : — I have the honor to enclose to you
Commission conferring on you the rank of Brigadier-
General of United States Volunteers, by brevet. I
congratulate you upon this mark of confidence from
the Government. It is a suitable recognition of your
valuable services against treason and rebellion, and
in favor of liberty and union. The Commission was
received from the Secretary of War to-day.
" Very res'p.,

" Your obedient servant,

" R. J. Oglesby, Governor''

He served his country faithfully, and with his reg-
iment participated in the battles of Thompson's Hill,
near Port Gibson, Raymond, Jackson, Champion
Hill, Big Black River, Vicksburg, Jackson Cross
Roads, Benton, Yazoo City, and finally Spanish
Fort, near Mobile, April 8, 1865. He was discharged
along with his regiment at Chicago, August, 1865,
when he returned home and resumed his law prac-
tice, in which he excelled as advocate, and was em-
ployed in most of the principal cases in Henry and
Stark counties.

During the campaign of 1868 he was an active
worker and efficient speaker for the election of his
old commander, Gen. Grant, to the Presidency. In
March, 1869, he was appointed by President Grant
the first Chief Justice of Wyoming Territory, in

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HENRY

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S* which position he served about two years. Previous

*/R to holding his first term of Court, through his advice

£% Gov. Campbell signed the bill of the Territorial

J Legislature allowing women to vote, hold office and

A) serve on juries ; and the first women who ever sat

as jurors and grand jurors in America performed

this service in his Court.

He resigned his office in 1871 and returned home,
where he again took up the practice of law. But
shortly afterwards his health failed him, and he
gradually declined until pulmonary consumption set
in. In January, 1873, his friends, alarmed at his de-
clining health, urged him to go South, that he might
have the benefit of a milder climate, and besought
the President for an appointment for him as Secretary
of a Commission authorized by a resolution of Con-
gress in T872 to investigate certain causes of com-
plaint against Mexicans along the border of Texas.
Accordingly, on the 9th of January, he was duly ap-
pointed, and soon after, in company with his wife,
started for the Texas frontier. But it was too late!
His health failed rapidly, and he expired at Laredo,
== Texas, April 3, 1873. His remains were brought
«V home for burial.

?jS Such, briefly, are the outlines of the life of one of
\/ Kewanee's most worthy and honored citizens, a man
who filled a large place in the hearts of the people of
v ) Henry County, and whose influence will be long
felt in the community of which he was a member.
Coming to Kewanee while the town was in its in-
fancy, he at once entered zealously into all its public
improvements. He aided and encouraged the es-
tablishment of schools, churches, lyceums and libra-
ries, and all that might contribute to the moral or
intellectual welfare of the community. As a lawyer
and Judge, he stood deservedly high, always advising
peaceable adjustment of difficulties rather than by
litigation, where it could be done without a sacrifice
of rights. As an advocate, he was a leader of the
Henry County Bar. A friend always to the poor,
generous to a fault, he did not accumulate as much
property as a man of more sordid disposition would

Ihave done with his opportunities, though he left his
t family in quite comfortable circumstances. A true
~(,K friend, a kind husband and father, and upright
y£ Judge and citizen, an able lawyer, a faithful and
, fi,) heroic soldier, such was Judge Howe, whose memory
v^. will ever be green in the hearts of all who knew him.

The General was a Mason and an Odd Fellow, and
was buried in the honors of the society first named,
in which the military also participated.

Mrs. Howe was in early life a school-teacher and
enjoyed the distinction of being one of the most thor-
ough mathematicians in the country where she taught.
After marriage she mastered civil engineeering, and
aided her husband in his various business un-
dertakings. In 1850 her husband was appointed
Census Enumerator for Unionville, Ohio, a work
thoroughly completed by him without assistance
other than hers. The money earned by their united
efforts at that time paid for the first home they ever
owned. Mr. and Mrs. H. buried four children in in-
fancy and raised four to adult age. Their eldest,
Edward E., is a telegraph operator at Kewanee;
Emma is the wife A. J. Higby, of Hutchinson, Kan. ;
and Jessie F. and Julia, two handsome and accom-
plished young ladies, are at home with their mother.

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ewis Hoppock. One of the prominent
settlers who came into Henry County be-
fore the advent of railroad was Mr. John
X*^ Hoppock. He came in T851 and located in
Wethersfreld Township, where he reared a large
and respected family, and was himself highly
esteemed. His wife, who was Miss Margaret Hack-
ett, was a native of New Jersey, and he was also born
in the same State. Both died in this township.
Father died Aug. 16, 1864; mother died July r,
1884.

Lewis was the fifth in order of birth of a family of
13 children, and educationally enjoyed only such
means as the common schools of an early day afforded.
He continued to assist his father on the farm and
labor in his behalf until 2r years of age. For eight
years subsequently he rented a farm in Wethersfield
and tried his hand in managing it for himself. In
this enterprise he was reasonably successful, and at
the end of this engagement he purchased 66 acres
on section. 15, of the same township. Here he set-
tled and has since made his home, with the exception
of two years spent in Kewanee. He also passed
about a year in Kansas and seven months in Dakota,
seeking to improve his impaired health. He has
erected a fine residence, which is heated throughout

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HENRY COUNTY.

with steam, and is one of the "model dwellings of the
county. His outbuildings and farm equipments are
of superior quality. He has succeeded so well that
he now owns his home farm, comprising 306 acres
of land, besides a small timber lot in Stark County.
He is looked upon as one of the enterprising and
progressive farmers of Henry County.

Mr. Hoppock was married at Kewanee, April 19,
1865, to Huldah R., daughter of Israel and Sophia
(Peticard) Cross. Her parents were among the very
earliest settlers of Henry County, coming from Wash-
ington Co., Ohio, in 1848, and locating in Wethers-
field Township, where they became prominent and
well-known pioneers. Mr. Cross died November,
1855, and Mrs. Cross died Oct. 20, 1878. Huldah
R. was the youngest of the nine children born to
them. Her birth-place is Washington Co., Ohio,
and her birth-day July 31, 1841. Her only child,
Alfred G., resides at their home. Both she and her
husband are members of the Methodist Episcopal
Church, and in political sentiments Mr. H. is de-
cidedly Republican.

homas Lyle, retired farmer, resident of Ke-
wanee, III., is a native of Paisley, Scotland,
and a son of William and Jannett Lyle.
He was born March 18. 1809, and brought by
his mother to America when about seven
years of age. (See biography of John Lyle for
early history of the family.)

The circumstances of the family were such as to
limit the opportunities of the children as to educa-
tion, though Thomas, by a few months' attendance at
school, before leaving Scotland, and later in Ver-
mont, succeeded in acquiring a fair English educa-
tion. Like his brother John, he purchased his time
from his father, when about 17 years of age, and
from that time forward worked for himself. Before
leaving Vermont, which he did in 1837, he worked
four years as stone-cutter upon the construction of
the Vermont State-house at Montpelier. From Ver-
mont the family came to Illinois, stopping in Stark
County, where the subject of this sketch carried on
farming and stock-raising upon an extensive plan
until 1876. He also bought and sold lands, and
altogether steadily increased his worldly possessions

until he was not only able to establish his children
well on the road to fortune, but also to retire with a
handsome competency, which he did in 1877. His
mother died in Stark County, as did also his brother,
William. His oldest brother, Robert, remained in
the old country until sent for by the family. He
came to Illinois and settled in Bureau County, where
his wife soon afterwards died and was buried.
Robert survived his wife by about one year, and died
Oct. 10, 1871, at the home of his brother, Thomas.

Since 1877 Mr. Lyle has lived in Kewanee. In
1884 he was stricken with paralysis, and has since
been more or less an invalid. His youngest daugh-
ter, Emily, watches over and attends him with the
tender care and solicitude characteristic of an affec-
tionate and dutiful daughter.

Mr. Lyle was married at Groton, Vt., Feb. 19,
1837, to Miss Mary Jane Craig, who died July 23,
1855, at the age of 36 years, 9 months and 22 days,
leaving six children hat of a family of ten she had
borne to Mr. Lyle. The record of the dead is as fol-
lows: Infant son, not named, died April 1,1845,
aged two months and four days; James B., born Feb.
14, 1845, died Oct. 14, 1854, aged nine years and
eight months; Jane died Aug. 19, 1855, aged 27
days; Thomas, Jr., died Aug. 22, 1855, aged one
month. The last two were twins, and were born
July 22, 1855. Of the living children, we make the
following memoranda: Hellen F., born Nov. 13,
1837; Mary, born Sept. 12, 1839, widow of Asa A.
Bunton, deceased, resides in Stark County ; Lucy C,
born June 30, 1841, wife of Thomas Robinson, of
Kewanee ; Carlos B., born Nov. 1, 1842, a farmer
in Stark County; Emily, born July 6, 1849, at home
with her father; and Horace E., born May 3, 1852,
is a farmer upon the old homestead in Stark County.

In the early history of Stark County, Mr. Lyle was
one of its most prominent citizens. He was County
Commissioner, an office he held when the law
changed the system to the Supervisory, the one now
in vogue, and he became the first Supervisor of his
township. He was Postmaster of Elmira for 14
years, and Constable for four. Mr. Lyle is truly a
self-made man. The biography of John Lyle, found
in another part of this volume, tells the story of
their early struggles, but success has crowned the
efforts of each, and alike they have worked that
others might not want. The portrait of Mr. Lyle is
given in this Album as that of a venerable and highly

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592

HENRY COUNTY.

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esteemed pioneer of this portion of the Prairie State.
This sketch and this portrait will be an enduring
monument to his sacrifices and labors. Soon the
last of the noble race of pioneers will sleep- peace-
fully in their graves. Soon, too, their foot-prints and
finger-marks will disappear. People who are now
new settlers will be:ome old settlers then, and those
who took the country in its native wildness will be
long forgotten if some means are not taken to per-
petuate their memories.

-MSfr-

ohn Sieben, of the township of Loraine, is
the oldest son of Joseph and Apollonia
(Gabel) Sieben, and was born in the vil-
lage of Abenheim, in Hesse Darmstadt, Ger-
[c many, near the city of Worms, in the province
of Osthofen. The date of his birth is June 1 6,
1836. At the age of six he was sent to school and
continued there according to law until he was 14.
He then went to the city of Mainz to learn the trade
of a shoemaker. He found everything distasteful,
and after a few days returned to his home. His fa-
ther had been in comfortable circumstances, but
about this time had lost his property by becoming
security for others, and the family began to make
preparations to come to America. August 8, 1852,
they started from Mainz on a steamboat on the
river Rhine, and went thence to Rotterdam, whence
they proceeded to London. There they took pas-
sage on a sailing vessel for the United Stales, arriv-
ing in New York after a voyage of 48 days. They
were 48 days in making the trip from Mainz to the
port where they landed on the shores of the Ameri-
can Continent. The family came direct to Chicago,
where the mother was taken ill and they were obliged
to remain in the Garden City. She died in the Jan-
uary following. In February, 1853, the father, with
six of his seven motherless children, came to White-
side County and located on the Rock river bottom,
near Crandall's Ferry. They were in debt $175.
They rented a farm and took possession of a vacant
cabin, and as it was in a rather dilapidated condi-
tion, they made it comfortable by chinking it with
mud. The father obtained work, for which he re-
ceived 50 cents a day, and two of the sons went to
work for the sums of 30 and 25 cents respectively.

They had to board themselves. In 1856 the log
house was burned. The mishap occurred in the
day-time when all the family were absent but the
step-mother. The entire contents were destroyed.
They then moved into another house, which they
rented. The second marriag£/-6f the father took
place in 1856. He was a resident of Whiteside
County until his death, which transpired in 1858.

Mr. Sieben was 16 when he came to this country
with his parents. He commenced work in White-
side County, at the rate of 30 cents a day and
boarded himself, but as he learned the ways and
language of this country he was able to command
larger pay. In the summer of 1853 he was employ-
ed by Lyman Warren at $8 per month, and in the
winter succeeding he went to school, working for his
board in the family of Mr. Warren. He was in the
same employ during the next season and he received
$10 a month. The next year Mr. Warren paid him
$[2 per month. The next year he worked for his
father, who had rented a farm in Portland Town-
ship. The_ next year he was employed by Jacob
Arnett and received $1 6 per month. He continued
in the same employ two seasons. Believing that he
could operate to his own advantage on a farm, he
rented a tract of land of Lewis Arnett, Sr., which he
managed two years, working it on shares. Through
the season of 1862 he broke prairie. The next year
he worked for William Arnett, and at the termina-
tion of his term of service rented a farm of his em-
ployer. He continued its management one year and
then went to Whiteside County, where he rented a
farm for three years of Jacob Arnett. During that
time he bought 65 acres of land on section 3, in the
township of Loraine, and he took possession of his
property in 1868. He was the occupant of the
place two years. In January, 1869, he bought the
farm on which he* has pursued the business which he
selected as the vocation of his life. It is located on
the same section of the same township. At the time
he made his purchase there was a house on the,
place, to which he has made an addition and has
built a good frame barn. His industry and good
management have met the usual reward, and he is at
present the owner of 315 acres of land, which is in
first-clase condition for farming purposes. In addi-
tion to the usual avenues of mixed husbandry, Mr.
Sieben is engaged in the business of a dairyman and
sells the cream product to the creameries.

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Nov. 8, 1864, his marriage to Louisa, daughter of
Jacob and Elizabeth Rapp, was consummated. Al-
bert Wesley, Hattie Martha, Sarah Louvina, Clara
Priscilla, George Henry and Floyd Jerome are the
names of the children now belonging to the house-
hold. The parents are members of the German
Evangelical Church.

on. Levi North, attorney and counselor at
law, Kewanee, 111., was born at Turin,
Lewis Co., N. Y., March 12, 1821. His
parents, Darius and Joanna (Hurlbert) North,
natives of Connecticut and Massachusetts re-
spectively, and of English extraction, removed
in 1829 to Highmarket, an adjoining town, and five
years later, on to Mt. Vernon, Ohio.

The senior Mr. North was a farmer by occupation
and brought his sons up to that honorable vocation,
though it appears that Levi was more of a mechan-
ical than agricultural turn. His education was
limited to the log-cabin schools of early days, with
possibly a few months at a little academy at Louis-
ville, N. Y., before he was 16 years of age. -Just
what accident led to the discovery that he really
possessed a talent for drawing, does not appear ; but
certain it is that with opportunity he would have
made his mark in the field of fine arts. As it was,
he practiced more or less at the easel, doing some
portraits with creditable success, and finally, when
about 18 years of age, determined to abandon every-
thing else and devote his time to art. He was finan-
cially poor, untaught and untraveled, and the
undertaking was a great one. He took his studies
from life, not having the benefit of a reputably good
painting before he was 20 years of age. However,
like many another man who has achieved greatness
by not knowing how much greatness had preceded
him, therefore knowing of nothing to discourage him,
he itinerated from place to place, borrowed what
books he could and read them ; painted the images of
the handsomest styles, made himself popular with
respectable and intelligent people and absorbed alto-
gether a pretty wide range of ideas.

In the winter of 1841-2, he took in the Ohio Legis-
lature from the galleries, and also listened to learned
dissertations upon legal questions by eminent law-

yers before the United States Courts, and he became
seized of new ambitions. To his knowledge of paint-
ing, anatomy, physiology and medicine l\e would add
something of law; and to that end, in the winter fol-
lowing he began the study of Blackstone at Mt. Ver-
non, Ohio, with the Hon. E. W. Cotton as preceptor.
For two years he alternated between teaching and
painting, Blackstone and Chitty, and in October,
1 845, he stood a good examination and was admitted
to the Bar. It appears he studied law as an accom-
plishment merely and with no immediate purpose to
enter the practice. As an artist he became ac-
quainted with a number of professional men, and
profited largely by their association. He possessed
an inquisitive disposition, a retentive memory and a
practicable adaptability in the methods of appropri-
ating and utilizing everything in the way of learning
that came in his way. Thus, what he lacked by
early education he more than made up by absorp-
tion.

In 1847 he left Ohio, and drifted to Peoria, 111.,
where he applied himself to painting for nearly a
year; and, removing thence to Princeton, he was
variously employed for several years. In 1853 he
became clerk to Judge Kelsey, real-estate agent, and
soon afterward was elected Justice of the Peace.
The duties of this office brought him again to con-
sider the law, into which he almost involuntarily
drifted, and to which he has since devoted most of
his time. Coming to Kewanee in i860, he formed a
partnership with Judge John H. Howe, now deceased,
in the practice of law, and continued it up to 1869.
In politics he was originally a Democrat, but left that
party as early as 1843-4, to join his fortunes with
that of the Liberty party. Into this he plunged with
all his spirit and strength, and in 1844 " stumped "
his district in behalf of James G. Birney for Presi-
dent. For one year he constituted one of the few
men in Peoria County that publicly advocated the
peremptory abolition of slavery, and the times afforded
him oportunities for airing his unpopular ideas to his
heart's content. He was always ready to debate the
negro question, publicly or privately, and in so doing
" crossed swords " with men who afterward, and
when the struggle for the life or death of slavery
drenched a nation in blood, became eminent in the
affaire of the nation.

In 1848, while making a trip around the lakes on
a steamer, in company with. several other passengers,

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HENRY COUNTY.

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consisting of ladies and gentlemen, a political debate
was planned to take place in the cabin. Mr. North
was to present the cause of the Free-Soil party, and,
as he supposed, a young gentleman of the name of
Daniel Driscoll, from Stark County, was to place the
Whig party properly " before the world," or before
that portion of it then floating over Lake Michigan
in the good ship "Globe." Mr. North opened the
debate, when, to his surprise, Mr. Driscoll presented
to the audience the Hon. Abraham Lincoln, then a
Member of Congress ! The minutes of that debate
are " not of record," but with Mr. North's vigorous
manner of disposing of a pro-slavery adversary upon
the shortest notice, and with Mr. Lincoln's well-
known ability to sustain himself upon all occasions,
either on land or sea, and as both gentlemen repre-
sented a common cause, at least in one essential par-
ticular, viz., antagonism to the Democratic party, it
is safe to presume that the casus belli received a
thorough ventilation, and that the slave oligarchy
and the party of Calhoun, Clay and Benton received
but few friendly allusions from either of the dispu-
tants. Though a rank Republican, Mr. North has
always retained a liberal independence, differing with
his party upon various questions, upon various times,
and never faltering in announcing publicly his opin-
ions. He is an able writer as well as speaker, and
the metropolitan as well as local press publish much
from his pen.

In 187 1-2 he represented Henry County in the
Legislature, and took a prominent part in the revision
of the statutes and. in adapting them to the new
Constitution. He bitterly opposed extremely high
salaries for State officers, and led the majority in
the contest against them. He aided in the passage
of the liquor-license law, requiring saloon-keepers to
give bonds for the payment of damages resulting
from their traffic. He was the champion of the pres-
ent popular penitentiary system of Illinois, and did
much toward its adoption.

In the practice of his profession he differs from
many eminent lawyers, and it is difficult to see
wherein he is not right. He claims that the profes-
sion does not require a sacrifice of manhood ; that a
lawyer has no right to be a " journeyman liar,'' and
that it is as wrong for him to lie for a client as it
would be for him to lie for himself; and, finally, that
the lawyers are about as honest as their clients re-

quire them to be, or public opinion will sustain them
in being.

Sept. 18, 1847, Mr. North was married, at Chester-
ville, Ohio, to Miss Laura Johnson, who died Oct.
18, 1852, leaving one child, Maria, now Mrs. D. L.
Murchison, of Wethersfield (see sketch of D. L.
Murchison, this volume). At Dixon, 111., March 9,
1863, Mr. North married his present wife, nee Miss
Charlotte C. Strong, and of his children we make the
following memoranda : Milo, his eldest son, died in
1880, when about 24 years of age ; Foster and Ar-
thur Tappan, graduated at the University of Illinois
in June, 1885 ; the youngest, Charles Kelsey, is at
home.

In 1873, through the publishing house of Calle-
ghan & Co., Chicago, Mr. North gave to the legal
profession his "Treatise on Practice in the Probate
Courts," — a work of standard authority in the State,
and furnishing a base for all subsequent revisions
upon the subjects treated.

* -«- +

'ohn Burns is a resident on section 17, An- :
% dover Township, where he has followed
the occupation of, a farmer since 1852. He
was born in Somerset Co., Me., March 4
yL 1825. In 1851 Mr. Burns was united in mar-
riage with Miss Gratia A. Weston, a native of
Somerset Co., Me., where she was born in 1824.
After marriage, in 1852, they came to this State and
county, and located in Annawan Township, where he
purchased 80 acres of land, on which he settled and ,
at once entered vigorously and actively upon the task
of its improvement and cultivation. By strict at- '
tention to his business, energy and economy he has ,
been enabled to make subsequent purchases and at
present is the proprietor of 190 acres. His farm has
a good residence upon it, 28 x 34 feet in dimensions,
and one and a half stories high. His barn is 36 x 40
feet in dimensions, with 18 posts. He also has a
double corn-crib, 24x32 feet, on his farm, and is1
meeting with success in his chosen vocation, agri-
culture. He has held the office of School Director,
and religiously he and his wife are members of the
Baptist Chun h.

Mr. Burns has considerable stock on his farm,
consisting of some 25 head of graded cattle and sev-

HENR Y CO UNT Y.

(«)

eral fine Clydesdale horses. The father of Mr. Bums,
Samuel S. Burns, was born July 31, 1791, in New
Hampshire. He married Miss Anna Weston, April
26, i8r3,in Maine, and died Aug. 7, 1885. She died
March 14, 1873. Of their union 13 children were
born, namely : William Burns, Feb. 20, 1814 ; Ben-
jamin W., Aug. 22, 1815 ; Ann, Sept. 17, 1817 ;
Samuel, Aug. 22, 1819; Nathan, Aug. 20, 1821 ;
Electa, April 1, 1823 ; John, March 4, 1825 : Ester
W., April 30, 1827 ; Mary, Dec. 14, 1829; Emeline,
Jan. 14, 1832 ; Almeda, Jan. 24, 1835 ; Caroline,
Feb. 21, 1837; and Robert, May 18, 1839.

The father of Mrs. Burns, Joseph Weston, was
born in Bloomfield, Me., Oct. 28, 1794, and married
Miss Hannah Webb Nov. 9,1816. She was born
July 1, 1795, and bore her husband six children.
Joseph W., born Feb. 4, 1818; Jamss W., born June
20,1821; Gratia A., June 29, 1824; Charles, May
3, 1831 ; Emily R., Aug. 30, 1838 ; Sarah, March 6,
1843. The mother died in Buda, this State, Dec. 9,
1878, and the father still survives at the age of 91
years.

Politically, he is a Republican, and religiously a
member of the Congregational Church.

H. Lyman, of the firm of Lay & Lyman,
leading dry -goods and clothing merchants
of Kewanee, 111., is a native of White River
Junction, Vt., where he was born June 3,
1852. His parents were George and Mi-
nerva (Briggs) Lyman. (See biography of
Elias Lyman, this volume.) Mr. Lyman was the
youngest of n children, born to his parents, and
well educated at his native place and at Norwich,
Vt. In 1869 he came to Kewanee and began clerk-
ing for the firm of Lyman & Lay,and in 1874 became
a member of the firm, changing its style to Lyman,
Lay & Lyman, he being the junior partner. The
senior member of the firm, Mr. Elias Lyman, retired
in 1883, since a hen the present "firm has existed.
Mr. Lyman was one of the principal organizers of
the Union National Bank in 1881. (See Union Na-
tional Bank, this volume.) Since that date he has
held uninterruptedly the office of Vice-President.

He is a member of the Congregational Church,
identified with no secret order, takes no part in poli-

tics, but attends strictly to business, and enjoys being
a member pre-eminently of the largest business house
of its line in Kewanee.

Mr. Lyman was married at Kewanee, July 19,
1877, to Miss Elizabeth W. Stevens, daughter of
William W. Stevens, Esq., of this city.

■}aniel Ketchum, one of the prominent
■L farmers of Cornwall Township, this county,
residing on section 23, and the owner of
i^T 240 acres of land located on sections 22,
23 and 26, all of which is under an advanced
state of cultivation, is a native of Ohio. He
was born in Crawford County, that State, May 12,
1831, and remained on the parental homestead, aid-
ing in the maintenance of the family by working on
the farm, and attending the common schools, until he
attained his majority.

Mr. Ketchum's marriage took place Feb. 7, 1856,
when Miss Mary C. McVicker became his wife. She
was born in Ohio, Oct. 19, 1833.

In 1852 Mr. Ketchum came to Illinois and located
in Marshall County, where he was married, as stated.
Soon after marriage Mr. Ketchum purchased 160
acres of land on sections 23 and 22, to which he has
added by subsequent purchases 80 acres on section
26, same township, making his present landed inter-
ests in Cornwall Township 240 acres, all of which is
under an advanced state of cultivation. The chil-
dren of Mr. and Mrs. Ketchum are Frank D., Hattie
S., Effie V. and Nellie M. Mr. Ketchum, in addition
to agricultural duties on the farm, devotes a large
part of his time to the raising of stock. He has
some 21 head of three-quarter blood horses and
one Short-horn bull, a thoroughbred. Mr. Ketchum
came to this county Feb. 23, 1863. His father en-
tered 320 acres of land and subsequently gave to his
son 80 acres, on which he started in this county ; and
by energetic effort and economy' his accumulations
have been increased in real estate and personal
property more than too per cent; and he is meeting
with success in his chosen vocation, agriculture.

Archibald McVicker, the father of Mrs. Ketchum,
wife of the subject of this notice, was a native of Vir-
ginia, in which State he was born in 1806. He
married Miss Susan Custer in 1825, and his death

y
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~*4mism®*&

^•';-..?

6V$HH®nil*>^

HENRY COUNTY.

occurred in 187 1, she following him to the land of
the hereafter seven years later, in 1878. The mother
of Mr. Ketchum, of this sketch, whose maiden name
was Harriet Smith, was born Nov. 19, 1809. Daniel's
father, Eddi Ketchum, was born Oct. 19, 1802.
They were married Dec. 8, 1827, in Crawford Co.,
Ohio.

bed Price, engaged in the. brick business at
Galva, was born April 22, 1834, in Sussex
Co., N. J. The progenitor of the Price fam-
ily in America, was the great-grandfather of
Obed. He was born in Wales, and emigrated
to this country, settling in New Jersey, where
his descendants are at present residing. His son,
David Price, was a mason by occupation, and died in
New Jersey. He was a " fifer " in the Revolutionary
War, and received his discharge at Trenton, N. J.
He was united in marriage to Anna Ayers, who was
born and died in that State. She bore him eight
children, namely : John H., Ezekiel, Aaron, Samuel,
Robert, James, Margaret (Mrs. Ryrick) and Archi-
bald. Of these Samuel Price was born March 13,
1798, and died in Galva, Feb. 4, 1863. He was a
plasterer and mason by trade, and followed the same
in his native State. He came here in 1854, and for
a short time followed his trade in this county, the
latter years of his life being passed on the farm. He
and his wife were members of the Methodist Episco-
pal Church, and he was a Class-leader in that de-
nomination. He was united in marriage March ir,
1820, to Mary Wilson, born Feb. 28, 1795, in New
Jersey. She died here Oct. 28, 1880, at the resi-
dence of the subject of this sketch. She was a
daughter of Mahlon Wilson, and bore her husband
six children : Aaron W., Catherine J., Wilson, Mary
A., Archibald and Obed, the subject of this notice.
Obed Price was educated in New Jersey, where,
on attaining a suitable age, he worked at the cooper's
trade; then farmed a few years; then learned the
mason's trade, which latter he followed until 1856.
In November of that year he came to this State, and
settled in Galva, this county, where he worked at his
trade for two years. Since 1856 he has been engaged
in contract work. In 1878 he formed a partnership
with Mr. R. Payne, and they have been principally
engaged in the manufacture of brick since that time,

having operated a brick-yard several years in Galva.
They put in machinery, and the yard has at present
a capacity for turning out 25,000 to 30,000 brick
per day, the average demand being about 20,000
per day. Mr. Price does the superintending of the
building department of the works, and Mr. Payne
superintends the yards. They use a 15-horse power
engine, and the Henry Martin Stock Brick Machine,
and employ from 25 to 30 men. Mr. Price has also
traveled in Illinois, Iowa and Nebraska in the inter-
est of the Henry Stock Brick Machine, for which he
and his partner are agents. Both Mr. Price and his
partner deserves considerable credit for what they
have done for the town of Galva.

Mr. Price was married in Galva, 111., Dec. 29,
1859, to Mary Abbott, who was born Sept. 29, 1839,
in Northumberland County, now Carbon County, Pa.
She was the daughter of William and Elizabeth
(Marsden) Abbott, natives of England. Her father
died in White Haven, Pa., and her mother is at pres-
ent residing in Iowa. Mrs. Price has borne her hus-
band two children: Mary E. and Archibald W., the
former having been born Sept. 15, i860, and the lat-
ter April 29, 1865. Religiously, Mr. and Mrs. Price,
together with their daughters, are members of the
Methodist Episcopal Church.

rank S. Rosseter, A. B, A. M., attorney

and counselor at law, at Kewanee, 111.,

n began life for himself as a teacher in the

common schools of Henry County, 111., when
about 20 years of age. The year following his
advent as a pedagogue, he was called to the
position of Principal of the High School of Kewanee,
a place he filled with much credit to himself and to
the entire satisfaction of the public. Leaving Ke-
wanee, he was immediately employed as Superin-
tendent of the Schools of Toulon, county seat of
Stark, and filled the office four years.

While discharging his duties as an educator, he
was studying the fundamental principles of law, and
in 1880, with the Hon. Miles A. Fuller, of Toulon,
as preceptor, began reading with a view of devoting
his time to the legal profession. In March, 1882, he
was admitted to the Bar in the city of Chicago, and
soon afterwards, at Kewanee, formed a partnership

•*&* — £A&nn®nti&\c) >g^

HENRY COUNTY.

K:„ji

-«eg

»fS^§§

S97

with C. K. Ladd, and entered fully into the practice
of his profession. This partnership terminated in
March, 1885, and the following April Mr. R. opened
at Kewanee an office for the practice of law. In
the same mouth he was elected Justice of the Peace,
a position he is filling at this date. In the spring of
1885 he canvassed the county, preliminary to a
candidacy for the County Judgeship for the unex-
pired term of Judge Hinman, deceased ; but, feeling
that youth should defer to age, he tacitly withdrew
and endorsed a rival candidate for the place. Mr.
Rosseter is a young man of much more than ordi-
nary attainments, and the writer of this sketch pre-
dicts for him a future of marked possibilities. Mr.
R. is a member of Wethersfield Lodge, I. O. O. F.,
being a Past Grand ; also a member of Wethersfield
Encampment, I. O. O. F.

He was born at Marietta, Ohio, April 18, 1858,
and was second in order of birth of three sons and
one daughter of Prof. Geo. R. Rosseter, LL. D.,
deceased, and Elizabeth P. (Clark) Rosseter, natives
of Boston, Mass., and Danbury, Conn., respectively,
and of old English, probably Norman, extraction.
His primary education was acquired at the public
schools of Marietta, Ohio, and he completed his edu-
cation at Marietta College, where he graduated in
1877, and from which institution he received the de-
gree of A. M. in 1880.

Mr. R. was married at Toulon, 111., Dec. 25, 1882,
to Miss Luella M., daughter of Orlando Brace, Esq.,
Treasurer of Stark County, 111., and his two children
are named respectively Myrtle B. and Ethel L.

=H»H+-

feremiah Hadley, of the township of Mun-
IJjj1 son, has been a resident in Henry County
since the year 1854. He was born in the
village of Bunker Hill, in Lincolnshire, Eng-
land, March 19, 1827. He remained in the
shire where he was born until he had passed
the years of his minority, and in 185 1 he came to the
United States.

He at first located in Niagara County, N. Y., and
settled on a farm near the lake, where he lived
until 1854, when he came to Henry County. He
operated in the capacity of a renter of farms three
years. He then bought land in the township of

a^^c e^B ||

Osco, which he managed until 1866, when he sold
that property, and bought 96 acres on section 19 in
Munson Township, on which he now resides. He is
at present also the owner of 62 acres additional, situ-
ated on section 18 in the same township. The
entire acreage is under cultivation of the best type.
The buildings are of a class which do credit to the
judgment and good sense of the proprietor of the
estate.

Mr. Hadley was joined in marriage with Martha
Poppleton, in the State of New York, in 1853. Mrs.
Hadley was rx>rn in Seasend, Lincolnshire, England,
and is the mother of five children, — John, Brittan
(see sketch), Emma, Frank and Lester; John is a
resident in Jasper Co., Iowa; Emma is the wife of
Charles Call, of Munson Township. The parents
are communicants in the Episcopal Church.

H'HH dolph Maul, baker and dealer in groceries,
confectionery, etc., at Kewanee, 111., was
born at Weida, Germany, July 12, 1830,
and came to America in 1854. His first em-
ployment in this country was in a flouring-mill
near Newark, N. J., where he worked about
one year. From Newark he went to Fredericksburg,
Va., and on to Richmond, and again to Burlington,
Iowa, all the time employed at milling. In 1857 he
returned to Germany for a visit, came back to Amer-
ica, and for several years followed almost anything
that promised reasonable pay for honest work. After
spending a year at a petroleum manufactory he came
West, and, at Kewanee, has been in his present busi-
ness since June, 1863. He is also in the fire insur-
ance business, agent for steam-ship lines, dealer in
lands, etc. Mr. Maul began life a poor boy in a
strange land, but by persistent, hard and honest toil
he has met with a reasonable success in accumulat-
ing property. In 1870 he attended the golden wed-
ding of his parents in " Faderland," Gottlieb and
Johanna (Koch) Maul, both since dead. The old
gentleman died in 1878, at the age of 83 years, and
the old lady three years before, aged about 75 years.
Mr. Maul used to be a Republican, but in late
years he has been strictly independent. He held the
office of Assistant Supervisor several years, was on
the Board of Education 1 1 years, Town Board four

«:®

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&

sMs®*&&

JS8-

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S98

HENRY COUNTY.

*
&

or five years, and on the Kewanee Library Board
ever since its organization. Of the last named Board
he has served several terms as Vice-President, and
of the School Board he was 1 r years Secretary. In
addition to this multiplicity of interests he is Treas-
urer of the I. O. O. F. of Kewanee Lodge.

Mr. Maul was united in marriage at Galesburg,
111., in August, 1863, to Miss Mary James, a native
of North Carolina, and his children bear the follow-
ing names: Hettie M., teacher in Kewanee public
schools; Emma, also teacher in public schools; Ed-
ward; a printer ; and William and Lina at home.

-13

* A

1— T

A A

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S3-

^jtU

'. ufus D. King, a citizen of Cambridge, now
retired from active business life, was born
Dec. 23, 1819, in Franklin Co., Me., and
is of mixed English and Scotch descent. The
first Governor of Maine, William King, was a
descendant of the ancestral stock which came
from England. The great-grandfather of Mr. King
was somewhat conspicuous for his small stature, but
was proportionately prominent for courage. The son
of the latter, Ichabod King, was a soldier of the War
of the Revolution. He was born in Massachusetts,
and located in Minot, Me., where he died at the age
of 60. He was a farmer by vocation. He and his
wife, Mary King, were the parents of six children —
three sons and three daughters.

Their son Rufus was born in Minot, Me., and was
educated in his native place. His birth occurred in
1791, and he died in Franklin County, in his native
State, March 29, 1849. He was a physician, and
won great celebrity for skill and ability in his profes-
sion. He was a ripe scholar, though he never had
the advantages of a course of collegiate study. In
him were combined all the most admirable traits of a
man of learning, a gentleman of the old school, and
a citizen who won the respect and permanent esteem
of all with whom he came in contact. One of his
prominent characteristics was an excellent memory.
The eldest of his brothers, Elijah, was a graduate of
Bowdoin College. The latter went to the State of
Georgia. He entered the ministry, and after re-
moval to the South he married the daughter of a
planter and reared several children. Curus King,

another brother, was a farmer, and remained on the
old King homestead in Maine. He became wealthy.
The oldest sister, Mrs. Mary Burs, is deceased. Sa-
rah married Mr. Crooker, who attained celebrity as
a machinist, and was a man of fine scholarly attain-
ments. The youngest daughter, Mrs. Rhoanna
Crooker, married a merchant of Minot, Me.

Rufus King, the father of the gentleman who is
represented in this account, was married to Elizabeth
Pratt. She was born in 1800, and died in August,
185 1, in Prattsburg, Ind. She became the mother of
three children, — Rufus D., George C. and Mary E. ;
the latter married a man named Clark. Mr. King
of this sketch is the sole survivor. He was educated
in the State where he was born, and was engaged in
farming in the intervals of school, and after finishing
his education he was a teacher. In May, 1850, he
came to \he West, and brought with him his mother
and sister. They went at first to Prattsburg, in
Indiana, and remained there three years. Mr. King
came to Illinois in 1852, and engaged in farming
in Marshall County. He made his first entry into
Henry County, July 4, 1855. He purchased a fine
farm of 220 acres in the township of Burns, of which
he was the resident owner and occupant until 1883,
when he sold the place. He removed to Cambridge,
to make it his permanent home, in March, 1882.

Mrs. Elizabeth (Pratt) King was a daughter of
Elijah Pratt. He was a soldie*, of the war of the
Revolution, and was in that service throughout its
whole extent, doing duty in behalf of liberty fully
seven years. He lived to nearly 90 years of age, and
was known far and wide as " Father Pratt." At the
age of 75 years he rode a four-year-old colt a dis-
tance of 35 miles to obtain his pension, starting at
sunrise and returning at sundown of the same day.

The marriage of Mr. King to Rebecca J. Whitney
took place Feb. 25, 1854, in Milan, Ripley Co., Ind.
She was born June 16, 1834, in Mainville, Warren
Co., Ohio. Mrs. King is the daughter of Thomas
and Lydia (Tufts) Whitney. Her parents came to
Henry County in 1855. They passed the remainder
of their lives in Burns Township, where they still are
represented by their children. They are the parents
of four children : George is a missionary and teacher
near Bozeman, Montana Ter. ; he is laboring in the
interests of the Methodist Church: Alfred R. is Judge
of the Court of Delta Co., Col., and is Mayor of that
city; Watson E. is a druggist at Cambridge,, and

<^<V3

Minr.ie E. is a student at Hedding College. The
oldest son married Alice Jones, and they have one
child, named Lowell R. ; A. R. King married Annie
Caldwell; E. W. married Mary Ferguson.

E3
ESI

omeo W. Jones, a farmer and stock-raiser
of Galva Township, was born May 28,
1835, in Lebanon, Ohio, of Welsh extrac-
tion. His grandfather, John Jones, emigrated
from Whitehall, N. Y., where he had followed
farming and reared his family, to La Fayette,
Ind., where he died in 1836. His children were six
in number, namely : Hiram, Hannah, Almon, Dex-
ter, Minerva and Jarvis D. Hiram was educated in
Whitehall, N. Y., graduated in Middlebury, Vt., in
1832, taught Latin and Greek in a select school,
studied law in Lebanon, Ohio, under the instructions
of the celebrated Thomas Corwin, was admitted to
the Bar there, practiced his profession at Eaton,
Preble Co., Ohio, for 15 years, then followed farm-
ing until 1857 near Brimfield, Peoria Co., 111., then
resided in Galesburg, 111., for a number of years to
educate his boys, and finally returned to Brimfield,
in 1862, where he died, Sept. 29, the same year, aged
57 years. He was Mayor of Eaton, Ohio, and filled
the office of County Clerk for about ten years. He
was a Whig and then a Republican ; was married in
Hamilton, Ohio, in 1834, to Miss Julia Woodmansee,
a native of Washington Co., Pa. When but two or
three years old, her family removed with her to Cin-
cinnati, Ohio, where she was educated. Her father,
Daniel Woodmansee, was at one time a State Sen-
ator of Ohio, and defended the project of the Miami
Canal, which created great excitement at that time.
Mrs. J. was born March 21, 1809, in Washington
Co., Pa. She is yet living, in Brimfield, 111., and has
been the mother of four children, viz. : Romeo W.,
Montague J., Almon C, who died while a student of
Knox College, and Corydon D.

Mr. R. W. Jones, the subject of this sketch, at-
tended the common school and the academy at
Brimfield and followed farming, while in youth, and
then was a clerk in a drug store while in Brimfield,
until the commencement of the late war.

He enlisted for the Union cause Aug. 8, 1862, in
the Seventh Regt. 111. Vol. Inf., Co. J, as a private,

and in the spring of 1863 he was honorably dis-
charged at Memphis, Tenn ; and then he joined the
First Mississippi Mounted Rifles, which was com-
posed largely of East Tennessee men. He was
commissioned First Lieutenant of Co. C, and held
that office until the close of the war; was for nine
months a recruiting officer for that regiment, and
during his service he participated in several skir-
mishes and battles.

After the war, he located in Galva, this county,
where he has since resided. He was engaged in a
lumber yard from 1865 to 187 1, since which time
he has employed himself in agricultural pursuits and
in raising live stock.

He was married May 5, 1865, in Brimfield, 111., to
Miss Arabella Guyer, who was born Jan. 31, 1843,
in that village, being a daughter of Lazarus L.
Guyer, a pioneer of that county. The children of
Mr. and Mrs. Jones are six in number, named Nettie
G., Almon Rosco, Louise, Paul R., Julia R. and
Ernest, besides one deceased, named Romeo Guyer,
who died Aug. 17, 1881, aged nearly n years. Mrs.
Jones' father was United States Government Asses-
sor for a period of nine years, and is yet living, in
Brimfield, a prominent citizen, and taking great in-
terest in religious matters, especially in Sunday-
school work. He married Elvira Wiley, a sister of
James M. Wiley, of Galva.

Mr. Jones is a Republican in politics, and is a
member of the G. A. R. and of the Methodist Epis-
copal Church, of which latter society Mrs. J. is also
a member.

lenry White, senior member of the hardware
flf firm of White & Weir, Cambridge, was born
in Salem, Washington Co., N. Y., July 17,
1836. James White, the father of Mr. White
of this sketch, was born in the North of Ireland
and came to this country when quite young
and was a soldier in the War of 18 12. He was en-
gaged in farming both before the war and after, and
died from the effects of a fall from an apple-tree in
1840. He married Jane Hall, who was a native of
Argyle, Washington County. She died at Salem, in
1872, after becoming the mother of 12 children.

^€^ — ©A^MMK^A^

->4g^ 0\&M&Pll&'/'0 ^ssr

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600

HENRY COUNTY.

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(i)

Five of her sons are now living in the State of Illi-
nois.

Mr. White attended school in West Hebron in
the county where he was born, and when he was
ready to settle himself in business he acquired a
knowledge of the trade of a joiner and pattern-maker.
He passed about six years in the pursuit of these,
and in 1862 came to Henry County. He bought
out a hardware store at Geneseo and the new firm
was known as White & Tuttle. They were engaged
in the prosecution of their joint interests until the
spring of 1871, when Mr. White sold his interest,
and in the autumn of the same year he opened the
business which he is now conducting at Cambridge.
The building of the railroad through the place at-
tracted him hither. In 1872 he admitted J. I. Weir
to partnership. Mr. White is the cashier of the
First National Bank at Cambridge. In his political
preference he is a Republican. He is President of
the Board of Village Trustees.

The marriage of Mr. White to Sarah C. Irwin took
place in Southwest Oswego, N. Y., Dec. 24, 1858.
She died Sept. 4, 1866. Mr. White was again mar-
ried, Oct. 4, 187 1, in Cazenovia, N. Y., to Hattie E.
Sims, and they have had four children, — Frank J.,
born Jan. 13, 1873, died July 20, of the same year;
Katie L., born May T3, 1875 ; Harrie S., Sept. 30,
1878; Herbert D., July 14, 1884. The mother was
born Feb. 12, 1844.

Mr. White is a member of I. O. O. F. at Cam-
bridge.

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obert Moore, retired farmer, resident at
Kewanee, 111., was born in Luzerne Co.,
Pa., Aug. 23, 1834, and was second in a
'iv$\ family of three sons and three daughters,
born to John R. and Sarah (Bodle) Moore,
natives of Pennsylvania and New York re-
spectively.

The senior Mr. Moore was ,a farmer in his life-
time, and brought up his sons to that vocation. The
family came into Henry County in 1855, a"d settled
upon a farm of 187 acres in Wethersfield Township,
and about two miles southeast of Kewanee. Here
the two old people spent the rest of their lives, the
old gentleman dying in 1863, at the age of about 60

years, and the old lady Nov. 12, 1869, aged 63
years.

August rr, 1862, Mr. Moore enlisted in Kewanee
as a private soldier in Co. F, 124th 111. Vol. Inf., and
served up to April 17, 1863, when, on account of
physical disability, he was discharged at Lake Prov-
ince, La. Returning from the war, he engaged again
at farming, and followed it up to 1869, when, in
company with his brother, he embarked fn the gro-
cery business at Kewanee, and followed it about
three years. In T870 or '71, he returned to his farm,
from which he finally retired in 1876.

July 4, 1874, he was married, at Chicago, 111., to
Mrs. Lucy Pease, nee Gray, whose first husband died
in Libby Prison. This accomplished lady now pre-
sides over their elegant home in Kewanee. Mr.
Moore is a member of the Masonic Order, and at
this writing, August, 1885, holding the rank of Post
Adjutant of the G. A. R. He is no politician in the
strict meaning of the term, though he votes the Re-
publican ticket, and is a strong Prohibitionist, upon
which issue he was elected to the office of Trustee.

]||.teph.en Ordway, a farmer of Galva, was
born May 10, 1815, in Tunbridge, Orange
Co., Vt. His first progenitors in America
were two brothers, who came from Scotland
about two centuries ago, one of whom settled
in Rhode Island, and has numerous descend-
ants ; the other, who was the grandfather of Stephen,
located in Orange Co., Vt , where he followed farm-
ing and raised a family of 24 children, all of whom
reached maturity, and remained members of the
farming community. One of these, Oliver Ordway,
was born in that county and died there, aged 54
years. He married Judie White, also a native of
that county, who died in the same county, aged
nearly 70 years, after having become the mother of
nine children, — Alvin, Hiram, Joel, Stephen (our
subject), Alonzo, Luther, Edson, Stillman and Cle-
mentina.

Mr. Stephen Ordway was educated primarily in
his native State, reared on' a farm, and has been a
successful farmer all his life. From Vermont he re-
moved to Glens Falls, N. Y., at the age of 19 years,
and three years later he came to this State, settled in

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HENRY COUNTY.

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601

Stark County, in June, 1837, thus being a pioneer of
that county. After working by the month for a time,
he purchased 40 acres of land, in 1843, anc^ paid for
the same with brick, of which he was a manufacturer.
He subsequently purchased more land until he had
a total of 181 acres in La Fayette Township, that
county. This he sold, and in 1870 bought six acres
near Galva, on section 14, joining the northeast part
of the village, where he now resides, enjoying the
comforts of a well earned competency. In the eve-
ning of life, while the shadows are gathering about
him, he can look back upon his career and be con-
tented, for his home is a well furnished, beautiful
and quiet place, and he is a man respected through-
out the community.

Mr. Ordway was married in Stark County (then a
part of Knox County), Aug. 24, 1840, to Miss Phoebe
Steits, who was born Nov. 7, 1825, in Sussex Co., N.
J., and was a daughter of Jacob and Ada (Ayres)

f< ' Steits, also natives of New Jersey, of English extrac-
> tion, and who died in Kansas.

^ Mr. Ordway is a Republican in his political senti-

S ments.

ust Johnson, of the township of Atkinson,
is a citizen of the United States by adop-
tion, having been born in Sweden. His
birth occurred on April 2, 1850. He was the
son of Johannes and Eliza (Oloff) Johnson,
both born in Smoland, Sweden. The former
was born March 12, 1807, and died April 8, 1885.
The latter was born Dec. 12, 1820, and died March
12, 1880. He had passed the period of his minority
when he came, in 1872, to America. He landed at
New York, and came at once to Kewanee, in Henry
County. The first three months after his arrival in
Illinois he was occupied in mining for coal. He was
employed by the month while acting in that capacity,
and in 1875 he began to rent land, and has since
been interested in the pursuit of a farmer, and has
operated in the same method. He is at present the
manager of 440 acres of land.

His marriage to Mary C. Johnson took place Feb.
22, 1882. She was born Feb. 22, 1864, and is the
daughter of Lars and Caroline (Nelson) Johnson.
They were natives of Sweden. The father was born
March 1, 1825, and is still living. Her mother was

born about the year 1840, and died Oct. 1, 1872.
The father now lives in Geneseo Township. They
have become the parents of two children — Rudolph
Ray Bender, born May 20, 1883, and Forest Sylves-
ter, born Nov. 17, 1884. The mother is a native of
Henry County. Mr. Johnson is a Republican in his
political relations. He and his wife are members of
of the Lutheran Church at Geneseo.

fbraham J. Rockafellow, deceased, form-
ierly a resident of Galva, was born July 28,
1819, in Somerset Co., N. J., and came to
this county in 1837. His first wife was Sarah
S. Newcomb, who was born Dec. 29, 1822, in
Missouri, to which State her parents, Charles
and Bettie Newcomb, emigrated from Keene, N. H-i
in 1817; the latter, after residing there five years',
removed to Springfield, 111., and then to Fulton
County, this State.

Mr. R. was married first in February, 1841. His
wife died Feb. 19, 1868, after having become the
mother of seven children, viz ; Charles, a prominept
man and druggist at Hot Springs, Ark. ; Mrs. Mary
McCorkill, of Wyoming; Benton, of Atlantic, Iowa;
Emelie, wife of M. Anderson, of Shenandoah, Iowa;
Mrs. Rose Saunders, of Bradford, 111., and Fannie
and Jennie. Mr. Rockafellow was married a second
time Nov. 18, 1869, in Galesburg, to Miss Jane C.
Young, who was born April 17, 1835, in Orange Co.,
N. Y., a daughter of Andrew M. and Isabella (Trim-
ble) Young. Her parents died in New York, their
native State. Her father, who was a prominent
member of the farming community, and the last of
his family, was of Holland extraction, a soldier in
the War of 18 12, and was the father of eight chil-
dren,— John, Elizabeth, Adeline, Isabella, Mary,
Jane C, Sarah arid Andrew. Mary became the first
wife of H. Knox Taylor, and died in St. Paul, Minn.,
July 9, 1885. Mrs. Young was born in 1800, and
died in 1845.

The ancestors of Mr. Rockafellow were of Holland
extraction. His father, William, was, a native of New
Jersey, and his son, Abraham J., was reared and
educated in that State. When he became a young
man he came to Fulton County, this State, where he
followed the trade of blacksmithing, and in 1837 he

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HENRY COUNTY.

removed to Galva, this county, where he became a
successful farmer and stock-raiser. Mrs. Jane C.
Rockafellow is the mother of one child, Freddie S.,
who was born Nov. 3, 187 1. She is a member of the
Congregational Church. Mr. R. was a man of great
force of character, and well known and admired for
his many good qualities of head and heart. He died
Dec. 11, 1881.

#-#*

dward C. Rosseter, A. B., A. M., who

at this writing, August, 1885, is filling the
dual position of Superintendent of the Ke-
wanee schools, and School Superintendent of
Henry Co., 111., is a graduate of Marietta (Ohio)
College, at which institution his father, George
R. Rosseter, now deceased, also graduated, and was
for many years Professor of Mathematics. Soon
after completing his education, which was in 1870,
Mr. Rosseter obtained a position upon the engineer
corps of a railroad then building through his native
town, and remained in the employ of the company
some four years, during which time he was engaged
in almost all the departments of railroad engineering.
He came into Henry County in 1875, and for two
years had charge of district schools near Woodhull.
In 1877 he became Principal of the public schools of
Wethersfield, coming thence to Kewanee, where, dur-
ing the year 1879-80 he conducted the High School.
From 1877 to 1880, he held the office of County Sur-
veyor, and the latter year was made Superintendent
of all the Kewanee schools. In 1882 he was elected
to the office of County Superintendent, a position he
will probably relinquish at the end of this term on
account of additional duties which, under the law of
1885, are so greatly increased as to render it im-
possible for one man to fill the two positions.

His parents, George R. and Elizabeth P. (Clark)
Rosseter, were natives respectively of Boston, Mass.,
and Danbury, Conn., and reared three sons to man-
hood and buried two daughters and one son in in-
fancy. The parents are dead, Mrs. R. dying in
i860, and Prof. R. in 1882, in the 56th year of his
age.

The subject of this sketch is a Republican in poli-
tics, a member of the Congregational Church, and

identified with the Masonic fraternity and Independ-
ent Order of Odd Fellows.

His first wife, nee Miss Blanch Pray, to whom
he was married at Poughkeepsie, N. Y., in 1877,
died in 1882, leaving one child, Frank S. June 30,
1884, Mr. Rosseter was married to his present wife,
nee Miss Jenny B. Kearny, of Washington, D. C.

From the foregoing recital of simple facts the
reader can form but one conclusion as to the char-
acter and worth of Mr. Rosseter. That he is in
every way worthy of the high trusts (and what trust
can be greater than the care and training of the
youth of our land ?) is conclusive ; and any attempted
eulogium from the pen of the biographer would be
useless.

-0^0..

.amuel H. Dickey, one of the wealthy and
extensive land owners of Henry County,
where on section 24, Cornwall Township,
he is the proprietor of 405 acres of excellent
farm land, is also engaged in the hardware
business in Kewanee, which he has carried on
for eight years, and also has a hotel which at pres-
ent is rented, having sufficient business to occupy
his time besides that.

He was born March 5, 1843, and is a native of
Kentucky. He lived with his parents until he
gained his majority, but at the age of eight years, in
the year 1851, he accompanied his parents to Fulton
County, this State, where they located at Canton
and remained four years. Their next move was to
Henry County, when they located in Cornwall Town-
ship, where Mr. Samuel H. Dickey, our subject, has
since remained a resident. Assisting in the labors %
on the farm of his father, he became thoroughly J
initiated in that vocation, and therefore when he
made various purchases of land, understood how to
improve and cultivate the same ; and by his indom-
itable energy, hard labor and industry, has, as above
stated, 405 acres of farm land in an excellent state
of cultivation. Upon the same he has a good, sub- '
stantial dwelling, 28 x 40 feet in dimensions, and all
other necessary outbuildings. His orchard contains *
some 200 apple-trees. He is interested chiefly in (
raising Short- horn cattle and has a herd of some 18 yt
thoroughbreds. (

Mr. Dickey was married on the 7 th of September,

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(3*

HENRY COUNTY.

603

1870, Miss Allie Turner being the lady chosen to
share his joys and sorrows, successes and reverses,
through life. The Rev. Mitchell, of Gallipolis, Ohio,
officiated, they being married in that State. Mrs.
Dickie was born in Gallia Co., Ohio, Jan. 9, 1850,
and of their union have been born five children, 'four
of whom survive : Charlie A., born Sept. 21, 1871 ;
Mary, born Dec. n, 1873, died Oct. 3, 1875; Daisy
D., born March 24, 1877 ; Allis L., Sept. 10, 1879;
and Willie, Aug. 14, 1881.

i- He is a member of the Presbyterian Church, and
in politics affiliates with the Republican party.

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C. Nichols, M. D., a distinguished physi-
jjj" cian and surgeon of Kewanee, 111., son of
the Rev. John B. and Mary E. (Hutton)
Nichols, both deceased, was born at Ports-
mouth, Ohio, March 9, 1844. His father, a
minister of the Methodist Episcopal Church,
removed to Iowa in 1845, and there died in 1862 at
the age of 54, his wife having died ten years earlier,
at the age of 38 years.

The subject of this sketch was well educated at
the Mt. Vernon (Iowa) schools, and graduated at the
Rush Medical College, Chicago, in 1880, with the
degree of M. D., and at Kewanee entered at once
upon the practice of his profession. His earliest
ambition was to be a lawyer ; but, getting into the
drug business at Wyoming, Iowa, and following it
for about seven years, he turned his attention to
medicine, a'science he understands thoroughly and
practices with great success.

In August, 1861, at Monticello, Iowa, he enlisted as
a private soldier in Co. D, Iowa Vol. Inf., and served
to July, 1865, when he was mustered out with the
rank of duty Sergeant. He was in the battle of
Pea Ridge; with Gen. Curtis to Vicksburg; on Sher-
man's march to the sea; in the Grand Review at
Washington ; was wounded eight different times and
saw as much actual service as any man in the army.

Nov. io, 1877, the Doctor was married at Ke-
wanee, 111., to Miss Maria L. Sykes, a talented teacher
for eight years in the public schools, four years as
Principal of the Geneseo schools, and four years at
Wyoming, Iowa, where she met and captivated the
Doctor. They have two children — Gena V. and

Hiram O. The Doctor belongs to the I. O. O. F.,
A. O. U. W., K. of H., Woodmen of America and
G. A. R.

He is no politician; no fanatic; no " crank." Be-
lieves in attending strictly to his own business, and
has found that not altogether universal practice a
good one.

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braham Try, deceased, was one of the early
pioneers of this part of Illinois, having lo-
cated in Bureau County as early as 1845.
Ten years later he moved into Henry County,
locating in Cornwall Township, where for 27
years he was a prominent, well-to-do and
highly respected citizen. His death, which occurred
April 11, 1883, was not only a loss to "the family, but
to the community in which he so long resided. His
aged widow, with whom he had lived for over half a
century, survives him. and is living on the old home
farm on section 9 of Cornwall Township, and is at
present 74 years of age. It was on the isl of Sep-
tember, 1831, that Abraham Fry and Miss Margaret
Loughrey were united in marriage. This event took
place in Licking Co., Ohio. Mrs. Fry was born in
Huntingdon Co., Pennsylvania, in 181 1, and is of
Irish parentage. When six years of age, her parents
moved to Ohio end located in Licking County, where
she met and married Mr. Fry. She is the mother of
11 children, five of whom are deceased. The names
of these are Joel, Abraham, Mahala, Sarah and
Isaac. Those living are Mary F., Amos, James,
Lemuel, Almira and Charles; She has 24 grand-
children now living. Her family are members of the
Congregational Church.

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ohn H. Mannon, A. M., M. D., a promin-
inent young physician and surgeon of Ke-
*i"'""s' wanee, 111., is a son of John and Matilda
(McFerson) Mannon, natives of the State of
Ohio, and of Irish and Scotch extraction re-
spectively, and was born at Red Oak, Ohio,
Feb. 2, 1 85 1. The elder Mannon, now a retired
citizen of Monmouth, 111., was by occupation a farm-
er, and brought his five sons up to follow his foot-

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HENRY

COUNTY.

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steps, though the profession of our subject, as well
as another son, who is a physician, resident in Cin-
cinnati, Ohio, shows that they did not all take kindly
to agriculture.

The family came to Illinois in 1855, and settled in
Warren County. Here Jqhn H. entered Monmouth
College, at which institution he graduated as A. B. in
the class of 1876, and began at once the study of
medicine. In the spring of 1877 he entered the
office of Drs. Wallace & Troutman, of MonmQuth,
and after reading with them about one year went to
Rush Medical College, Chicago, where he graduated
as M. D. in 1880. Two weeks after leaving Chi-
cago, he began the practice of medicine at Kewanee,
where he rapidly attained a front frank in his profes-
sion. He is a member of various medical societies,
and is identified with the Presbyterian Church.

At Monmouth, 111., Dec. 24, 1878, the Doctor was
married to Miss Mary E. Hill, a native of that place
and the accomplished daughter of William Hill, now
deceased. The Doctor's only child is named Mae.

jjjWrson Jones, of Cambridge, was born Jan. 6,
isifig 1834, in the town of Potton, in Canada, just
N^y across the Vermont line. He is of Welsh
extraction, his great-grandfather having come
from that country to America. Daniel Jones,
son of the latter, was born in Massachusetts.
The family settled near Charleston and two of the
brothers of the latter were soldiers of the Revolution.
They entered into the merits of that contest at an
early period and were at the battle of Bunker Hill.
One of them was on the detailed duty of setting fire
to the city of Charleston, the same one being a cler-
gyman and left a record of duty well done. He
preached in the interests of the Methodist Episcopal
Church, and died in Potton at the age of 91. He
married Jane Miller, who was a member of a family
that belonged to a colony that settled at Potton, and
where she lived to attain to a green old age. She
was the mother of seven children, — Daniel, Joseph,
Mary A., James, Rockwell (deceased), Albert and
Jane.
The oldest was born Feb. 22, 1808, in Pot-

ton and died at Galesburg, 111., Nov. 8, 1883. He
came first to Knoxville in '1836. He became a
prominent citizen there and was called to fill several
township offices. In the formation of the Abolition-
ist party he was actively interested in the organiza-
tion of the local parly and received the .nomination
for Congress from his District. This was about the
year 1848. He was one of the leaders in all mat-
ters of importance in the vicinity of his home, and he
wielded a powerful influence, as was to be expected
from a man of his temperament. He was self-edu-
cated, and having formed his views by observation,
his convictions were strong and his judgment of the
most reliable character. Atlanta Bartlett, who be-
came his wife March 2, 1830, was a native of Ver-
mont. She died Aug. 27, 1868, aged 56. The chil-
dren of which she became the mother were named as
follows : Mandana, Louisa, Orson, Atlanta (died in
infancy), Granville, Norval and Corwin. Orson, the
oldest son, was educated in Knox and Henry Coun-
ties and finished his educational course at Knox
College. Before he was 19 he was a pupil in the
common schools and also assisted on the farm. At
the age named he began his career as a collegiate
student. After leaving college, he went to Iowa and
there put into practical operation the knowledge of
engineering which he had acquired in Illinois. He
assisted in the survey of the American Central
Railroad from Galva to New Boston, which line is
now a branch of the Chicago, Burlington & Quincy
Railroad. His next business was in instructing the
surveyor of Mercer County in the details of his duties,
and he went to Iowa to aid in the State surveys. In
1857 he returned to Oxford Township, in Henry
County, and has since resided in Illinois. On com-
ing hither he interested himself in farming and pur-
sued that vocation until the outbreak of the Civil
War.

Aug. 4, 1862, he enlisted. At the time of the
enlistment of the colored troops he passed the re-
quired examination and was commissioned Second
Lieutenant. Soon after he was promoted to the po-
sition of First Lieutenant and was placed in com-
mand of Company F, 14th U. S. C. V. I., in which
office he passed most of the time. He was mustered
out of the service March 26, 1866, at Chattanooga.
He was under fire at Fort Donelson, Dalton, Deca-
tur, also aj Nashville and in other engagements. In
the same spring in which he left the army he settled

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HENRY COUNTY.

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601;

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on the farm in the township of Oxford, and was in-
terested in agriculture until the spring of 1885, when
he removed to Cambridge. In the summer of 1881
he had been elected to the position of County Sur-
veyor and is still the incumbent of the office.

He has been twice married. His first wife, who
was Amelia Sexton previous to her marriage, died
soon after that event. May 29, i860, he contracted
a second matrimonial alliance, with Helen P. Bart-
lett. She was born Oct. 30, 1839, in Geneseo, and
is the daughter of William C. and Katherine (Cul-
ver) Bartlett. Her parents were natives of Boone's
Creek, N. Y., and Plattsburg, Clinton Co., N. Y., re-
spectively. Her father was born in December, 1798,
and.the birth of her mother occurred April 14, 1803.
The latter was the daughter of David and Katherine
(Calender) Culver, and died Dec. 23, 1880, in New
Windsor, III. She was the mother of 15 children,
and ten of them reached maturity. The latter were
named Edwin C, Orin M., Mrs. Catherine A. Ad-
ams, Mrs. Sarah A. Artz, Mrs. Celinda Saul, Mrs.
Helen P. Jones and Homer M. Mrs. Angeline Mer-
riman, David C, Mrs. Amanda H. Merriman are
deceased.

William C. Bartlett, the father of Mrs. Jones, was
one of the earliest of the permanent settlers in Hen-
ry County, whither he came in November, 1836. He
was the first to build a house within the present cor-
porate limits of the city of Geneseo. He was a
member of the family of Mr. Jones during the clos-
ing years of his life and died Sept. 5, 1878. By
occupation he was a tanner and a shoemaker, but
operated little in either capacity in Henry County.
He was a farmer and located on the site of Geneseo.
He was a member of the Geneseo Colony and was
one of the first to remove his family to Henry County
after the agents had made the selection of the loca-
tion. In 1848 he went from Henry County to
Tazewell County and was resident there until 1866,
when he made another transfer, to Aledo, Mercer
Co., 111., and in his old age, in July, 1872, he return-
ed to his first love, Henry County, becoming a mem-
ber of the household of his son-in-law. He united
with the Methodist Church when he reached his
majority and was all his life active in religious work.

The family of Mt. and Mrs. Jones includes two
children. Frederick D. is a graduate of Knox Col-
lege and is a student of law in the office of Shepard

& Marston, at Cambridge. Minerva G. is the
younger.

Mr. Jones is a Republican in political sentiment,
and he and his wife are members of the Congrega-
tional Church. He is also a member of the Grand
Army of the Republic.

ewia E. Hunt, engaged in farming on sec-
tion 25, Cornwall Township, was born in
York State, Jan. 6, 1829. In September
1842, Mr. Hunt came to Henry County with
his father, Thomas Hunt. The father was
born in 1793 in Roxbury, Litchfield Co., Conn.'
and died in 1861.

Lewis Hunt, the gentleman whose name stands at
the head of this notice, was married to Miss Sarah
Romig, Jan. 26,1860. Of their union five children
have been born, — John W., Edward O. and Clarinda
C. are living; the deceased are Leonidas F. and
Edgar I.

Mr. Hunt is the proprietor of 160 acres of good
farm land, located on section 25, all of his land be-
ing under an advanced state of cultivation. In ad-
dition to the cultivation of his land, Mr. Hunt has
devoted a portion of his time to stock. He has
some three-quarter-blooded Short-horn cattle and
also a span of Morgan horses. In politics, he is a
believer in and a supporter of the principles of the
Republican party.

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onrad Seyller is a prosperous farmer of
Yorktown Township, and is a resident on
section 1 6. He was born in the province of
Alsace in France, Nov. 19, 1840. His pa-
rents, George and Catherine Seyller, were
both n'atives of that province, which is now in
the hands of the Germans. The son was sent to
school, and after arriving at suitable age operated as
an assistant on his father's farm. The whole family
came to America in 1855. They were 28 days in
crossing the ocean and landed at the port of New
York. They came thence to Illinois and made a
stay of some months at Naperville. In February
they came to Henry County. They determined to

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HENRY COUNTY.

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locate in the township where the son is still a resi-
dent and where the father proceeded to buy a farm
on section 17. At the time of the purchase the place
was in its natural condition and without a house to
shelter the family. The small house, 16x16 feet in
extent, was constructed with all possible dispatch,
which formed the family abode for only a few years,
as their circumstances improved with such rapidity
that in a short time a good frame house replaced
that of the first days. The father was the occupant
of the farm on which he first tasted the sweets of be-
ing a land-holder until the death of his wife. He
the sold the farm and removed to Peru, in La Salle
County, where he still resides.

Mr. Seyller was an inmate of the parental home
until he reached his majority. He then bought 160
acres on sections 9 and 8 in the same township, and
proceeded with the work of farming in his own be-
half. He was successful in his plans and operations,
and in 1875 sold the place and bought 320 acres on
sections 10 and n. In 1885 he made a further pur-
chase of 80 acres on section 3 in Yorktown Township,
and is now the proprietor of 400 acres in the best
possible farming condition.

In 1861 Mr. Seyller was married to Josephine
Clementz. She was born in the province of Alsace.
Their children are seven in number, and are named
Augustus, Josephine, William, Matilda, Hattie, Ed-
ward and Maiy.

H$=$=£t-

ohn Churchill, a farmer on section 25,
Geneseo Township, has lived in Henry
County since 1852. He was born in Som-
erset Co., Me., June 6, 1836, and is the son of
Asa and Mary (Holden) Churchill. His father
was born in the same county where the pro-
genitors of the family were among the-pioneer set-
tlers, and he was deprived of him by death when 1 1
years old. After that event he was the master of his
own fortunes. He became a member of the family of
Major Webb in his native county, with whom he re-
sided three years. He continued to find employment
in Somerset County until he came to Illinois. He
was then 16. He was induced to come here by the
fact that some acquaintances had come and found

remunerative employ. He operated as a farm assist-
ant and rented land to work on his own account until
1862, when he enlisted. He enrolled himself a
soldier of the United States on the 10th of August,
in Co. C, 93d Reg. 111. Vols. He was in the service
until the end of the contest. Among the battles in
which he was under fire were those of the siege and
capture of Vicksburg, Jackson, Champion Hill, Mis-
sion Ridge, and many others of greater or less im-
portance. In 1864 he sustained injuries in a railroad
collision and was transferred to Co. H, 23d V. R. C.
He received a final and honorable discharge Aug. 18,
1865. He came back to the State and passed ten
years in Bureau County. In 1875 ne bought the
farm on which he is now a resident. It is well im-
proved and is supplied with excellent buildings.

Sept. 27, 1870, he was joined in marriage with
Harriet L. Parker, and they have one child — Asa
Emery. Mrs. Churchill is the daughter of Emery
and Delopha (Bailey) Parker. Her parents were
early settlers in the State of Ohio, and were both na-
tives of New Hampshire.

rederick Kaiser, one of the large land
owners and respected citizens of Cornwall
Township, as well as successful farmers
of Henry County, residing on section n, was
^&, born Oct. 23, 1827, in Switzerland, and within
i 18 miles of the capital, Berne.
Mr. Kaiser resided in the land of his nativity un-
til he attained his 16 year, in 1843, when, hoping to
better his financial condition, he emigrated to the
United States, and soon after landing at an Eastern
seaport he made his way to Ohio, where for ten
years he was engaged in the occupation of fanning ;
from the latter State Mr. Kaiser came to this county,
where he has resided until the present time. He is
now the proprietor of 400 acres of good farm land,
240 of the same being in Cornwall and the remain-
der in Annawan Township. In addition to the cul-
tivation of his land, he devotes a large portion of his
time to buying, selling and feeding stock. He also
raises a great many heavy horses and roadsters, and
feeds sheep and swine for the Eastern market. In
his vocation in life Mr. Kaiser is meeting with that
success which energy and perseverance, coupled with

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HENRY COUNTY.

609 ■•

push and good judgment are sure to bring. Socially,

he is a member of the A. F. & A. M., and politically,

he votes with the Republican party.

The father of Mr. Kaiser was born in Switzerland,

A. Jan. 1, 1796, and his mother in June of the same

^ year. She was but 19 years old at the date of her

marriage and became the mother of five sons and

three daughters, namely : Elizabeth, Mary Ann,

John, Frederick, Margaret, Alex., Albert and Jacob.

Frederick, John and Margaret are the only survivors.

tharles Kent, a retired farmer, resident at
Kewanee, and a native of "Greenfield, N.
Y., is the only son of Ebenezer and Laura
(Belden) Kent, natives of Vermont and New
York respectively. He was born Aug. n,
182 1. After the death of his mother, Mr.
Kent's father removed to Wyoming Co., N. Y.,
accompanied by his two children, in 1823. In
Greenfield, N. Y., the senior Kent had followed
blacksmithing, but on arriving in Wyoming County
engaged in the occupation of a farmer. He lived to
attain the venerable age of 91 years, and died in
November, 1884, at the home of his daughter, Mrs.
Brown, of Wethersfield, this county.

In 1844, Charles Kent came West, entered a tract
of land in Bureau County, which he improved and
lived upon for ten years. In 1854-5 he removed to
Galesburg, Knox County, and in the neighborhood
of that city he was engaged in farming on a small
place for a few years. In 1864 he came into Ke-
wanee and purchased a tract of land in the vicinity
of that place, and subsequently purchased other
tracts, and there followed the occupation of a farmer
until 1884, meeting with success in that vocation.
During this year he rented his lands and retired
from the aclive labors of life.

While a citizen of Bureau County, Mr. Kent was
several years Township Clerk and Supervisor. Since
coming to this county he has served as School Trus-
tee at various times. In early life he was a Whig
in politics, but afterwards he espoused the cause of
the Liberty party, and later on, at the organization
of the Republican party, he joined its ranks and has
since voted that ticket without exception.

Mr. Kent was the builder of his own fortune. He
inherited a sound constitution and a level head. He

cultivated upon the one a rugged physique and upon '
the other a well stored mind. His accumulation of'
this world's goods is attributable to his industry, per-
severance and good judgment.

Mr. Kent was united in marriage with Miss ,
Lucinda M! Hurd, of Wyoming Co., N. Y., who came
West long before Horace Greeley's advice was ut-
tered, and " grew up." Mr. Kent was one of the
original stockholders of the Union National Bank of
Kewanee, and has been one of its Directors since its
organization. He and his wife are members of the ■
Congregational Church, to the support of which they ,
give liberally from their ample means.

We present the portrait of Mr. Kent in this volume
in connection with this sketch, as a man who is
eminently worthy of having his portrait classed with
those who are representative men of the county. He
possesses many excellent qualities as a citizen, and
in pioneer days in Illinois did much to forward its
development.

—-<&-

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ESS

ichard Payne, brick manufacturer, Galva,
is a native of England, and was born in
Oswestry, Shropshire, in that country, May
12, 1828. His father, Thomas Payne, was
also a native of England, where he married
Catherine Richards, also of English birth, but
of Welsh extraction. His grandfather, also named
Thomas Payne, was born in Fitz, Eng. He was a
farmer and brick-maker, and died at the age of 79
years, in Oswestry, leaving a large estate. His wife,
Anna Payne, was born in Meidstown, County Kent,
England, and lived to be 101 years old. They reared
a family of six children, namely : Thomas, the father
of our subject ; Sarah Ann, James, William and Han-
nah, all of whom are deceased. Thomas was born
Dec. 21, 1785, in Oswestry, and died in March, 1881,
aged nearly 96 years. He was also a brick-maker in
early life, but came to this country in 1850, and
located in Whitefield Township, Marshall Co., 111.,
where he died. His wife, Catherine Richard, was
born at the same place, and was the daughter of
Thomas Richard. She died about 1857, nine chil-
dren having been born of this couple, as follows :
Thomas, John, Anna (now Mrs. Jarvis), Edward,

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Richard, Ann (now Mrs. Roummel), William, George
and Mary (the latter deceased).

Mr. Payne was reared and educated in his native
country, and came to America with his parents. He
resided with them in Marshall Co., 111., until 1856, in
the meantime joining with them in the brick-making
business. In April, [865, he came to Galva, and for
many years made brick in the old-fashioned way, by
hand. This required a great deal of hard work, but
he met with fair success. In the spring of 1878 he
formed a partnership with Obed Price, which has
continued to the present time, and the firm is now
known as Payne & Price. Prior to 1878 Mr. Payne
employed about ten hands. At that time he intro-
duced horse-power, and two years later his business
had increased so that it demanded greater facilities.
He then put in an 18-horse-power engine, which runs
a Henry Martin Stock Brick Machine. This machine
has a capacity of 25,000 bricks per day. The firm
employ about 25 men in the factory and in shipping.
Mr. Payne devotes his attention to the superintend-
ing of the factory, while his partner attends to the
contracting department.

Mr. Payne was married in Ottawa, 111., to Miss
Emelia Roe, who is now deceased. She became the
mother of two children — Nellie and Thomas R. She
died at Galva, Jan., 1882. She was the daughter of
Thomas Roe, of English ancestry. Mr. Payne was
married a second time, to Mrs. Jennie Prescott.

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lliott Hinman, lumber merchant at Cam-
, bridge, and the sole representative of that
^ line of traffic at this place, is a native of
Henry County. He was born Aug. 31, 1853,
in Osco Township, and is the son of R. H.
Hinman, who is still living there. He was
educated in this county, and after he arrived at the
age of manhood he gave his attention to the pursuit
of a farmer. Soon after he went to Cambridge, and,
associated with S. C. Welton, he embarked in the
business which has since engaged his attention. In
1 88 1 Mr. Welton went to Florida, and Mr. Hinman
has since conducted his affairs alone. He holds the
monopoly at Cambridge, having bought out the lum-
ber establishment of J. W. Stewart, who was his only

competitor. Mr. Hinman is a member of the Ma-
sonic fraternity at Cambridge.

He was married here Oct. 30, 1879, to Nora No-
lind, who was born in Muscatine Co., Iowa. They
have two children : Fannie was born Sept. 2,
Susan E. was born Dec. 22, 1884.

1880;

J&hriBtian L. Heaps, a well-known agricul-
I* turist, having a farm on section 19, Anna-
■ " wan Township, is a native of Lancaster
Co., Pa., where he was born, June 1, 1835.
Here he lived until 1842, when he came with
his parents to Illinois. For four years they
lived in Adams County, when they came further
north, and located in Rock Co., Wis. Here they re-
mained but 18 months, when the elder Heaps came
into Annawan Township, and pre-empted a quarter
of section 32, where he still lives. William G., the
gentleman referred to, became one of the prominent
and early settlers of the township. A sketch of him
appears elsewhere in this volume.

Mr. Heaps, on his farm of 160 acres, has a good,
comfortable dwelling^and farm buildings. He is de-
voting his attention to some extent to breeding Short-
horn cattle and Norman horses. His hogs are of
the Poland-China variety. He has been a member
of the A. F. & A. M. Order, and has been a visitor
to the Grand Lodge and Grand Chapter convened at
Chicago. The family are members of the Methodist
Episcopal Church, and, politically, he is a man of
independent views.

Mr. Heaps formed a' matrimonial alliance with
Miss Margaret Clement, Oct. 28, 1858. She was a
native of Hamilton, Canada, where she was born
July 18, 1840. She came to Illinois with her parents
in 1849, and was reared and educated in Cornwall
Township, this county, where her father, Robert
Clement, had located. He had married in 1827
Miss Margaret Jones, this event occurring in Antrim
Co., Ireland. The following year they came to Can-
ada, and became the parents of nine children, of
whom Margaret was the seventh. The record of the
children born to Mr. and Mrs. Heaps reads as fol-
lows: Mary A., born Dec. 1, i860; John B., March
14, 1863; William G., April 22, 1865 ; Harmon, Jan.
9, 1867; Chancy B., Feb. 15, 1868; Christian L.

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Edwin

Nellie

G., Sept. 23, 1874. There have been five deaths in
the family, as follows: William G. died Sept. 8,
1865; John B., Dec. 8, 1866; Harmon C, Feb. 5,
1867; Christian, Aug. 23, 1870; and Mary A., April
28, 1883.

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thel V. Bronson, one of the pioneers of
Kewanee, and from 1855 to 1875 propri-
etor of the old "Kewanee House," first
Jl&- hotel erected in the village, youngest son of
Virtue and Nancy (McNeil) Bronson, natives of
Connecticut and New York State respectively,
and of old English extraction, was born in Canan-
daigua, Ontario Co., N. Y., Feb. t, 1813.
The Bransons were among the very earliest settlers
^ of Waterbury, Conn., and many of the name are yet
^ found in the various New England States. Virtue
Bronson was a surveyor by profession, and having re-
moved from Connecticut to Richmond, N. Y., in
1818, conducted the survey of what has since been
known as the "Holland Purchase." From Richmond
he removed to Sheldon, Geneseo County, the same
State, in 1820, and there died, June 4, 1823, at the
age of 45 years. Of his children, three sons and
two daughters, that grew to be men and women, the
subject of this sketch, Ethel V. Bronson, is the only
one living at this writing, July, 1885. The elder
Mr. B. left his family in limited circumstances, and
the sons were early in life thrown upon their own re-
sources. In common with his brothers, Ethel V.
labored upon the farm during the farming season,
and walked two miles to a country school during the
winters. When about 15 years of age he secured
employment in a mercantile establishment, receiving
as payment for his services for a time, his board and
clothing, and afterward the sum of $5 per month in
money ; but, as he grew in years and usefulness, his
wages were advanced from time to time, and he was
enabled to lay by his small savings, and in a few
years to engage in a business for himself.

His first store was started at Warsaw ; from there
he went to North Java, and in 1846 back to Warsaw,
where he remained two years, and then began the

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manufacture of stoves and agricultural implements

at Cuylerville, N. Y. In 1854 he came West, stop-
ping at Rockford, 111., from the fall of that year until
the spring of 1855, at which time he came to Kewa-
nee and bought the "Kewanee House," a hostlery he
presided over for 20 years. For years aud, years the
"Kewanee" was the only hotel in the village, and the
number of persons who partook of its "good cheer"
during the administration of Mr. Bronson would
probably exceed Grant's majority over Greeley. In
1875 Mr. B. retired from hotel business, and in 1883
sold the property to a Mr. Merritt, who replaced the
"old frame" with a brick structure, which hears upon
its side wall "The New Kewanee," and upon the
stained glass over its threshold a quotation from Sir
Walter Scott's Lady of the Lake.

Mr. Bronson has always been a public-spirited
man, and from a handsome competency, the result
wholly of his individual efforts and industry, has
given liberally to such enterprises as have had a
tendency to advance the interests of the community
in which he has lived. He was prominently identi-
fied with the organization of the Old Muscatine, Ke-
wanee & Eastern Railway enterprises, and became
the President of that company ; also of the Conti-
nental Railway Company, a gigantic undertaking,
having in view the construction of a trunk line from
New York City to Council Bluffs, la. The interests
alike of public charities and local Churches have
been advanced by his labor and his lucre. The
Episcopal Church at Kewanee credits him with its
greatest individual financial assistance. He was not
only active in its organization, but the subscription
roll also shows that he set opposite his name $1,500.
So with all the other Churches. They all credit him
with donations at various times with various sums.

Though an active Republican worker, he has sought
no political preferment, his only public office-hold-
ing in the county being that of Commissioner of
Highways, a "thank you" kind of a job ; and in the
State a member of the Board of Governors of the
Woman's Hospital, also a position of trust without
emolument.

In October, 1844, ac the town of York, Livingston
Co., N. Y., he was married to Sarah A. Weller, who
died at the age of 66 years. Of the two sons born
to them and an adopted daughter reared by them,
neither one is living. Melfred G., born Aug. ir,
1845, died May 15, r86i ; William Henry, born Dec.
25, 1851, died Jan. 5, 1852; and Lida P., born Oct.

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HENRY COUNTY.

6, 1858, died Dec. 4, 1880. Thus his children, like
the wife of his early manhood, his companion through
the struggles of so many years, have all preceded
him to that other shore where his faith in a crucified
Redeemer tells him he shall meet them when his pil-
grimage upon this earth shall have reached an end.
The present Mrs. Bronson, nee Mrs. Betsey Ann
Hoxey, to whom he was married at Bay St. Louis,
Miss., March 28, 1885, is a native of Providence, R.
I. They met and their union was planned while win-
tering in the sunny South.

-13-

-E2-

^ohn A. Swanson, residing in Galva, was
born Dec. 8, 1846, in Smoland, Hoallanda
Soken, Jonkopings Lan, Sweden. He is
a son of Charles J. and Christine (Swanson)
Swanson, natives of Sweden. Charles J. Swan-
son was born Jan. 7, 1822. He was a soldier
for 19 years in the Swedish Army, and after that
he followed the occupation of a farmer. He was
married in Sweden and became the father of nine
children, four of whom he brought to America,
namely : Matilda, John A., Charles A., Louisa,
Gust. A., and Frank W. and an infant who died
were born at Galesburg. Charles J. Swanson came
to this country in 1857, arriving here Aug. 8, of that
year. He located at Galesburg, in this State, where
he worked at the carpenter trade in Brown's Corn-
Planter Works for eight years. He then engaged in
farming in Lynn Township, which occupation he fol-
lowed until the date of his death, which occurred
May T4, 1883, when in his 6 2d year. His wife is
still living in Galva. She was born Feb. 5, 1822, in
Sweden.

John A. Swanson, subject of this notice, received
his education principally in Knox County, this State,
and followed the occupation of a farmer during his
early life. He enlisted in Co. B, 7 2d 111. Vol. Inf.,
Dec. n, 1863, at Galesburg, and went to Springfield,
this State. From there he went to Vicksb.urg, and
his regiment participated in the following engage-
ments : Siege and capture of Vicksburg, Columbus,
Franklin and Nashville, Tenn. On their retreat from
Nashville to Franklin Mr. Swanson and nearly 300
of his regiment were taken prisoners, the date there-
of being Nov. 30, 1864, and were released in March,

1865, at which time Mr. Swanson only weighed 97
pounds. The regiment went out 800 strong in the
battle of Franklin, and returned with less than 400
men. Mr. Swanson, with other prisoners, were ta-
ken to Andersonville, Ga., where he remained four
and a half months, was then paroled and sent home,
and shortly afterward the war closed. Socially, Mr.
S. is a member of the G. A. R.

After the war closed he returned to Galva, doffed
his uniform, laid aside his accoutrements of war, and
once more entered upon the peaceful pursuits of life.
He engaged in clerking at Galva and Cambridge, and
was occupied at the latter place three and a half
years. In March, 1881, he formed a partnership
with Nels Runquist and engaged in the grocery and
provision business, which co-partnership lasted for
six months, when another was formed with Lewis
Larson as partner, which terminated after three
months, when Mr. Swanson conducted the business
alone for three years. He sold out in January, 1885,
to Nelson & Larson, intending to go West. Since
April he has been employed by Butters & Obers in
the implement business until lately, when he again
engaged in business for himself.

Mr. Swanson was married in Galva, Jan. 30, 1873,
to Miss Ida M. Mollburg, a daughter of Swan and
and Sarah Mollburg. She was born Aug. 22, 1852,
in Kalmar Lan, Molella Soken, in Sweden, and has
borne her husband two children, — John A. I., born
in Galva, Nov. 7, 1873; and LillieO., in Cambridge,
Feb. 10, 1875. Socially, Mr. Swanson is a member
of the I. O. O. F. and the A. O. U. W., and politically
he is in sympathy with the tenets of the Republican
party.

-o' : ?— £-y^ — i : ■»■

ndrew G. Larson, engaged as a farmer on

X section 28, Osco Township, was born in

Sweden, July 25, 1837.

He continued to
reside in his native country until the summer
of i860, when he came to America and worked
by the month in Andover Township, this
County, about four years, when he bought 80 acres
of land in Osco Township, located on section 28,
where he erected good, substantial buildings and has
since continued to reside until the present time. He
now is the owner of 280 acres in this county, all of
which is in an advanced state of cultivation.

Mr. Andrew G. Larson formed a matrimonial alli-

■^^imm&a^ — *m^ *mg£@jM

HENRY COUNTY.

613

ance at Moline, 111., Nov. 1, 1866, with Tilda L.
Hokonson, who was born in Sweden,' May 18, 1846.
They are the parents of eight children,— Andrew J.,
Henry J., "Carl R. and Gust. A., and four are deceas-
ed, as follows : L. Edward met with his death from
an accident received by a corn-stalk cutter; Nellie
A. was injured while at school from a blow accident-
ally given by a school-mate. Two died in infancy.
Mr. Larson is independent in his political views.

"ohn George Weidlein, a farmer of Edford
Township, was born in Osco Township, in
the county in which his entire life has been
passed. He is the son of John and Eleanora
^f Weidlein, of whom a full account is given else-
V where in this volume. His birth occurred
Sept. 25, 1854, three years after the removal of his
parents to Henry County. He is the fifth child in
order of birth, and he received his education in the
district schools of his native township and in Edford
Township, whither the family removed when the son
was one year old.

The latter was married in March, 1881, to Bertha
Reader. She was born in Michigan. He is now the
occupant of the homestead of his father and is en-
gaged in general farming and in raising stock.

Mrs. Weidlein is the daughter of Henry and Cath-
erine (Kime) Reader, and she was born in the town of
Medina, Lenawee Co., Mich. She is the mother of
one child, named Hallie Earl. Mr. and Mrs. Weid-
lein are members of the Lutheran Chnrch at Morris-
town. The parents of Mrs. Weidlein were natives
of the State of New York.

« ■»

[dim N. Carter, a retired farmer, residing on
section 14, Galva Township, was born Jan.
29, 1829, in Ashland Co., Ohio, his pater-
nal ancestors being derived from Scotland.
His grandfather, Carter, settled in Pennsyl-
vania, where he was a farmer, and he finally
died in Ohio. His son, William Carter, was born in
the latter State, was also a farmer, came to Galva
about 1855, and died there, at the age of 74 years.
His wife was Margaret Casebeer, who was born in
Ohio, and is yet living, aged 85 years. Of her 16

children, the following are living: Daniel, Nancy,
Mary A., Leanna, John N., Eliza Jane, Wesley,
George, Charles and Clarissa.

Mr. Carter, whose name heads this sketch, was
reared until he was 10 years of age in Ashland Co.,
Ohio; in 1839 he came to Stark Co., 111., where,
after he commenced in life for himself, he purchased
80 acres of land in partnership with his father; he
sold this, and afterward bought other land in this
county, where he now owns 200 acres of land in
Burns Township, and 20 acres on Galva Township,
on section 14, where he now resides. He came here
in the fall of 1882, to enjoy a life of retirement as the
fruits of a well-earned competency, and also to edu-
cate his children. In his political views he is a
Greenbacker.

The marriage of Mr. Carter took place Jan. 9,
1859, in this county, when for his wife he chose Miss
Abby A. Decker, who was born Feb. 27, 1841, in New
Jersey, opposite New York city. Her parents were
John I. and Abigail (Deckland) Decker, natives also
of the State of New Jersey, and of English extrac-
tion. Her mother died in this county, but her father
is still living in Kansas, aged 70 years.

Mr. and Mrs. Carter have had nine children,
eight of whom are living : Alba, John, William, Sher-
man, Ella, Ada, George, Paulina and Maud (de-
ceased).

ffeugh G. Carson, a pioneer of Henry County,
and long an active farmer, but now living

T in retirement at Kewanee, was born in. Salt

Township, Wayne Co., Ohio, May 22, 1823.
1 His parents, John and Elizabeth (Buckmaster)
Carson, natives of Pennsylvania and of Scotch-
Irish and English extraction respectively, were mar-
ried in Wayne Co., Ohio, where seven of their eight
children (four sons and four daughters) were born,
the eighth having been born in Henry Co., 111. At
this writing (July, 1885,) three of the sons and one
of the daughters are living.

•The senior Mr. Carson was in his life -time a
farmer, and brought his sons up to that vocation.
The family came into Illinois in 1836 and settled
on a farm of r6o acres, in Wethersfield Township,
about three and one- half miles from where Kewanee
now stands. Upon this farm the two old people
(though neither of them was very old) spent the re-

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HENRY COUNTY.

mainder of their lives. Mr. Carson died in 1 841, at
the age of 43 years, and his widow in 1850, aged 50
years. At the time of his death Mr. C. was filling
the offices of Justice of the Peace and County Com-
missioner. After his father's death, Hugh G. became
the main stay of the family, and to his credit be it
said he discharged his duties faithfully. . In 1846 he
purchased the interests of his brothers and sisters in
and to the old homestead, and thereon began life
for himself. In 1861 he quit farming and removed
to town, but in 1865 returned to the old place and
there lived until March, 1881, when he finally re-
tired to the village of Kewanee. The Carsons were
truly pioneers of this part of Henry County. The
Kilvington family, with whom Robert Coltis was
living, were the only people in this part of the coun-
try at that time, though two or three other families
followed later in the fall. The postoffice was at La
Fayette, Stark County.

Mr. Carson was married in Burns Township, this
county, Dec. 14, 1843, to Miss Emily Ann Doty,
daughter of Timothy Doty, deceased, and a native of
Ohio. Their children bear the following names :
Mary E., John H., who was a soldier in the late war,
a member of Co. F., 124th 111. Vol. Inf., and served
three years. He is now running a stock ranch in
Nebraska ; Sarah S., widow of William T. Orr ; Flor-
ence G. died Sept. 10, 1878, and was the wife of
Samuel R. Parker ; Rosa V. (Mrs. O. W. Smith, of
Valparaiso, Ind.); Franklin R., D. D. S., La Porte,
Ind. ; and Ida N.

In politics, up to 1856, Mr. Carson had been a
Democrat, but in that year he assisted in the organi-
zation of a Fremont club, and has ever since been a
Republican. He is a member of the Congregational
Church, a Freemason and a citizen respected by all
who know him.

4**

-S—

rancis Newton Hammond, of Galva, was
|C born Dec. 22, 1830, in the Western Re-
n\ serve, formerlv called the " Connecticut

serve, formerly called the "Connecticut

Reserve,' in Bath Township, Summit Co.,

?Ml Ohio. The progenitors of this family were two

Hammond families who came from England.

One settled in Virginia in 1605, and two brothers

settled in Massachusetts in 1635. The history of

this family is traced back to the 16th century, and
a coat of arms is found granted in 1548.

Thomas Hammond came from England in 1636,
and settled in Hingham, Mass., where he was one of
the pioneers. He had land granted him, and on the
9th of March, 1637, he took the Freemason's oath.
In 1640 he removed to Newton, where Elizabeth was
born, Sept. 13, and Thomas Sept. 30, 1675. His
estate after his death was appraised at ,£1,139 J<>s.
and 2d. His wife, Elizabeth, was executrix, and four
children are named in the will : Sarah, who mar-
ried a Mr. Steadman ; Elizabeth, who is now Mrs.
George Woodward; Thomas and Nathaniel. To
Thomas he gave the homestead and the barn. The
following items are in the bill I Nathaniel is to have
one-third part of the fruit of the orchard, year by
year, until he has an orchard of his own, and the use
of the barn until his brother Thomas shall assist
him in the erection of one.

The wife of Thomas Hammond, Sr., was Elizabeth*
Cason, of Lavanham, England. Thomas Ham-
mond, Jr., married Elizabeth Steadman, and they
are the parents of five children. Of these Isaac,
born Oct. 20, 1668, married Ann Hendrick, and
their family comprised seven children. Elijah, of
this family, was born Oct. 7 , 17 1 1, and married Mary
Kingsbury, Oct. 31, 1732. Of their union three
children were born, Hannah being one of them, and
who married Joseph Tucker ; Priscilla, who became
Mrs. Capt. Jonathan Birge; her husband fell in bat-
tle in the War of the Revolution ; and Nathaniel,
who married Dorothy Tucker, and they became the
parents of nine children. The mother then dying,
Mr. Nathaniel Hammond formed a second matri-
monial alliance, with Eleanor Olmsted, and by the
latter union there were seven children born, making
a total of 16 children: Jason, born Feb. 1, 1762, at
Bolton, Mass., was united in marriage, April 24,
1788, with Rachel Hale, daughter of Theodore Hale,
of Glastonbury, Conn. Mr. Jason Hammond's de-
mise occurred Sept. 21, 1830, aged 68 years, 7
months, and 25 days. His wife died Nov. n, 1842,
aged 83 years and 1 1 'months, leaving a family of six
children. Of these, Horatio was born Oct. 24, 1798,
in Bolton, Mass., and chose for the lady who was to
share his varied experiences in this checkered life,
Miss Louisa Fisk, with whom he was united in mat-
rimony, April 14, 1825. They became the parents
of 11 children, namely: Francis N., born Dec. 22,

■^^^ — ©a4?h n® nn>>a^ — ^^

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HENRY COUNTY

E3
&

6iS

1830, and who married Elizabeth A. Morey, now de-
ceased ; she was the mother of three children, viz. :
Charles N., Sarah, M., wife of F. J. Ay res, and
Anna M.

Our subject was married a second lime, Nov. 9,
1869, in Galva, 111., to Caroline M. Ogg, who was
born Aug, 1, 1839, in Clermont Co., Ohio, daughter
of Joel and Sarah (Kugler) Ogg, natives respectively
of Harrisburg, Pa., and Hamilton Co., Ohio. They
came to Illinois in the spring of 1856, settling in
Knox County, where he died July 12, 1861, aged 62
years. He was a careful and energetic farmer, and
a member of the A. F. & A. M. Their family con-
sisted of four children.

Mrs. Hammond had a family of three children —
Mary Edna, born Nov. 2, 187 1, in this county;
Roland and Everett, born Feb. 2, 1877. Mr. and
Mrs. Hammond are members of the Congregational
Church. He was always a Whig during the days of
that party, but is now a warm Republican.

Mr. Hammond was educated in his native coun-
try, Ohio, and at Knox College, Galesburg, 111. In
July, 1848, he came here with his parents. He
farmed quite extensively in Knox County, handling
considerable stock, and came to Galva in Novem-
ber, 1870. He has been a grain-buyer, and inter-
ested in broom-corn business, shipping all over the
United States, and has been very successful, which
is attributable to his energy and strict attention to
business.

^avid Luther, a resident on section 17, in
the township of Geneseo, has lived in
Henry County since February, 1849. He
was born March 1, 1828, in Livingston Co.,
N. Y., and is the fifth son of Jacob and
Louisa Luther. His parents were natives of
Germany, and were born in one of the small cities
on the River Rhine. They came in very early life
to the United States; and after tne birth of their son
they removed from the State of New York to Penn-
sylvania. They were residents of the Keystone
State ten years, and in 1838 came thence to Illinois.
They arrived in Chicago in the fall, and passed the
winter ensuing in that city. In the spring of the
next year they went to O'Plain in Lake County,

which is situated 22 miles northwest of Chicago.
The father there bought 80 acres of land, on which
the family were the first settlers. The tract was en-
tirely in its original condition and there the home-
stead was established. Mr. Luther lived there with
his parents until he was 14, when he went to Chicago
to learn the business of a cabinet-maker. After an
apprenticeship of three years he went thence to Mil-
waukee. He was occupied in the prosecution of his
trade there two years. At the end of that time he
returned to O'Plain and passed a season on the
farm. He went next to Peoria, and in the winter of
1849 came to Henry County. After a visit of a few
weeks with the family of Jacob Arnett in Whiteside
County, he entered a claim of land in the township
of Yorktown, or what is now known by that name.
The tract included 200 acres. He erected a cabin
of poplar logs, 12 x 15 feet in dimensions. The roof
was covered with the variety of shingles called
"shakes," which Mr. Luther split himself, and the
floor was of puncheon. Mr. Luther arranged for the
lighting of hts abode by placing three lights of glass
— all he had — over the door. Hardly were they in
place before a severe hail storm utterly destroyed
them. Mr. Luther built a wagon in the same year
in which he settled in Yorktown. He made the
wheels by sawing sections from the ends of logs.
The wheels were solid, and the hubs were made in
the proper place from the same blocks. As wagon-
grease was not plenty, the music of Mr. Luther's vehi-
cle came to be a familiar sound to the neighbors for
five miles around, as it could be heard that distance!
After he had used the wagon several years he sold it
for $25. After securing a shelter he entered into the
work of improving his land. He placed 80 acres
under good cultivation and also enclosed the same.
He next bought 40 acres on which there had been a
small house erected. He retained his ownership
therein until 1857, when he made an exchange for
property in Geneseo, and removed his family there.
In 1869 he became the owner of the farm on which
he is now a resident, by purchase. The estate con-
tains 108 acres, and it is all under the best type of
improvements. Mr. Luther is also the owner of 62
acres of land in the vicinity of Geneseo, and has
some village property. One of the operations of
Mr. Luther a short time after coming to the county
deserves mention as a pioneer exploit. In 185 1
he set out for Milwaukee, accompanied by his wife

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e^nirati^A^ — s^^.

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s~ 616

HENRY COUNTY.

4*§^(@\

and one child, who could not be left without the
mother's care. They traveled thither with five yoke
of oxen and camped on the route. In the Cream
City he sold four yokes of the cattle and invested
the proceeds in furniture and in the payment for his
land at Dixon, where they stopped for the purpose
on their way home. Mr. Luther is a man of modest
pretensions, and fully merits all that the term " self-
made " may mean.

His union in marriage to Caroline Esslinger,
took place in Milwaukee, Wis., Feb. 9, 1847. She
was a native of Zell, Wurtemberg, Germany, and
was born May 3, 1828. The children of Mr. and
Mrs. Luther are named William and Abraham. They
are the only survivors of 12 children of whom they
became the parents. They are both residents of
Geneseo. The oldest was born in Greenfield, Wis.,
Dec. 19, 1848. He married Susan Byers, and they
have four children : Pearl, Berenice, Mabel and
Floss. Abraham was born at Hoop-pole Grove, in
Henry County, Jan. 12, 1851. He married Lydia
Mertz. She was born at Downer's Grove, Cook Co.,
III. They have four children : Cora, Sarah, Caroline
and Fayette. All the children are daughters.

The Luthers, father and sons, are Republicans of
the most radical type.

Mrs. Luther, the mother, died March 28, 1874.
She was a woman of consistent Christian character,
and her memory is preserved by her husband and
sons as their most precious heritage.

She was the daughter of Geo. G. Esslinger. He
was a frolicsome youth in his early life, and was in
demand at all the merry-makings in his vicinity, as
he was an expert fiddler. Later he was converted,
traded his fiddle for a pig, and passed his remaining
. years in the capacity of a preacher in the German
Evangelical Church.

ohn Samuelson, who is the owner of 400
acres on sections 25 and 26, Western
Township, was born in the central portion
\U of the kingdom of Sweden, on the estate of
Esther Galon, Dec. 25, 1835. His father,
Samuel, was born in that section of the coun-
try, and married Anna Nelson ; and after they had
seven children, the parents and four sons came to

America, in 1851. At first they stopped for & whil
at Buffalo, N. Y., remaining there until the summe
of 1852, when all the family came to Illinois. Th
senior Samuelson entered 80 acres of land in West
ern Township, this county, and the two oldest son
worked by the month to pay for the same. Th
oldest son is still a resident on it, and holds it in hii
own name. The family started out to establish ;
home in this county with no means except their owi
mental and muscular abilities; and they have, b]
their industry and economy, honest and high aims o
purpose, prospered in a manner characteristic of th<
Scandinavian people. The father died about 1865
and the mother yet survives. Of the seven children
six are still living.

Mr. John Samuelson, the youngest son but one ir
the above family, was a member of the parental
household until he responded to the first call foi
Union troops to fight the bloody battles of the South,
His enlistment dates September, i86t, when he be-
came a member of Co. C, 43d Regt. 111. Vol. Inf.
under Col. Wright, of the Army of the Cumberland
and of the Western Army. During his term ol
service he participated in the battles of Shiloh, April
6 and 7, 1862; siege of Corinth, May, 1862; Salem
Cemetery, Dec. 19, 1862 ; skirmishes around Somer-
ville, Term., April and May, 1862; Vicksburg, June
and July, 1863; Little Rock, Ark., September, 1863:
Prairie Dum, April, 1864 ; Jenkins' Ferry, April 30,
1864; Fort Henry, etc, etc. Mr. S. was promoted
first to the position of Corporal, then to that of Ser-
geant, in which rank he was finally discharged, with
honorable mention, at Springfield, 111., Sept. 26,
1864. At no time was he absent from his regiment
or unable to be on duty.

Returning home with a halo of military glory, he
purchased a quarter-section nf prairie land in West-
ern Township, was married and settled upon thai
place, which he still occupies. He has increased il
to its present dimensions by additional purchases,
and made the whole valuable by his judicious man-
agement and persistent industry. The farm was
formerly owned by the Bishop Hill Colony, which
came here in r848. Mr. S. has held nearly all the
offices of his Church (Swedish Methodist), and is
now a Trustee of that body. He has also beer
Township Collector, School Trustee nine years, and
is now Road Commissioner. He faithfully votes the
Republican ticket.

.^^ — ©^^n fl@pn<^A^ — s^c

$ if ■fV&tei*

HENRY COUNTY.

4^^

May 31, 1862, is the date of Mr. Samuelson's
marriage to Mary Larson, daughter of L. M. and
Mary C. (Djursted) Peterson. Her mother died in
her native country, about 1867, and her father is yet
living, also in Sweden. Mrs. S. was born in 1846,
in that country, and came to America when a young
woman. Of the nine children who have been born
in the family of Mr. and Mrs. Samuelson, four died
in infancy. The living are John, Archie, William,
Guy and Mary.

jj^on. Wilder W. Warner, Postmaster, station
agent and dealer in grain and stock, and
owner of the cheese factory, grain elevaton
etc., at Warner, was born in Bolton, Worcester
Co., Mass., Oct. 10, 1828. His father, Elias
Warner, was the youngest son of Elias, Sr., who
was also a native of the same county in which our
subject was born. He was one of the patriots dur-
ing that eventful period in the history of our country
when the Colonists were fighting for their independ-
ence. He was a soldier in the Revolutionary War,
and fought at the battle of Bunker Hill. He was
married to Abigail Priest, also a member of a New
England family, and of English parentage. The ori-
gin of the Warner family in America, according to
tradition, was from four brothers who came from
England early in the history of the American Colo-
nies, and purchased a strip of land in Massachusetts
in and near Harvard, one mile wide and six miles
long. The father of Wilder W., being in the fourth
generation from the above mentioned brothers, own-
ed a portion of the land purchased by the original set-
tlers, which also remains in the family until this day.
By profession he was a physician, and practiced most
of his life in Middlesex Co., Mass., where he died in
1875. I" Worcester County, he was married to Miss
Mary A. Lawrence, a member of the old family of
Lawrences, which are well known in New England
history. She died on the 14th of July, 1845.

Our subject was the second of a family of six
children, the elder of whom was Quincy A., now de-
ceased ; the next, Rowena B., also deceased ; the
fourth, Susan G. ; the fifth, Sarah J. ; and the young-
est, Martha M., who is now deceased. Susan and
Sarah are married and are living in Massachusetts.

Wilder W. lived at home until he was 13 years of
age. He then began to work out for the purpose of
securing means whereby to educate himself. With
characteristic energy and economy he thus earned and
saved $700, which he paid out towards securing his
education. He completed his school days at Groton
Academy, New Ipswich Academy, and at the East
Hampton Institute. He was then ready to embark
upon the scenes of an active business career, and,
like thousands of others in the older and thickly
settled East, he turned his face Westward, where he
hoped to find better advantages than were offered at
his own home. Accordingly, in September, 1849, he
set out for the West. He secured a second-class pas-
sage to Chicago, and from there set out on foot for
the city of Rock Island. Possessing an excellent
education, as well as rare natural qualifications, he
was not long in securing a position as a teacher. For
some time he taught school, He subsequently
went to Andover, where he taught school for a time
and then went to Dixon for the purpose of entering
Government land, the land office being located at
that place. In this way he secured t6o acres on sec-
tion 17, Western Township, when he left the school-
room and turned his attention to agricultural pur-
suits. In this line he has been quite successful, and
now owns more than 400 acres of land here, besides
other land in the West.

A man possessing a good education is always a
valuable aid in a new country, and Mr. Warner's
services and the lareje information he possessed were
greatly demanded and often brought in requisition in
the early history of Henry County, as indeed they are
at present. He was elected Justice of the Peace
when 2 1 years of age, and performed the duties of
that office upwards of 25 years, during which time
he settled up without a lawsuit a majority of the
cases brought before him. He was also made Su-
pervisor in the early history of the township of
Western, and held that office when elected to repre-
sent the people of Henry and Rock Island Counties
in the 28th General Assembly. He filled this posi-
tion, as he has every other which has devolved upon
him, with marked ability and with excellent satisfac-
tion to the people of his district. Politically, he is
a stanch Republican, and an active member of that
organization, and one of the important factors in the
success of his party in his district.

Mr. Warner possesses many strong traits of char-

y
&

r o^mmm>*<sr

V 6zo

HENRY COUNTY.

acter, and a man of his qualities' naturally wields
large personal influence in moulding the affairs of
his community. In business life he has been quite
successful. He has scrupulously avoided the snag up-
on which so many otherwise excellent business men
are wrecked — that of going in debt. He has a pecu-
liar abhorrence of debt, and he never permits himself
to go in debt ; nor does he ever give his note. Another
underlying principle that seems to have guided him
away from the shoals of bankruptcy, is his aversion
to reckless speculation. He does not believe in get-
ting something for nothing, or in making the hazard-
ous attempt.

As one of the county's representative business
men, as well as one of its respected and honored pio-
neers, we place Mr. Warner's portrait in this volume.
It is engraved from a photograph recently taken.

H. Gaines, senior member of the mer-
cantile firm of Gaines & Hagin, at Cam-
bridge, was born Jan. 10, 1852, in the
township where he is at present in business.
He is the son of Sylvester Gaines. In the
spring of 1848 the latter came to Henry
County, accompanied by his brother, Nelson Gaines,
of whom a sketch appears on another page. They
settled in the township of Cambridge and began the
sale of merchandise. The county seat had been
transferred from Morristown to Cambridge, and the
affairs of that place seemed to take on added dignity
and to be in the condition meant by the phrase, " look-
ing up."

Mr. Gaines was reared in the town where he was
born to the age of seven years, when he went to Pike
County, where his father kept store one year. He
then returned to this county and went to Geneseo.
There he attended school, and he was also employed
in the store there and at Cleveland at a later period.
In 1871, after the fire, he went to Chicago and en-
tered the service of Field, Leiter & Co., with whom
he remained a year. He then returned to Cambridge
and embarked in the lumber business. He operated
in that line four years and was associated with a man
named Stewart. In 1878 he bought the interest of
F. C. Gould, who was in business with Mr. Hagin,
the present partner of Mr. Gaines, and the firm be-
came Gaines' & Hagin. They are engaged in the

sale of groceries and crockery, and are doing a pros-
perous business. In 1881 Mr. Gaines and the
gentleman with whom he is associated formed a part-
nership with W. H. Laws & Co., and went into the
drug business. Two years later the interest of Mr.
Laws was bought by the other members of the firm,
which then became Dan Hagin & Co.

Mr. Gaines is a Republican and has filled various
town offices. He is a member of the of I. O. O. F.

Oct. 3, 1876, he was married to Fannie B. Page,
of Menlo, Iowa.

g"aA**^:

If dam Lieberknecht. of Geneseo, is a prom-
f inent citizen in the city in which he resides,
a both from the fact that he is the proprietor

of one of its leading journals and that he is
untiring in his practical efforts to promote the
substantial interests of the place. He was born
in Germany, May 8, 1835, and is the son of John
and Christina Lieberknecht.

He was r7 when he exchanged his home in "Das
Faderland " for the chances of winning the rewards
of industry and integrity in the New World. He
reached the city of New York in 1852, and entered
a printing-office to acquire a practical understanding
of the "black art." He was occupied there three
years and in 1835 came to Rock Island, where he
operated in the manner common to the craft and
became a journeyman printer. In 1857 he came to
Geneseo and entered into an engagement in the
office of the paper of which he is the proprietor. He
officiated as foreman until i860, when he purchased
a half interest, and in 1878 he became sole proprie-
tor by buying the remainder of the property.

The Geneseo Republic was established in 1856, by
J. S. Hyatt, during the first Republican campaign,
and has been conducted in the interest of that or-
ganization ever since, with the exception of about
three years, when it was of no • decided connection
but was managed on an independent basis. Since
it became the property of its present owner the
journal has partaken of the character of its manager,
and has been outspoken and inflexible in its tone
and advocating the principles of the Republican
party. It is a nine-column folio and is issued weekly
with a nine-column supplement.

Since his removal to Geneseo, Mr. Lieberknecht

J^fyf^M^-

±4M

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HENRY COUNTY.

621

has been actively interested in the projects designed
to advance the permanent interests of the place.
He has served as Trustee of the township and has
been a member of the Geneseo Board of Education.
In the spring of 1885 he was made President of the
Board of Canal Commissioners. At the time of the
establishment of the Normal School at Geneseo, he
was one of the first to discover all it promised to a
town which should secure it, and he gave substantial
proof of the sincerity of his opinions by contributing
liberally to the end desired. "By their works ye
shall know them."

Mr. Lieberknecht was united in marriage to Caro-
line Kiefer in 1859, at Geneseo, and they had one
child, who is living. He is named Frank. The
mother died in the fall of 1864. In the fall of 1865,
Mr. Lieberknecht was married to RosinaRieger, and
they have tbree children, — William, Charles and
Emma. The mother was removed by death, in
January, 1874. The third marriage of the father, to
Priscilla Fehlman, took place in November, 1875,
and they are the parents of two children, — Amelia
and Leonora.

Mr. and Mrs. Lieberknecht are members of the
Evangelical Association in reiigious connection.

«Si

)

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^dwin Wallace Houghton. Among the

most enterprising as well as energetic

j^U^ business men of Galva, is the gentleman

whose name heads this sketch. The ancestors

of Mr. Houghton were of English extraction.

His grandfather, Luther Houghton, was a na-
tive of Windsor, Vt., and was a farmer by occupa-
tion and struggled for the liberty of the Colonists in
the War of the Revolution. He was married in the
Green Mountain State, to Miss Munn, and they re-
moved to the State of New York, where they con-
tinued to reside until their deaths. Their children
were five in number, — Loren, Leonard, Luther War-
ren, Eunice and Abigail. Luther Warren is the only
survivor. He was born in 1799, in Windsor, Vt.,
but was reared on a farm in New York, whither his
parents had removed at an early day. He was mar-
ried in the latter State to Alzina Mason, who was
born in Oneida, that State, in 181 1. Both are yet
living, in Guthrie Co., Iowa. They became the par-

ents of 1 1 children, seven of whom yet survive, viz. :
Caroline, Edwin W. (subject of this sketch), Cor-
delia, Alvira, Charles, Wesley and Addie. Of the
deceased, Selden was the only one who reached ma-
turity. The parents moved West during the late
Civil War, and settled in Guthrie County, where
they are yet living.

Edwin Wallace Houghton was educated in his
native State. He was reared on a farm, and at the
age of 22 years had mastered the carpenter's trade,
which he followed for nearly two years, and then
engaged in the lumber and hardware business at
Wyanet, Bureau County, this State. After continu-
ing in the business 15 years, and meeting with finan-
cial success, he came to this county, where he
engaged in the same business three years. In De-
cember, 1882, he came to Galva, and there conducts
a large business, under the name of Houghton &
Co. He has also branch stores at Altona, Bradford
and Buda. Their lumber and supplies are received
direct from the pineries, and they are specially pre-
pared to fill all orders of contractors and builders,
and constantly invite inspection of their prices. Be-
sides assuming the general management of all the
yards, he is also a director of the Galva Gas Works.

Mr. Houghton was married in his native county
in New York, in December, i860, to Miss Adeline
Bean, a native of that State, where she was born in
1835. The names of their children are: Hattie,
Orren, Shelden, Warren Orrison, Edwin, Jr., and
Blanche Estelle. Religiously, Mr. and Mrs. Hough-
ton, together with their eldest daughter, Hattie, are
active members of the Congregational Church. So-
cially, Mr. H. is a member of the A. F. & A. M.
The success of his life is due to his own indomitable
energy, good judgment and perseverance.

*»!•

M. H. Hunter is a prosperous farmer of the
f township of Man son. He was born in the
county of Muskingum, Ohio, Dec. 5, 1847.
His parents, William and Margaret (Dugan)
Hunter, were born in Ireland, and came in
childhood to America. They were members of
families in the north of Ireland, and were Presby-
terians. They sprung from ancestry who went from
Scotland to Ireland to escape the persecutions of

4r^ 3*$$»l>e «4^^

•&&K 6V4>BH@fl Df>^ ?*&*r

622

HENRY COUNTY.

the Scottish " kirk." They were married in Ohio,
and lived in Muskingum County until 1856, when a
removal was made to Illinois, and they settled in
Peoria County, where they remained three years. In
the fall of 1858 the father came to Henry County,
and located a tract of land which contained 120
acres. It was situated on section 25, of township
16, which is now called Munson. In the spring of
the next year — T859 — the father removed his family
to the new farm, and they took possession of a
small frame house that had been erected on the
place. There was also a straw-covered stable, and
these were all the buildings on the place. The
father and his sons devoted their attention and en-
ergies to the improvement of the home. The elder
Hunter was a man of industrious habits and good
judgment, and the farm was soon under excellent
cultivation. Good buildings were also erected, and
other changes made, which improved the appearance
of the place and added to its value. The death of
the father occurred in 1874, when he was 74 years
of age. The mother died in December, 1884.

The son, who is the subject of this sketch, was
less than ten years of age when his parents came to
Munson Township. He passed the remaining por-
tion of his minority in the town where he is now a
citizen, and was there educated in the public schools.
He was a member of the family of his parents as
long as the lived, and at the death of his father he
assumed charge of the homestead.

In 1875 he was married to Miss Maggie J. Fergu-
son, and they have two children, — Willie F. and
Carrie B.

Mrs. Hunter is the daughter of George and Ann
(Hall) Ferguson, who were pioneers of the township
of Cornwall.

1 iram T. Lay, head of the firm of Lay &
Lyman, the largest and most complete
mercantile establishment in Kewanee, 111.,
fed was born at Kenosha, Wis., Jan. 16, 1839. His
parents, Nelson and Maryette (Towsley) Lay,
were born respectively in the States of Con-
necticut and New York. (See biography of Nelson
Lay, this volume.)

Hiram T. Lay was educated at the common

^^ — g7^nn®nn&\c) ^c^

schools of Kenosha, Wis., and was 16 years of age
when he came to Kewanee. Here he entered the
mercantile establishment of his father as clerk, and
from that time to the present he has continued in
the business. His clerical experience was with Nel- (
son Lay (his father), Lay & Tenney, Tenney &
Howard, Tenney, Hardy & Co., Little, Perkins &
Co., assignee of Little, Perkins & Co., assignee of C.
N. Cutter, Lay & Mclntyre, and Parker & Galloway.
The SDring of i860 found him trying his hand at
mining in Colorado, with what success does not ■
appear. Any way, he was there but a few months, <
when he returned to Kewanee and with his father
engaged for a few months in the grain business. He ;
was variously engaged during the succeeding three
years, and in the spring of 1864 entered the service
of the United States as First Lieutenant of Co. H,
134th 111. Vol. Inf., and served to the expiration of
his term.

Returning from the army to Kewanee, Mr. Lay
again entered the employment of Mr. H. C. Parker,
and in January, 1865, accepted a clerkship in J. R. j
Payson's general insurance agency, Chicago, where 1
he remained for one month. In February, of 1865, j
he returned to Kewanee, entering" the employ of J
Elias Lyman, March^ 1867, becoming a partner in »
his business. W. H. Lyman became a member of '
the firm of Lyman, Lay & Lyman in 1874, and in I
1883 the senior member retired, and the present firm
was created. This firm is the outgrowth of the pio-
neer dry-goods house of Willard & Morse, who were
succeeded by Parish & Faulkner, they by Willard &
Lyman, they by Lyman & Trask, they in turn by
Elias Lyman, and he by Lyman & Lay and Lyman, ]
Lay & Lyman, and they, on May 29, 1883, by the \
present firm of Lay & Lyman. The business history j
of this house from the beginning has been highly
creditable to its various owners, and under the
management of none has it been more so than under
the gentleman now at its head. Mr. Lay was one
of the organizers of the First National Bank of Ke-
wanee, and was one of its Directors for two years. ,
He also helped to organize the Union National
Bank, and is now a stockholder

He is no office-seeker, though somewhat interested
in the success of the Republican party at all times.
The only organization he is identified with, asjde
from the Congregational Church, is the G. A. R.
November, 1861, he was married at Maiden, Bureau

$<§iX#»J'

1=3

=3
753

HENRY COUNTY.

-+*%mx%®

623

Go., 111., to Miss Martha Morrill, the accomplished
daughter of Asa Morrill, a native of Vermont and a
cousin of the distinguished Senator of that name.
Mr. Lay's children are Carliss W., now a farmer in
this county; Maryette, Frank M., Louie E. and
Henry H.

fj'eter E. Walline, a merchant of Cambridge,
was born Jan. 7, 1850, in Nora, Upland,

JEp^ Sweden. He is the son of Olaf E. and
EbD Brigitta (Peterson) Walline, who were natives
■WS* of the same place in the old country. They

^ came to America in 1868, and located at once
on their arrival in this land, in Henry County. They
made their settlement at Bishop Hill, and are now
living in the township of Andover. Mrs. Margaret
Olenius, Eric (deceased), Olaf and Peter E. are the
the names of all the children of which they became
the parents.

In the spring of 1867, Mr. Walline came to the
United States and settled in Altona, Knox Co., 111.
He was there employed a short time as a clerk, and
■on coming to Henry County bought a tract of land
situated south of the village of Cambridge. It con-
tained 80 acres, and not long after he added a sim-
ilar amount and found himself the independent
possessor of 160 acres of land in good farming con-
dition. He is still the proprietor of the tract which
made him a land-holder under the laws of a Repub-
lic. In 1875 he came to Cambridge and passed a
short time in the capacity of a clerk in a mercantile
establishment, but soon returned to look after the
interests of his farm. In 1880 he bought an inter-
est in the mercantile concern of J. Mascall, Dimick
& Co., the firm style becoming J. Mascall, Dimick
& Walline. Two years later Mr. Dimick retired,
and Mr. C. F. Wennerstrum was admitted in his
place. The establishment is one of the most popu-
lar and extensive in the place where it is located,
and the assortment of goods kept in stock is such as
to meet the demands of the local trade. In addition
to his business and other relations in Henry County,
Mr. Walline is part owner of 640 acres of land in
Minnesota.

He is what would be termed a self-educated man.
When he came to America and set himself up in

business he was comparatively without means or
influence. His cash capital on opening relations in
Henry County amounted to but $2.50. In political
connection he is not identified with either the Demo-
cratic or Republican party, but has adopted the
principles of the Prohibitionists. He is a member
of the Order of Good Templars.

Mrs. Jennie S. Walline is the daughter of James
Mascall, Esq., of Cambridge. She is a native of
the county where she is a resident, and was born
June 27, 1853. Her marriage to Mi. Walline took
place Nov. 17, 1874. To her and her husband four
children have been born, in the following order:
Emily I., Oct. 1, 1877; Austin, Oct. 31, 1884; Lu-
ella, deceased, and an infant. Mr. and Mrs.
Walline are members of the Methodist Episcopal
Church.

•3*£^C-

obert Linton, retired farmer and mechanic,
resident at Kewanee, 111., was born in
County Down, Ireland, April 1, 1803, and
came to America in 1827. For 19 years he
resided in the city of Philadelphia, worked
six years at his trade of carpenter and
joiner and served on the police force for 13 consecu-
tive years. In 1846 he left the police force of his
own volition, and removed to Lancaster, Pa., where
he was engaged in farming and boating for about
eight years. In 1854 he came West and lived at
Cornwall, Henry Co., 111., about 1 1 years, remov-
ing thence to Kewanee, where he has since lived,
having retired from active business in 1869. He re-
ceived a common-school education in Ireland, where
he was brought up to the trade of carpenter and
in the faith of the Episcopal Church. At this writ-
ing, however, and for many years past, he has
been a consistent member of the Primitive Methodist
Church.

The day he was 24 years of age, and just before
leaving the Green Isle, he was married to Jane Orr,
who accompanied him to the New World and lived
with him, sharing alike his joys and sorrows for
about 30 years. She died at Cornwall in 1857, leav-
ing three children: Mary Jane (Mrs. Ackman, de-
ceased), Samuel, a resident of Black River Falls,
Wis., and Margaret Ann (Mrs. Morrow). In 1862,
at Wethersfield, Henry County, Mr. Linton was mar-

(

v, 624

rJ&K 0\ &D RS&ll Df->s/r6 — ?&^^-

HENRY COUNTY.

ried to Sarah Martin, a native of County Down, Ire-
land, who died at Kewanee, Feb. 17, i8'8r, leaving
one child, — Sarah Jane, now living at home with her
father.

Mr. Lintonn landed in America, as have thou-
sands of his countrymen, possessed of naught but
strong hands and a willing and honest heart. For
more than 50 years, aided by a prudent, industrious
and Christian wife, he fought life's battles, aye, from
year to year, from manhood to middle age and still on
through the declining years, until by the immutable
laws of God the seasons of more than three-fourths
of a century have bleached his once raven locks to
the whiteness of snow, Robert Linton has practiced
lessons of honest toil. In a little box house at the
rear of his comfortable residence, even at this writ-
ing, the octogenarian may be found turning the old
style lathe with a treadle, and forging from the sea-
soned wood some little article of usefulness for the
household. His long, white hair floats back from his
forehead and his kindly face clearly shaven greets
you with a smile. His hand is steady and his eyes
are yet bright, but, unlike the pages of a book that
tells briefly the outlines of his simple life, he will not
live always in this world, but by the great wisdom of
the Creator, his earthly career will be closed by his
usefulness, and the spirit which never grows old
shall fly away to join those he loves in life so much
and whose memory in death was ever so dear.

-c^3-

-8>-°-

eter G. Johnson, a farmer in the township
I j ; of Munson, is a self-made man in every
|lK£?-^ sense, and also an independent thinker.
§^J He was born in Smolen, Sweden, Feb. 28,
1838, and is the son of John and Anna John-
son. His parents were poor and could give
him but few advantages. His own mother died
when he was two years old, and he was soon pro-
vided with a stepmother by his father's second mar-
riage. He was under home care until he was eight
years of age, and he then went to live with his grand-
mother on his mother's side, and was brought up by
her. He was put to work as soon as he was large
enough to earn anything, and the pay he received
for the labor of a year would amount only to a dollar
in the currency of the United States. As he grew

older and stronger he was able to earn more, and
when he was 15 he received for the service of a year
$3 in money, a suit of linen clothes and two shirts.

In 1866 he came to America. He landed at New
York after a voyage of a month's duration. Imme-
diately after reaching the shores of this country he
came to Geneseo. Instead of having money to help
himself with in a strange land, he was in debt $20,
and as he wished to present a tidy appearance, he
borrowed $io more to purchase some clothes. He
found no trouble in obtaining employment as a farm
assistant, and he worked for his first employer, Bruce
Paul, one year. He then thought that he could
operate profitably on his own account, and he rented
land, wnich he continued to manage until 1876. In
that year he bought the farm which he now owns
and which is situated in section 3. The place con-
tains 160 acres, which is all under improvement. It
is all enclosed and supplied with good and suitable
buildings. The vicinity of the residence is beautified
with trees that have been set out by the proprietor.

Mr. Johnson and Miss Caroline Linquist were
united in marriage Dec. 26, 1869. Mrs Johnson is
a native of Sweden. Their children are named Delia
C, Jennie A., Jessie and Florence O.

^SHJH*^

|,lijari T. Cowl, retired farmer living at Ke-
wanee, was born in Sullivan County, State
of New York, at a place now called Wertz-

burg, Nov. 21, 1808. His parents, William and
Lydia (Perry) Cowl, natives of Cape Cod and
the county of Putnam respectively, reared five
sons and three daughters, Elijah T. being the third
in the order of birth. The senior Mr. Cowl was a
tanner and currier by trade, and the subject of this
sketch alternated his labors, before arriving at his
majority, between those of farming and the trade of
his father. The family removed from Sullivan to
Putnam County in 1817, and there the two old peo-
ple spent the remainder of their lives, Mr. Cowl dying
in 1853, at the age of 72 years, and Mrs. C. four
years later, at the age of 70 years.

Elijah T. Cowl remained with his parents until he
was about 25 years of age, at which time he set up
for himself. In 1 849 he left Putnam County and
removed to the State of Connecticut, where he fol-
lowed farming about five years. In 1854 he came

■^a^oot&a^ — ^^^

ggifS-

-?t&^ ^QWMtoW^r

•$@J§J(@\4'

HENRY COUNTY.

625

)

into Henry County and purchased a farm in Wethers-
field Township, from which he removed into Burns
Township three years later. At the last named
place he resided until 1833, when he retired from
manual labor and took up his abode in the village of
Kewanee.

In December, 1834, in the county of Putnam, in
his native State, Mr. Cowl married Miss Caroline
Hinman, and their union, always a happy one, was
blessed with two children — Mary, the estimable and
amiable wife of Mr. Ira Parker, a farmer of Burns
Township, Henry Co., 111., and Lydia A., the hand-
some and accomplished Mrs. Charles Burti , whose
husband is a wealthy stock dealer and ranch owner
of Kansas.

Originally, Mr. C. was a Whig, but upon the de-
mise of that party, like a large majority of is whilom
adherents, he became a Republican, to which party
his loyalty is unimpeachable. In the battle of life
he began as he continued, relying upon his own re-
sources. The legacy left to him was that of a strong
physique, an iron constitution and a well balanced
head. He has been the recipient of no gifts, no
gratuities. Aided only by the good woman who
early in life allied her fortune with his, he has, to use
• a homely phrase, " paddled his own canoe; " and the
story of his many trials, of his struggles, of his de-
feats, disappointments and ultimate successes can
not be told in his history ; for it, like the life of a sol-
dier in Sherman's grand march from Atlanta to the
sea, is but the recital of an individual experience, a
common factor in the mighty army of hardy pioneers
who preceded civilization as it were, and by their
daring and endurance made life in the newer States
not only possible but in thousands of cases luxurious.

harles J. Hofland, Treasurer of Henry
County, is a citizen of the United States
by adoption. He is the oldest child of
G. P. and Anna B. Hofland, and was born
Oct. n, 1834, in Djurrdala Parish, Province
of Kalmar, Sweden. He came to America
with his parents in the year 1850, who came at once
to Illinois and settled in Western Township, Henry
County, where the parents are now living. Mr. H.
is the oldest of nine children born to his parents,
seven of whom are now living.

Mr. Hofland, of this sketch, has followed the pur-
suit of farming since his advent into the country ex-
cept for five years, from 185 1 to 1856, which he spent
in the lumber business in Wisconsin. He returned
to Illinois and was on New Year's day, 1859, married
to Miss Ch'istine Anderson, of Andover. She was
born in Sweden, Feb. n, 1841, and came to this
country in 1852. Mr. and Mrs. Hofland have had
five children, born in the following order: Edmond
(deceased), Julia, Charlie E., Almeda C. and Oli-
ver E.

In 1865 Mr. Hofland bought a farm in Osco
Township, and is now the owner of ..294 acres of
choice land as his homestead. He was elected
Treasurer of Henry County in the fall of 1882. This
position he is now occupying with credit to himself
and with satisfaction to the people of the county.
Botli himself and wife are members of the Methodist
Episcopal Church. Politically, he is a staunch Re-
publican.

<*>

f)$«§Kf»

9^Q

a Tgi tarks N. Barker, merchant at Annawan, is
a native of the State of New York. He was
(jS born Jan. 1, 1835, in Oswego County, in
the town of Albion. He was reared in the place
of his nativity and remained with his parents
until he was 23 years old. He was engaged
on the farm and worked in the blacksmith shop of
his father. The last four winters that he remained
in his native State he was engaged in teaching, and
after he came to Illinois he was similarly employed
through one winter season. He was married Jan. 1,
1862, to Helen J. Hartley. She was born Nov. 27,
1840, in Bureau County; has three children living,
born as follows : Frank S., Dec. 5, 1864; Duke F.,
March 17, 1868; Sadie A., Aug. 9, 1875. The father
of Mrs. Barker, James B. Hartley, was born in Penn-
sylvania, Dec. 25, 1818. He married Sarah Fritchey
in 1839. She was born April 17,1819. They had
13 children, named Mathias.F., Helen J., Lois S.,
Maria L., Robert M., John H, Ida B., Charles W.,
Augusta J., Emma J., Jessie F., Harry and Mary.
They are all living.

Mr. Barker is the son of Ebenezer Barker, who
was a native of Bridgewater, N. Y., and was born
Nov. 17, 1800. He was married to Clarissa M. Starks,

e-T^

'j/ilV-J

^^K--

-^€$*r ^V^DD® D 0<^?^ >*€$*r

—a

§*!£*(<$

626

HENRY COUNTY.

June 22, 1823. She was a native of Massachusetts,
where she was born March 12, 1805. They had 13
children, of whom Mr. Barker, of, this sketch is the
oldest son. Polly B. was born May 25, 1824; Clar-
issa M., Sept. 25, 1825; Susan, Aug. 21, 1827;
Mary A., Feb. 7, 1829; Electa J., Jan. 31, 1830;
Eliza C, July 22, 1832; Sarah A., May 2, 1837;
John, March 29, 1839 ; Harriet A., Jan. n, 1842;
Francis M., Jan. 21, 1844; G. Scott, Oct. 30, 1846;
William L., Sept. 14, 1850. The father was a black-
smith by trade, as was his father and grandfather be-
fore him. The mother died Sept. 15, 1879. The
death of the father took place Jan. 2, 1881.

Li 1859 Mr. Barker came to the village of Anna-
wan and established himself in the business of a
blacksmith, in which he was engaged until he de-
cided to change his calling for that in which he has
since operated. Feb. 14, 1866, he purchased a stock
of general merchandise and has since been engaged
in the management of a successful and prosperous
trade. He has been prominent in the discharge of
the duties to which he has been called in the public
interest and has served two years as Justice of the
Peace. He has officiated as School Treasurer ten
years. He is connected in membership with the
Order of Masonry and belongs to Annawan Lodge,
No. 433. He has held and is still holding official
positions in the organization. He is a Republican
in political connection.

fames E. Breckenridge, residing at Galva,

r was born July 7, 1834, in Bourbon Co.,

Ky., and is a son of Oliver H. P. and

Nancy (Ellis) Breckenridge. The Brecken-

ridge family came from Scotland to America in
an early day, and settled in Virginia. The
grandfather of James E. (John Breckenridge) moved
to Bourbon Co., Ky., when he was a young man, and
there followed the occupation of a farmer. He was
married twice, his first wife being Miss M. Duncan, a
native of Kentucky, and a sister of Governor Joseph
Duncan, of this State, and was the mother of Oliver
H. P. Breckenridge, who was the father of the sub-
ject of this notice. His mother died when he was
six weeks old, and his father was a second time mar-

S£\

ried, to Nancy Brooks, also a native of Kentucky

She is yet living near Paris, that State, and "is the
mother of eight children, five boys and three girls.
Her husband died in Kentucky in 1853, aged 81
years. He was a farmer by occupation. The father
of our subject removed to Schuyler County, this
State, in 1852, where he resided until the following
year, when he returned to Kentucky on a visit, and
theredied,in 1853, at the age of 51 years. He married
Nancy Ellis in Bourbon County, who is yet living in
Plattsburg, Mo., aged 7 1 years. She bore him eight
children, namely : James E., subject of this notice ;
Mary J., Susan, Sarah Ann, John B., and three who
died in infancy.

James E., whose name heads this sketch, attended
school in a log school-house in Kentucky, about three
months in the year, until he attained the age of 16
years, devoting his other time to assisting his father
on the farm. Arriving at the age mentioned, he en-
gaged in farming, in which vocation he continued in
Kentucky until he came to this State with his father,
who located in Schuyler County, and there continued
his former occupation. In September, 1861, James
E. enlisted in Co. E, 7th Mo. Cav., and remained in
the army until 1862. At the expiration of his time
of enlistment he came back to this State and engaged
in railroading on the Wabash Railroad, at Denver, c
this State, and on the Keokuk & Clayton Branch, as
a section hand. Soon afterward he was promoted to
the position of section foreman, but quit the road and
engaged to work for the Rockford, Rock Island & St.
Louis, now the Chicago, Burlington & Quincy Rail-
road, where he took charge of a construction train,
and was conductor of thesame for six months. Hewas
then promoted to the office of Road Master, and held
that position about one year, when he resigned and
engaged as a freight conductor for the same road.
He was conductor on a freight train for about nine
months, then passenger conductor, and was again
made Road Master. Dec. 1, 1865, when the road
changed hands, Mr. Breckenridge one evening re-
signed his position, and the next morning he took a
similar position on the Chicago, Rock Island & Pa-
cific Railroad, which he held until May, 1877, when
he was transferred to the Rock Island & Peoria Rail-
road, under the same management, and which posi-
tion he has continued to hold until the present time.
He has resided in Galva since 1878, having lived in
Rock Island and Cambridge previous to that time.
Mr. Breckenridge was married Dec. 31, 1857, in

4^*C(^ff

HENR Y CO UNT Y.

4^5^

627

Augusta, Hancock County, this State, to Mary A.
Pitney, daughter of Samuel Pitney, and a native of
Ohio. She has become the mother of four children :
Julius, Susan E., Nannie and Ransom C, an infant
son, deceased. Socially, Mr. Breckenridge is a mem-
ber of the A. F. & A. M., and is one of the popular
railroad men of this section of the country.

-S3

ft ft

T~ T

===

£*-

ion. Nelson Lay, of Kewanee, is a native of
Saybrook, Conn., second son of Jeremiah
and Sallie (Ingham) Lay, and was born Jan.
20, 1812. From Saybrook the family removed
to Madison Co., N. Y., in 1824, and there re-
sided up to 1846, when they removed to Keno-
sha, Wis., whither the subject of this sketch had
preceded them by it years.

Mr. Lay's education was limited to such as could
be acquired at the common schools of New York
State, but this appears to have been sufficient to en-
able him to conduct successfully the various business
enterprises in which he subsequently engaged. At
Oneida Lake, N. YT, he served an apprenticeship as
a carpenter and joiner, and devoted his time to that
trade until about 28 years of age. At Kenosha,
Wis., to which place he emigrated in 1835, he was in
mercantile business from 1842 to 1853, and suc-
ceeded thereat in accumulating a considerable sum
of money. Early in 1854 he removed from Wiscon-
sin to Henry Co., 111., and was at the village of
Wethersfield when the Chicago, Builington & Qtiincy
Railroad was completed through to Galesburg. His
shrewd business" knowledge taught him that Wethers-
field as a town had fulfilled its mission, and that
business would find its headquarters for this neigh-
borhood thenceforth at the railroad station. So, as-
sociated with Messrs. Howard, Little and Tenney, a
quarter-section of land was purchased adjacent the
railway, and the town of Kewanee laid out. His
first business in the new town was that of merchant,
an enterprise he abandoned before the end of the
first year. He handled lumber about three years,
and in the meantime became pretty extensively in-
terested in Western lands, the traffic in which soon
grew to such proportions as to require his whole at-
tention. In 1859 he again embarked in mercantile
business, and the same year organized the Kewanee

Bank, — a short-lived enterprise which disappeared
from the financial world along with many similar in-
stitutions just before the war.

In 1863 he was elected on the Republican ticket
to the Illinois House of Representatives, and for two
years tried his hand at law-making; and in 1865 re-
moved to Chicago, where for 18 years he was a suc-
cessful grain and commission merchant. Having
by industry and untiring application to business ac-
cumulated a handsome competency, he returned to
Kewanee in 1883 and retired to private life, with the
commendable intention of spending the rest of his
days in a peaceful forgetfulness of the trials and
troubles of the business world.

Mr. Lay was married at Kenosha, Wis., May 29,
1 836, to Miss Maryette Towsley, a native of the State
of New York, and of the eight children born to them
we have the following memoranda : Hiram T., a
merchant of the firm of Lay & Lyman, Kewanee;
Fannie L. (Mrs. W. A. Pierce, of Chicago) ; Mary
Jane, deceased, was the wife of Rev. C. A. Towle,
of the Congregational Church; Nellie (Mrs. N. W.
Watson, of Chicago) ; Charles N. died in infancy ;
Charles C, now a resident of Chicago: Edward F.
died when about 20 months old, and Richard E., a
resident of Chicago.

Both Mr. and Mrs. Lay are consistent members of
the Congregational Church.

* -&^-4

ohn Armstrong. One of the best im-
proved farms of Henry County is owned
,07V1-"? and cultivated by the gentleman whose
name heads this sketch. His fine residence is
located on section 14, of Wethersfield Town-
ship, where he owns 480 acres of land, all of
which is tillable. He has recently erected a fine
residence, which is large and commodious and sec-
ond to none in the county. Fine and well-stocked
out-buildings are liberally provided for his stock.
He keeps about 100 head of cattle, 16 horses, and
usually fattens about 150 hogs annually. Mr. Arm-
strong is recognized as one of the leading and most
prosperous farmers in Henry County. He is a highly
respected citizen and an earnest worker for the best
interests of the township. Politically, he is a Repub-
lican, but in temperance principles a Prohibitionist.

(v)
sfe)

-eA^nraiif^A^ — :s*€»rl

■y ■■
628

HENRY COUNTY.

Together with his wife, he belongs to the American
Presbyterian Church. He has served his community
as School Director for many years, and takes a deep
interest in educational matters.

John Armstrong is a son of James and Sibella
(Elliott) Armstrong, natives of Scotland. They came
to America in 1855, and located in Stark Co., 111.,
where they spent the remainder of their lives. John
was the sixth child of a family of about eight chil-
dren, was born in Scotland, Aug. 6, 1838, and was
therefore only 16 when his parents came across the
ocean. He received his education in Scotland, and
has always been engaged in agricultural pursuits.
After living in Stark County for ten years he came
over into Henry County, and located in Wethersfield
Township.

He was married in Bureau Co., 111., Jan. 31, 1865,
to Jane, daughter of John and Jane (Hume) Rule.
This lady was also of Scottish birth and ancestry,
and the second of a family of ten children. She was
born Sept. 24, 1844, and came to America with her
parents in 1853. The names of Mr. and Mrs. Arm-
strong's seven children are: Jane, James E., John
A., Robert, George A., Sibella and Kate E.

oshua Cole, a well-to-do and respected
farmer of Wethersfield Township, where
he resides on section 14, h a son of Eze-
kiel and Maria (Smith) Cole, both natives of
Ohio. They came to Henry County in the
fall of 1850, and settled in Wethersfield Town-
ship, where the father died the following year, Octo-
ber, 185 1 ; the mother still survives. Their family
consisted of eight children, of whom Joshua was the
eldest, having been born in Harrison Co., Ohio, Oct.
29, 1837.

He (Joshua) received the training of the common
schools of his district, came into Henry County, this
State, in the spring of 1851, and began immediately
in the occupation of an agriculturist. He has 330
acres of valuable land, on which he entered vigor-
ously and energetically into the the task of its culti-
vation and improvement, and has made this his
home, residing here ever since.

Mr. Cole was united in the holy bonds of matri-
mony in Wethersfield Township, on the 6th of Feb-

ruary, 1859, to Miss Susan Hoppock, a native of New
Jersey, and daughter of John and Margaret (Hackett)
Hoppock. Mr. and Mrs. Cole have had their home
circle blessed by the birth of eight children, as fol-
lows : Mary C, Joseph T., Elton G., Martha M.,
William H., Wesley E., Otis R. and Earnest 0. Mr.
Cole has served his township as School Director for
five years, and, religiously, is a member of the Meth-
odist Episcopal Church. In politics, he affiliates
with the Republican party.

-£3-

-es-

ohn Seott, Sr., retired farmer residing at
t Kewanee, Henry Co., 111., was born at
''' Banff, Scotland, May 10, 1810, removed to
England in 1832, and from there to America
in 1844. His parents, Alexander and Chris-
tina (Campbell) Scott, natives of Scotland,
reared three sons and two daughters, John being the
eldest but one. The senior Mr. Scott was a shoe-
maker by trade, and died when the subject of this
sketch was but five years of age, leaving the family
in limited circumstances. He was a worthy brother
Mason, however, and that most benevolent of all
orders paid to the use of his widow and children an-
nually the sum of 40 pounds as long as they remained
in need of it.

John was educated to a limited extent at the com-
mon schools of his native place, and while yet young
learned the trade of blacksmith, at which he worked
several years. For five years after coming to this
country he was the only blacksmith in the neighbor-
hood of his premises. His first home in Henry
County was in Kewanee Township, whither he re-
moved in 1845, and it consisted of a small log cabin
on the road leading from Peru to Rock Island. For
many years he did his milling at the latter place, a
distance of 40 miles from his cabin. Upon his farm,
consisting first of a 160- acre tract, increased after-
ward to 460 acres, lies probably 200 acres of fine
bituminous coal. Some seven years before coal was
discovered in his neighborhood, he dreamed of find-
ing large quantities of the article at a certain point
on his land ; so, when the prospector put in an ap-
pearance, Mr. S. took him at once to a spot remem-
bered since his dream, and there the expert soon
disclosed to view a rich and paying vein of the only

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HENRY COUNTY.

629

thing thought to be lacking in the greatest agricultu-
ral country on earth. Mr. Scott rented out his farm
in 1883 and removed to the town of Kewanee, where
he proposes spending the rest of his life in a well
earned peace and freedom from the toils and cares
of every business.

While in England, in the county of Surrey, Mr.
Scott was married, when about 22 years of age, to
Miss Mercy Paice, who was born in Surrey, April 15,
1812. Of the six children born to Mr. and Mrs.
Scott, three sons accompanied them from England,
and the following brief history tells aH the writer
knows of the offspring : Isabella J. was the wife of
Stephen Brown, and died Jan. 15, T867, leaving the
child to which she gave her life. The child was
named for its mother, and is now the wife of Charles
J. Bridges, of Kewanee. The first-born was named
William, now a successful farmer and stock-broker
of Kansas ; Alexander is a farmer in Kewanee Town-
ship, and John is a dealer in agricultural implements.
A daughter, Jane, died in England, and Mary Ann
in Henry County, Sept. 14, 1852.

a Politically, Mr. Scott is a Democrat, and religiously

$5 is a Presbyterian.

arrett Brown, engaged as a farmer on sec-
tion 5, Wethersfield Township, was born
in Bucks Co., Pa, Aug. 23, 1833. His
parents, James and Lutitia (Holland) Brown,
were also natives of the Keystone State, and
passed all their lives there. They had eight
children.

Mr. Garrett Brown, the seventh in order of birth
in the above family, was three years of age when his
father died, and he was then taken by an uncle,
with whom he lived until he was 1 6 years old. He
then worked out by the month until 1855, in the
spring of which year he came to this county, locating
in Wethersfield Township, where he has since resided.
He is the owner of 128 acres of land, most of which
is cultivated. Mr. Brown is an exemplary citizen
and farmer, and has served the public in the capac-
ity of School Director and School Trustee. His
political views are in keeping witli the principles of
the Republican party, and both himself and Mrs. B.
are members of the Baptist Church.

He was married in Montgomery Co., Pa., March

T3> 1855, to Miss Ellen, daughter of Thomas and
(Ellen) Wright Taylor, who were natives also of the
Keystone State. Mr. Taylor died in Philadelphia,
Pa., July 10, 1856, and Mrs. Taylor died in Wethers-
field Township, this county, Feb. 16, 1879. Mrs.
Brown, the fourth in order of birth in a family of
seven children, was born in Philadelphia, Pa., Nov.
6, 1835 ; and the children of Mr. and Mrs. Brown
have been three in number — Thomas T., Emma L.,
who died in infancy, and Anna M.

-» i<- •

gfeylvanus W. Warner, the leading grain
dealer of Kewanee, III, was born in the
county of Leeds, Canada, Feb. 9, 1817. In

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1838 lie came into Stark Co., 111., farmed there
two years, and removed into Henry County,
where he purchased two 80-acre tracts of
land, one in Burns Township on section 15, where
he made his home, and the other in Kewanee on
section 19. Other tracts of land were added to his
possessions from time to time, all of which he sold
after removing into the town of Kewanee, which he
did in 1855. His first business after coming into the
town was that of grocer, which received his attention
a year or two. He next went into the buying and
shipping of grain, a business he has followed regu-
larly ever since.

In 1860-1 he held the office of Township Assessor,
and a year or so later was elected Supervisor. When
he arrived in Stark County, in 1838, he had but $12
in money, but the opportunity was ripe to such men
as he, and his efforts were fruitful of good in that
they tended to build ud a new country and add in-
crease upon increase even unto the possession of a
handsome competency. His early education was
limited to such as the common schools of Canada
afforded, but his interests have never suffered from
lack of business knowledge. His parents, Ralph and
Clara (Keeler) Warner, natives of the State of Con-
necticut and Canada respectively, removed to lilt
nois in 1845 and spent the rest of their lives in
Henry County, the old gentleman dying in 1851, at
the age of 57 years, and the old lady in 1879, aged
28. They reared six sons and five daughters, three
of the latter being dead at this writing (August,
i88S).

Mr. Warner is a Royal Arch Mason, a member of

— -t^ss^C

(!)

A 630

\j<*llll®IID*>^ ^&®r

HENRY COUNTY.

the Baptist Church, and votes the Republican ticket.
He was married in Stark Co., 111., July 8, 1847, to
Etnaline Otis, a native of Ohio, and daughter of
Edward Otis, a farmer by occupation. Of the six
children born they have buried four, — -three in in-
fancy and one, Lucy A., their eldest, in 1866, aged
18 years. Vina is now the wife of H. C. Hunting-
ton, a merchant at Ames, Iowa, and Adelia is at
home with her parents.

^oooe

enry Johnson, of the firm of Owen & John-
son, general merchants, doing business at
Orion, was born in Sweden, June 22, 1832.
His father, Samuel Johnson, was also a native

tof Sweden, and during his active life was en-
gaged in farming. He is now living a retired
life at Orion, at the advanced age of 80 years. The
mother of Henry, Christine Johnson, was also born
in Sweden.

At the early age of 13 our subject came to Amer-
ica with his parents, who first settled at Buffalo, N.
Y. Two years later they came further West and lo-
cated in Andover Township, where the mother died
of cholera during the terrible rage of that epidemic in
1853. Henry was the second child of a family of
three children. He left home when only 14 years
old and worked as a farm boy for the neighboring
farmers, who also gave him the advantage of attend-
ing school during the winter season. He learned
the business of brick making at Rock Island, and in
1854 established a brick-yard in Andover, which en-
terprise he abandoned after 18 months. He then
engaged as a clerk in a store at Andover, where he
remained for some years. After he closed this en-
gagement he devoted some time to fanning, princi-
pally in Western Township. In 1873 he built a mill
and in company with Lloyd & Peterson began its
operation. He conducted the mill and was its prin-
cipal business manager of the entire concern, and is
yet the company in the firm which is now styled
Johnson & Co. The mill has a capacity of 300
bushels a day. In 1882 Mr. Johnson purchased a
half interest in the general mercantile store of John
Owen, which he yet retains. The stock invoices at
from $7,000 to $10,000, and the firm does an excel-
lent business.

Mr. Johnson was married in Andover, on the 1st

of May, 1858, to Miss Catherine Olson. Miss Olson
was a native of Sweden and came to the United
States when a small child with her parents ; at least,
she started with both of them, but while on the
ocean her father took sick and died, and his body
was consigned to a watery grave. The mother, thus
bereft of her husband, came on with her four chil-
dren, two sons and two daughters. They made their
way to Andover Township, where the mother subse-
quently married, and shortly after this event died.
After the death of her mother, Mrs. Johnson worked
in the homes of some of the people of the county
until her marriage. The two children she has borne
to Mr. Johnson are Oscar L., born Aug. 1, 1773, and
Oliver, April 17, 1876.

Mr. Johnson has for some time been a member of
the Village Board. He is a member of the I. O. O. F.
(and A. O. U. W. Politically, he is a National Green-
backer.

hadrach T. Miles, of the firm of Miles &
Minnick, grocers, at Kewanee. (See bi-
ography of W. A. Minnick). This firm
was organized and began business as dealers in
staple and fancy groceries, glass and crockery
wares, in March, 1867, and is at this writing (
(July, 1885) the oldest establishment of the kind in
the town. The firm is composed of the subject of
this sketch and Mr. W. A. Minnick.

Mr. Miles is a native of Philadelphia, Pa., where
he was born, Nov. r8, r827. His parents, William
and Sarah (Jones) Miles, descended respectively
from Welsh and Scotch ancestry, and were natives of
Philadelphia County, now and for many years past
incorporated into the city of that name. They reared
a family of five sons and four daughters. The elder
Mr. Miles was a farmer and the gentleman whose
name stands at the head of this article devoted most
of his time to that worthy vocation, until probaly 46
years of age. At the public schools of his native f
place he acquired a fair English education, which has
been materially augmented by readng, by study and
by such experience as is naturally incident to a busy '
life. I

He gave up farming in 1867 and removed to Ke- '
wanee and engaged in his present business. As a
farmer, he was industrious and honorable and en-

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HENRY COUNTY.

631 *^\

joyed the [highest esteem of hjs neighbors. As a
merchant he sought to build a trade upon purely bus-
iness principles, relying strictly upon the idea that
" honesty is the best policy, " and the experience of
nearly a fifth part of a century has fully attested the
wisdom of his undertakings. Since coming here he
has served the people three years as a member of the
Town Board and ten years upon the Board of Edu-
cation. He is prominently identified with the Inde-
pendent Order of Odd Fellows, has filled all the
official chairs in their course and is[at present Chap-
lain of the Kewanee Lodge. In politics he is a Re-
publican, while his religious convictions are firmly
anchored with the Baptist Church. When about 25
years of age he was married, at Philadelphia, to Miss
Anna M. Eisenbrey, a lady of German descent and a
native of the" City of Brotherly Love." Of the 13 chil-
dren born to them, n are living : Sallie, Rena, Frank,
Annie, William, Harry, Duffield, Kate, Edward, Mat-
thew and May. W. P. died when about two years of
age and Louis lived to be nearly four. Mr. Miles'
father and mother died in Philadelphia, he at the age
of 83 years and she at 76 years.

Si'ndrew Sunquist, residing in Galva, where
If he is engaged in the service of the Hardien
Hf^sT Coal Company, is a native of Sweden, hav-
ing been born in Darlarna, that country, Jan.
18, 1845. His parents were Andrew Hanson
and Kestine (Larson) Sunquist, who both re-
side in Galva, to which place they came in 1872.
Their family comprises ten children, only four of
whom are living, namely : Martha, wife of John
Boostum; Erick ; Christine, wife of Frederick Pe-
terson, of Bloomington ; and Andrew, the subject of
this biographical notice.

Andrew Sunquist was educated in Sweden. He
came to the United States at the age of 25 years, and
on landing at an Eastern seaport came direct to
Galva, this county. On arriving here, July 13, 1858,
he worked at various occupations in the cotintry and
village, and in February of the year following he
began mining coal. He has continually followed
that vocation, except about three summers spent at
his trade, that of a carpenter. Sept. 1, 1876, he
commenced work for the Galva Mining Company,

§|a@>»<#«

_— .

A^ran^

now known as the Hardien Coal Company. He is
at present superintendent of the company and also
a share-holder in the same.

Mr. Sunquist was united in marriage, at Galva, to
Miss Anna Erickson, a native of Sweden, and a
daughter of Erick Anderson, who died in the old
old country. Politically, Mr. S. affiliates with the
Republican party. He and his wife are members of
the Swedish Lutheran Church.

^avid Strohecker, of the township of Cam-
Jl bridge, is a resident on section2. He was
^ born Nov. 2, 1802, in Berks Co., Pa. His
parents, Daniel and Leah (Garber) Stroheck-
er, were natives of the same county and there
passed nearly the entire extent of their lives.
They died in Northumberland Co., Pa. They were
the parents of r2 children. The family descent is of
German origin. The paternal grandfather, Daniel
Strohecker, was born in thai country, and when he
came to the United States he settled in Pennsylva-
nia. His son, John Strohecker, was one of the sol-
diers of the Revolution. The latter was a brick-layer
by trade and in his later life he was interested in
farming. He married in Pennsylvania and there
reared a family of eight children. He never remov-
ed from the State. His son, Daniel Strohecker, mar-
ried Leah Garber, who was a native of the Keystone
State. Her father, John Garber, was born in the
same State and was a soldier in the Revolutionary
War. He, too, afterwards became a farmer. Father
and mother both died in Pennsylvania.

Mr. Strohecker grew to manhood in the State
where he was born and passed forty years of active
life as a brick-layer. In April, 1865, he came to
Henry County, and at first bought 80 acres of land
in the township of Cambridge. Soon after he bought
another like amount of land and the estate now in-
cludes 166 acres in the best possible condition for
prosperous farming. The estate is the accumula-
tion of the proprietor in his own unaided strength and
perseverance. He has passed most of his life in
hard labor. In his political connection and views he
is a Republican.

He formed a matrimonial alliance with Sarah
Hummel, May 14, 1824. She was born in Berks
Co., Pa., and the name of her father was John Hum-

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HENRY COUNTY.

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mel. The issue of their marriage was eight children.
Dr. George W. is deceased. Sevilla S. married a
man named Zimmerman. Benavel, John, Catherine
L. (deceased), Mrs. Mary Thompson and Henry C.
are^the names that complete the list. The last named
was a soldier in the Civil War, where he lost his
life, in the Army of the Cumberland. Reuben still
resides with his parents. He was married in Penn-
sylvania to Hannah Hime. Her father was a native
of Pennsylvania and was of German extraction. The
young people have three children, named Henry
Calvin, Mrs. Johanna Steckhouse and Laura E.

*— «- +

jharles G. Howell. Upon section 28, of
Western Township, resides Mr. Charles
G. Howell, one' of the representative agri-
culturists of Henry County, and a gentleman
well and favorably known throughout the
county. He was born in Monongalia Co.,
W. Va., Jan. 20, 1837. His father, Leven Howell,
was the nth child : hence the name. He belonged
to an old Virginia family of English ancestry, and
grew to manhood in old Virginia, but came into the
territory now known as West Virginia, where he was
married to Anna King, a native of the same place
where her husband was hoin. After their marriage
they improved a farm in the dense unbroken forest
of West Virginia, living in the woods in a log-cabin.
The father was a minister of the Old-School Baptist
Church formerly, but latei in life connected himself
with the Missionary Baptist Church, in which de- '
nomination he preached until his death, which oc-
curred in the same county in which he had settled
so early in its history. His life was that of a worthy
citizen and a zealous minister of the gospel. He
demonstrated his interests in and his devotion to his
religious sentiments most strikingly at one time. He
was a mason by trade, and the congregation for
which he labored had begun the erection of a church,
but was compelled to abandon the work upon it for
lack of means. With characteristic energy he set
about the work himself, and laid the brick, put on
the plaster and completed the edifice. The building
stands to this day, and is used by the congregation
of the faith he had so often zealously preached to.
At the time of its completion it was valued at $5,000.

It is still in a fair state of preservation, and is a
monument to the worthy builder, who received no
assistance or remuneration for its erection. Another
instance illustrating his devotion to his righteous
faith is shown in the following incident: A little
later on and in another neighborhood, he made the
brick and erected a new church building, with but
little money consideration outside of the help ren-
dered by Mr. Ellis Holland, now of Osco Township,
this county. To these two zealous and devoted
workers, must be added the honored name of Mr.
Reason Holland, the father of Ellis, now deceased.

Rev. Howell's pastorate extended over nearly half
a century, during which time he labored as a faithful
and devoted follower of his Master, and was especi-
ally adapted to the time and condition of society
existing in the section of country where he labored.
We find but few such noble, hard-working and self-
sacrificing Christians to-day as he was.' He was
born Nov. 21, 1799, and after a remarkably useful
life, passed to his reward on the 9th of May, 1868.
His wife, who was born on the 23d of August, 1797,
died February, 1858.

Charles G. was the youngest of a family consisting
of eight sons and one daughter, six of the former and
the latter still survive. The daughter and four of
the sons are yet living, in West Virginia. Our sub-
ject attended the district schools and worked on the
homestead until he arrived at man's estate. About
this time, his life was overshadowed by the death of
his mother. On leaving home he followed the
plastering business, which trade he had learned
principally under the instructions of his father. He
continued in this business in his native county for
about ten years. During this time he was married
near the place where he was born, Sept. 30, i860,
the ceremony being performed at the residence of
the bride's parents, the lady being Miss Sarah C,
eldest daughter of Caple and Susanna (Smith) Hol-
land. Her parents were natives of the Keystone
State and of American parentage. Both came to
West Virginia before their marriage, and after that
event lived upon a farm in Monongalia County,
where the father died, March 5, 1858. The mother
is yet living with her youngest son, Lewis P. Holland,
who lives on the old Holland homestead. Mrs.
Howell was born in Monongalia County, Aug. 10,
1835. She is the mother of seven children, who have
been named as follows : Rebecca J., Susan 0.,

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HENRY COUNTY.

633

Blanche B. and Jessie F. (twins), Lavina A. and
Anna H., now living; and Samuel O., deceased in
January, 1875.

Mr. Howell continued to reside in Monongalia
County for some years after his marriage, and during
the meantime added to his calling that of farming.
It was while he was living in the State of Virginia,
before that section where he resided was set off and
called West Virginia, and while the State was under
the reign of rebel sentiment, Mr. Howell bravely
stepped forward to defend the stars and stripes. On
the 14th of August, 1862, he enlisted in the 14th
W. Va. Vol. Inf., Co. C, which joined the army of
the Shenandoah Valley, under Gen. Hunter. He
participated in no active engagement, but was with
the regiment, being assigned to the Quartermaster's
Department. He was honorably discharged at the
close of the war, July 3, r86s, having served nearly
three years.

In April, 1869, in order to secure a wider field in
which to labor, he set out for the then far West,
finding his way to Henry County, where, in Osco
Township, he purchased 160 acres of well -improved
land. Here he resided for 12 years, when he sold
this farm and purchased another quarter-section of
improved land, where he now resides and has an
elegant home and a well developed farm. Mr.
Howell has always had a deep interest in the schools
of his township, and was a Director nearly all of the
time he lived in Osco The family is connected
with the Baptist Church, in which Mr. Howell is an
active factor. He is a reliable and uncompromising
Republican, and highly esteemed and well known
throughout his section of the county.

^ilson A. Minniek, of the firm of Miles &
Minnick, dealers in staple and fancy gro-
ceries, crockery, glassware, etc., at Ke-
$ wanee, 111., is a native of Mercersburg, Pa.,
and a son of Peter W. and Mary A. (Geyer)
Minnick, also natives of Pennsylvania and of
German extraction.

Wilson A. was next oldest in a fanily of three sons
and four daughters, and was born Feb. 2r, 1842.
His elder brother, John W., was a volunteer soldier
in the war for the Union, and was killed at the bat-
tle of Stone River. His father, a merchant tailor in

his lifetime, died at Kewanee, in 1856, at the age of
40 years, and his mother (July, 1885) is about 67
years of age and resides in Kewanee. In 1856 the
family came to Kewanee and Mr. Minnick soon af-
terward began his career as a grocer's clerk, a posi-
tion he continued to fill for ir consecutive years. In
1867 the firm of which he is now a member was or-
ganized (see biography of Shadrach T. Miles), which
hundreds of his friends patronized, and his estab-
lishment took rank as among the very foremost (if
not indeed the lead) in their line in Kewanee.

At Kewanee, Dec. 24, 1868, lie was married to
Miss Angelia E., the accomplished daughter of Asa
Morrill, Esq., of North Danville, Vt. They have five
children: Edwin M., Edith M., Guy F., Paul W.
and Morrill. Both Mr. and Mrs. Minnick are con-
sistent men.bers of the Congregational Church, of
which society at Kewanee Mr. Minnick '■has been
Treasurer for more than a dozen years.

In the battle of life Mr. M. has depended wholly
upon his own resources, the recipient of no gratui-
ties, legacies or gifts ; and what he has enjoyed and
has of this world's goods have been acquired by his
individual effort and industry.

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eorge Allen Vawter, dentist, at Cam-
bridge, was born at Macomb, McDonough
Co., 111., Jan. 4, 1858. He was educated
in the public schools of Macomb, and com-
pleted a full course of study there, graduating
ing in June, 1876. He attended school for
nine years, and nine months in the year, and was
never tardy, and, with the exception of one week's
sickness, not absent a single day from school in all
that time. In the succeeding winter after gruduat-
ing, he taught a term of school in the township of
Bethel, in the same county. At the expiration of
this engagement, in February, 1877, he commenced
the study of dentistry in the office of Dr. H. H.
Whissen, of Macomb. He continued under the pre-
ceptorship of Dr. Whissen until the spring of 1878,
when the two formed a partnership, and Mr. Vawter
passed most of his time in traveling to the adjacent
towns, where he practiced his profession and worked
in the interest of the Macomb office until the follow-
ing winter. He then again became a teacher, taking

C»

**»-.

HENRY COUNTY.

-—%

|j@§jC<|>V

(!)

a school in Mound Township, McDonough County.

At the expiration of the term of school, which oc-
curred in March, 1879, lie came to Cambridge and
commenced the practice of dentistry. He was young,
and the possessor of only about $roo, and had for
competition a man of age and experience ; but by a
strict attention to the details of his 'profession he
soon established a prosperous business, and has at
present one of the finest dental offices in this part of
the State.

He has dealt to a considerable extent in Western
lands, and also in property in Cambridge. From his
profession, and by a careful investment of his earn-
ings, he has succeeded in placing himself in comfort-
able circumstances.

Mr. Vawter was married to Nellie I. Gould, at
Cambridge, Nov. 14, 1883. Mrs. Vawter was born
at Piermont, Grafton Co., N. H., Oct. 15, i860, and
is the daughter of L. Y. and O. P. Gould, of Cam-
bridge. The family moved to Cambridge in the
spring of 1868.

Dr. Vawter is the son of Allen T. Vawter and
Florinda Elizabeth (Kellogg) Vawter. His father
was born in Cumberland Co., Ky., Dec. 14, 1830,
and came thence with his parents to McDonough
County in the fall of 1833. Sept. rr, 1851, another
removal was effected, when they moved to Macomb,
where the parents still reside. In the paternal line
Dr. Vawter is able to trace his ancestors for a period
of 200 years. The first progenitors of the family
in this country settled in Virginia, where Russell
Vawter, his great-grandfather, was born. The latter
lived all his life in his native county of Culpeper.
His son, Beverly Vawter, was born in Culpeper Co.,
Va., Sept. 22, 1782. He passed the years of his
minority there, and when he had attained his legal
freedom he went to North Carolina. Jan. 13, 1807,
he was married to Elizabeth Hutchins. In 1813 he
removed his family to Kentucky, and from thence to
McDonough Co., 111., in October, 1833. His death
transpired April 21, 1845. He was a soldier in the
War of 1812. Dr. Vawter's mother was born June
9, 1836. Her father was a native of the State of
New York, and lost his life, in 1864, in the military
service of the United States in the War of the Rebell-
ion. The parents of Dr. Vawter were married
March 14, 1854. They had seven children, of whom
four are living.

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eorge D. Elliott, manufacturer and dealer
in harness and saddlery, Kewanee, 111.,
K was born at the United States Arsenal,
Pittsburg, Pa., July 8, 1823. His parents,
James, a Sergeant in the United States Army,
and Mary (Mayhew) Elliott, natives of Dur-
ham, Eng., and Kennebec, Maine, respectively, were
married at Mt. Pleasant, Ohio, and of the n chil-
dren (nine sons and two daughters) born to them,
the subject of this sketch was the eldest but two.
James came to America in 18 18, and three years
afterward entered the United States Army as a
private soldier and served for a period of five years.
He was an only child, and his father, who was a
saddler to Lord Durham, gave him an academic
education. The then Lord Durham was an exten-
sive coal operator, and saddler Elliott, who had ac-
cumulated some money, invested it in the stocks of
a rival mining company, which act so enraged his
lordship that he withdrew his patronage from Elliott.
The new coal company failed, and in 1826 the old
gentleman followed his son to the United States.
He located at Mt. Pleasant, Ohio, and died before
the then current year.

After leaving the army, Sergeant Elliott returned
to his trade of saddler at Mt. Pleasant, and there re-
mained up to 1854, at which time he came to
Kewanee. A part of the farm upon which he settled
here is now known as Elliott's Addition, and the rest
of it was laid out by the parties to whom tie sold it,
and is now known as " Morse's Addition to Ke-
wanee."

The old gentleman removed to Chicago in 1870;
was there during the great fire, and returned to Ke-
wanee, where he died in July of the following year,
aged about 76 years. His wife had died at Kewanee
in 1868, aged 72 years.

George D. Elliott learned the trade of his father
and of his grandfather, and, with the exception of a
few years devoted to teaching in the public schools,
has devoted his time to it. He was educated at Mt.
Pleasant, Ohio, and was about 22 years of age when
he began teaching. At the outbreak of the Mexican
War, he entered the service of the United States as
an artisan, and left Pittsburg in October, 1846, in
the Quartermaster's Department for Mexico, At the

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•2*®*?

HENRY COUNTY.

*m£m\$$i

637

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end of about six months he returned to Pittsburg,
where he was employed in the Government Arsenal
until the close of the war, when he made his way
back to Ml. Pleasant. In 1854 he made a trip of
discovery in the West, and the following year brought
his family to Kewanee. Three of his brothers were
in the Union Army during the Rebellion, and one of
them lost his life at the battle of Mission Ridge.
Since coming to Kewanee, Mr. Elliott has held var-
ious offices, and at this writing (August, 1885) is
serving his tenth year as a member of the School
Board.

In politics he is a Republican, coming from the
old Whig party; in religious views he is liberal,
though identified more or less prominently with the
Episcopal Church. He is a member of Kewanee
Lodge, No. 159, F. & A. M., and holds the office of
Scribe in Kewanee Chapter, No. 47.

At Cadiz, Ohio, April 4, 1849, he was married to
Miss Adaline McCormick, a native of that town, and
daughter of the Hon. Samuel McCormick, now de-
ceased. Mr. and Mrs. Elliott have had born to
them eight children as follows : Frank, now in busi-
ness with his father; Kate, in the millinery business
at Kewanee; Eric, dealer in carriage goods at Peoria,
III.; Maude (Mrs. A. M. Hewlett, Kewanee) ; Ward
B., carriage trimmer, Kewanee ; Harry and Addie,
at home; and Dick S., agent of the American Ex-
press Company, at Pacific Junction, Iowa.

i,yrus Houghton Brooks, a wealthy farmer
residing in Galva, was born Sept. 17, 1828,
in Chester, Vt., his ancestry being of
English origin. Three brothers, Solomon,
David and Daniel, came from the Old to the
New World together. Solomon, who settled
in Chester, Vt., was the father of Nathan Brooks,
and his son, Solomon Brooks, Jr., was born June 13,
1769, and married Amelia Fisher, who was born
Oct. r6, 1773. His oldest brother, David Brooks,
was a soldier in the War of the Revolution. Mr.
Solomon Brooks had five children : Cyrus, George,
Mary, Martha and Elvira, the latter of whom is de-
ceased. Their parents moved to Brimfield, Peoria
Co., 111., where they died. Mrs. B.'s father, Asa
Fisher, was a son of Benjamin Fisher, and married

Ester Metcalf, whose mother was Abigail Colben.

George Brooks, son of Solomon, was born Dec. 2,
1802, in Chester, Windsor Co., Vt., and he is yet
living, in Galva. He first came to Olney, Richland
Co., 111., arriving there Oct. 1, 1841, and after a resi-
dence there of three years, in September, 1844, he
removed to Brimfield, above mentioned, and in Feb-
ruary, 1864, he came to Galva. He was married
Nov. 8, 1824, to Clina Houghton, who was born Aug.
3, 1806, in Windsor, Vt., and she died July 24, 1877,
— a woman eminent for her piety. Her father, Da-
rius Houghton, was born Nov. 3, 1780, and her
mother, Almira, was born July 7, 1783, and died in
September, 1876, at the age of 93 years. Mrs. Clina
Brooks was the mother of eight children, namely :
Cyrus H. (our subject), Elzina, Orin D., Darius H.,
Mary, Henry (deceased), Amelia and Luther, — all
the living of whom are married and have children.
It is worthy of remark that only one of this family
of eight children are deceased, and also of Solomon
Brooks' family of five children only one is deceased.
Mr. George Brooks was married the second time,
July 25,1879, to Mrs. Permelia Bradford, who was
born Nov. 2, 181 1.

Mr. Cyrus H. Brooks, whose name heads this no-
tice, had no school advantages in early life. He was
was reared on a farm, and has been a steady, hard-
laboring man all his life. Coming to this State with
his father, he remained with him until he was 26
years old. He bought for his father the first home
farm, consisting of 80 acres of land. He has done
well by his parents, and has subsequently been
greatly blessed in the accumulation of this world's
goods. In March, 1858, he came to Knox County
and purchased 80 acres of land on section 1, in Wal-
nut Grove Township, near Galva. After farming
there for 20 years, in the spring of 1878, he removed
into Galva, where he now resides. At present he is
the owner of 883 acres in this State, Iowa and Kan-
sas, viz. : 403 acres in Illinois, 320 in Iowa, and 160
in Kansas.

Mr. Brooks has been married twice. His first wife,
Louisa Reed, is now deceased. His present wife,
Amelia J. (Miles) Houghton, was born Feb. 19, 1857,
in New York city, and is the daughter of Freeman
Miles. The children of Mr. and Mrs. Brooks are
five in number, and are named Le Roy L., Elsey,
(deceased), Emma, Eleura and Rosa. The parents
and all the children are members of the Congrega-

V®

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4^%&/4

638

v<&Dt]®HHf^§ — ^&sr

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HENRY COUNTY.

tional Church; and Mr. B. is Republican in political
opinion.

Mr. Brooks came to this section of Illinois when
a young man. The country was then new and un-
cultivated, and he went to work with a will and en-
ergy characteristic of the man, and did a great deal
toward transforming the wild prairie of the Military
Tract into one of the most fertile spots on the globe.
His memory as one of the industrious pioneers is
worthy of perpetuation, and as a means of doing this,
as well as to place him among the best men of the
county, we insert his portrait in this volume in con-
nection with this sketch.

'ared C. Kinsey, grocer at Cambridge, came
j|p to Henry Co., 111., from Coshocton Co.,,
Ohio, in March, 1863. His family is from
Bucks Co., Pa., which is as far back as he has
any knowledge. Ulysses Kinsey, grandfather
of Jared C , moved from Bucks County to
Coshocton Co., Ohio, about the year 1820. Uriah
Kinsey, son of Ulysses and father of Jared C,
established a woolen mill on Paddy's Fork of Tom-
ica shortly after moving to Ohio, the motive power
of which was a tread-wheel propelled by oxen.

He was married Aug. 17, 1824, to Margaret Chal-
fant, daughter of Mordecai and Mary Chalfant, the
latter being a sister of Jacob Strawn, for years the
famous Illinois cattle king. By this union seven
children were born, — four sons and three daughters.
Three of the children died in their infancy. Phcebe
died at the age of 32, unmarried. Lydia was mar-
ried twice. Her first husband was Win. Smith, by
whom she had two children, named Phebe Francis
and George F. Her second husband was Isaac
Camp, by whom she had one child, Andrew D. She
died Dec. 27, 1 86 1, aged 33 years. Jacob S. Kinsey
studied medicine under Dr. Benj. F. Lemert, of
Dresden, Ohio; graduated at the Ohio Medical Col-
lege in 1859-60; entered the volunteer service as
Surgeon of the gun-boat " Cincinnati;" was in the
first engagement at Fort Donelson; resigned on ac-
count of sickness in 1862; came to Cambridge and
commenced the practice of medicine, in March, 1863.
He so continued filling a prominent place in the
medical fraternity till the time of his death, which
occurred May 3, T874, when he was 37 years of age.

The subject of this sketch, Jared C. Kinsey, was
born July 12, 1834; was educated after leaving the
district school at West Bedford Academy, in Coshoc-
ton Co., Ohio. He read law with Judge Simmons,
of Coshocton, and was admitted to the Bar in June,
1859; removed with the family to Henry Co., 111., in
March, 1863. The war demoralizing the values of
almost everything, he tried his hand at farming for
three years, two and one-half miles west of Cam-
bridge. In December, 1866, he opened up a drug
and book store in Cambridge, which he continued
till July 17, 1882, when he disposed of his stock and
entered upon a new field of labor, that of selling
goods on the road for a Chicago firm. Tiring of
this, he opened a grocery store in January, 1885,
in which he is now prosperously engaged.

Oct. 2, 1855, he was married to Miss Catherine
E. Kesler, of West Carlisle, Ohio, by whom he has
had six children, named respectively : Addie H.,
Osman Leigh, Alice May, Florence, Carroll B. and
Effie. His wife, Catherine E., having died in Jan-
uary, 1869, he married Miss Sarah A. Hawley, of
Mt. Vernon, Ohio, Oct. 18, 1869, by whom he has
had five children, viz. : Infant, dead-bom ; Kate,
Earl S., Emma, Louise and Edith Clare, all of whom,
by both wives, are living at this writing (1885) ex-
cept the infant above noted.

Mr. Kinsey has been a believer in the Jeffersonian
school of politics, — that all powers not expressly
delegated to the general Government are reserved to
the States.

avid N. Busenbark, retired farmer and
, resident at Cambridge, was born March

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s-^DII&OD?^^

^2.

22, 1819, in Butler Co., Ohio. John Bus-
enbark, his grandfather, was of German de-
2|j scent and belonged to a family that originally
settled and lived many years in the State of
New Jersey. The grandsire went to Butler Co., Ohio,
where he died. He married Jane Naylor, and they
reared four sons and three daughters, born in the fol-
lowing order: Elizabeth, Robert, James, Reading,
William, Sarah and Ellen. Robert,, the eldest son,
was born March 6, 1793, in New Jersey, and died
Dec. n, 1872, in Ohio, whither he removed in 1811.
He became a farmer in the Buckeye State, where he
was marriedto Margaret Stout. She was a native of

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HENRY

-«, -f<

COUNTY.

New York city, born Feb. 25, 1799, and died in
Ohio, March, 1877. Her children were named Eliza-
beth, David N., Reading, Robert, Loyal F., Mary E.,
John, James and Margaret.

D. N. Busenbark was a resident of his native State
through his boyhood, youth and manhood until i860,
and was thoroughly trained in the business of a
farmer. In the year named he came to Henry
County and bought 160 acres of land in Munson
Township, which is still in his possession, and he is
also the owner of 80 acres in Osco Township. He
was a resident on his estate in the former township
until his removal, in January, 1884, to Cambridge.
The land on which he settled on coming to Henry
County, was in a wholly wild condition, and it will
now rank in agricultural advancement with the gen-
eral condition of farms in the county. In political
affiliation, Mr. Busenbark is a Republican.

He was married May 7, 1846, in Butler Co., Ohio,
to Mary A. Smith. She was born in that county
July 9, 1822, and is the daughter of Daniel and
Mary (Jacobi) Smith. Her parents were native of
Pennsylvania. The births of the children of Mr.
and Mrs. Busenbark occurred in the following order :
George S., Oct. 8, 1848; John, May 31, 1851; Rob-
ert, July 25, 1853; Katie, July 7, 1856; Emma M.,
Nov. 5, 1859; Mary M., April 6, 1867. The latter
is the only child who was born after the removal of
the family to Henry County. Katie, the oldest
daughter, is now Mrs. E. Ayres. Mrs. Busenbark is
a member of the Christian Church.

eorge W. Cataow, agent of the American
Express Company at Kewanee, was born
at Akron, Ohio, Aug. 24, 1830. His par-
ents, George and Nancy (Hogue) Cahow, na-
tives respectively of the State of Maryland-
and Dublin Harbor, were married in Ohio,
where their two sons were born. The senior Mr.
Cahow, who was a farmer and came to Illinois in
1858, lived at the village of Cambridge the rest of
his life, dying in 1863, at the age of 70 years. His
wife died in Ohio, in 1841, at the age of 33 years.

George W., the subject of our sketch, after a few
months' attendance at the public schools of his native
State, found it impracticable in his circumstances to
devote the time necessary to the acquirement of an

education ; so he was compelled to begin life for
himself with but a scant knowledge of books. At
this writing, however, one has but to meet him to
know that he has not let the weeds grow in his mind.
He has read, he has studied, he has worked and he
has accomplished much. At the age of 18, he
learned the potter's trade at Middleburg, Ohio, and
followed it afterward a few years.

In 1855 he landed in Tiskilwa, Bureau Co., 111.,
and in 1858 he came to Cambridge, this county,
where he farmed about four years, moving thence to
Kewanee, where he engaged in the grocery business
up to 1866. In December of the last named year
he was appointed agent by the American Express
Company, a position he has since filled, with much
credit to himself and to the entire satisfaction of his
employers. Mr. Cahow belongs to the Orders of
Masons and Odd Fellows; is not an office-seeker
nor an offensive partisan, though a substantial Dem-
ocrat. Since coming here, he has served the people
three or four terms as Town Trustee, which consti-
tutes the sum of his office-holding.

He was married at New Portage, Ohio, in August,
1854, to Miss Mary Smith, a native of that town,
and their only child, Anna, is an accomplished
young lady teacher in the Kewanee public schools.

<D$f§i*5-'

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Augustus Little, one of Henry County's
prominent and well-to-do farmers, resides
on section 9, Wethersfield Township. He
f \%\ was k°rn U1 Hollis, N. H., Sept. 16, 1825, and
is the son of Abner B. and Nancy (Tenney)
Little, both natives of New Hampshire. They
came to Henry County in the spring of 1837, and
settled in Wethersfield Township, where they both
died, she (Mrs. Little) July 6, 1847, and the
father in September, 1863, aged 90 years. Their
family comprised 13 children, as follows: Mary B.,
Catherine M., Elizabeth B., William T., Caleb J.,
Henry G., Ruth C , Laura A., Caroline W., Augustus
and Sarah F., and two who are deceased, — Samuel
A. and one an infant.

R. Augustus, our subject, was but n years of age
when he came to Henry County with his parent-;.
His education was received principally in the dis-
trict schools of this county, remaining at home with
his parents nearly the entire time. He occupies

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^VS»BD&

HENRY

COUNTY.

their old homestead, and is the owner of 21; J^ acres
of some of the most valuable land in Wethersfield
Township, most of which is tillable.

Mr. R. Augustus Little was united in marriage,
. April 8, 1852, the lady "whom he chose to be his
companion and helpmeet through life being Lavantia
Irwin, daughter of William and Catherine (Forman)
Irwin, natives of New York and Pennsylvania re-
spectively. They settled in 'Delaware Co., N. Y.,
where she, the mother, died in May, 1832. He,
the father, came to Henry County in the fall of 1839;
he died in October, 1841. Of their union were born
T2 children, namely: John, Margaret, Phebe, Jacob
F., Elizabeth, Mary Jane, Caroline, William, Cath-
erine D., Lavantia and Lavenia. Lavantia (Mrs.
Little) was born in Courtright, Delaware Co., N. Y.,
May 6, 1832. Mr. and Mrs. L. are the parents of
ir children, viz." :~ Ralph I., Walter A., Frank E.,
Clarence F., Lewis H., Mary A., Nancy E., Roy A.,
Charles T. and two deceased, — Clara and an infant.
Mr. Little has held several of the minor offices of
^ his township. He and his wife are members of the
^ Presbyterian Church, and he has led the choir nearly
Qt& every year, in various churches, since he was 20 years
jE* of age. Mr. L. and his estimable wife are very hos-
&L pitable and kind people, and occupy an honored
position in the community where they live. In poli-
tics he is identified with the Republican party.

-<~D-

-S«-

ren H. Loomis, dealer in agricultural im-
yjft plements, and a pioneer business man of
Kewanee (in fact, the time of his begin-
ning business at this place antedates that of
any other man now living and in business
here), was boin in Coventry," Conn., June 171
1822, and was one of three sons and five daughters
born to Selah and Esther (Howard) Loomis, natives
of Connecticut and Massachusetts respectively. In
(5* 1833 the family removed from Connecticut to Mich-
igan, and from there 17 years later to Wethersfield,
Henry Co., 111. Later on, the senior Mr. L. re-
moved into Kewanee, where he and his aged wife
\( ended their days, — he in the year 1871, at the age of
86, and she a year earlier, at the age of 84.
Oren H. Loomis had attended school a short time

before the family left Connecticut, and after arriving
in Michigan finished his education at the White
Pigeon branch of the Michigan University. Here
for one year he was Professor of Mathematics, and
for the succeeding five years taught in the district
schools of the Badger State. In r847 he taught at
Freeport, 111., and in 1849 came to Wethersfield,
where he followed farming about three years. Sept.
1, 1854, at Kewanee then just laid out, he engaged in
the grain business and shipped the first car load of
grain ever loaded at Kewanee. In 1855, with his
associates, he built the first steam elevator erected
at Kewanee. The building was burned in 18 — ,
after he had severed his connection with it.

He followed grain business eight years, and in
T862 engaged in the agricultural implement trade,
from which he retired in T870. For three years he
followed farming, and returned to Kewanee, bought
back his agricultural implement business, and has
devoted his time to it since.

Mr. L. has always been an ardent Republican in
politics, — in fact, he was one of the twelve men that
organized that party in Henry County, in 1854. The
only office he appears to have held was that of Jus-
tice of the Peace, away back in r867 or '68, and
School Trustee for many years. He was one of the
projectors of, and was prominently identified with, the
organization and establishment of the old Wethers-
field and Kewanee Academy, and finally engineered
its transfer to common-school purposes. It is now
the higher department of the Kewanee schools.
Both education and religion have had Mr. Loomis'
best efforts all his life. He is a member of the Con
gregational Church, and since coming into Henry
has had charge of the Wethersfield and Kewanee
Sabbath-schools, altogether upwards of 3r years. Al-
ways a useful member of society, Mr. Loomis' ab-
sence, which must of necessity come with the years,
will be felt by the best people as will probably be the
loss of no other mm in this community.

He was married first at Edwardsburg, Mich., in
1846, to Miss Rosetta Rogers, who died in Edwards-
burg in the spring of r849- On August 27, r8so,
at East Hamburg, N. Y., he was united in marriage
with Miss Cornelia A. Starkweather. Of the chil-
dren born to them we make the following brief
memoranda : Niles H. is a farmer in Kansas ;
Henry L. is a merchant in Kewanee ; Lucy (Mrs.
W. E. Terry, of Galesburg, 111.) ; Rosetta M., now

-d.

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4>t^C<^Af

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|*§5&$GJ

HENRY COUNTY.

Mrs. E. A. Hebbard, of Galesburg; Grace E., an
artist ; Emma F., wife of Rev. C. S. Leeper, of the
Congregational Church, Batavia, 111. ; and Hattie
May, at home. Their first born, Francis E., died
when about six years of age.

«»*«fiC/©^@-<— Ws

*@&a*zrerasi.

ol. Sylvester Blish, deceased, was by oc-
S kElff cupation a farmer of Kewanee Township,
g& was Dorn at Glastonbury, Hartford Co.,
Conn., Dec. 31, 1790, and died in Wethers-
field Township, Henry Co., 111., Oct. 8, 1865.
His wife, nee Rhoda Cheney, to whom he was
married at Manchester, Conn., Jan. 1, 181 1, died
Jan. 9, 1878, in the 84th year of her age. They
reared four sons and one daughter. The latter, Pru-
dence H, now deceased, was the wife of James
Knox, Esq., of Knoxville, 111. Of the sons, the old-
est, William H., is a farmer in Wethersfield Town-
4£ ship, Henry Co., 111. ; Thomas died at Galena, III.,
\sa where he had resided for twenty-five years ; Charles
$§ C. resides in Kewanee (see biography of Charles C.
« Blish), and George C. is a resident of Chicago, 111 ,
^ where he is employed as a book-keeper for E. Schnei-
der & Co.

Col. Blish came into Henry County in 1836 as an
agent for the Wethersfield Colony in the purchase of
land, and settled upon a farm now owned by C. C.
Blish, his son, in Wethersfield Township ; and it
was upon this farm that he spent the last years of his
life. He also owned a tract of land containing some
160 acres lying east and adjacent to Main Street, Ke-
wanee, a portion of which was included in the orig-
inal plat of the village. He began life as a young
man with but little of this world's goods, but by in-
dustry and good judgment succeeded in accumulat-
ing quite a fortune. In politics he was always a
Democrat of the most pronounced type, though ex-
hibiting but little ambition to hold office. It appears
that when the county was young, he held the office
of County Commissioner for a term or two, and in
after years was a candidate for delegate to the State
Constitutional Convention ; but the issues were pure-
ly political, and the racMcal element in the county
was largely in the ascendency, so a Republican was
elected. His generosity at all times corresponded

with his means; and the hospitality of his household,
proverbial in the earliest history of the county, is
fully maintained by his descendants. The first two
Methodist Episcopal churches erected in Kewanee
were built upon lands donated by him. Though the
deeds thereto were signed by his sons after his death
in the conveyance, the latter carried out the express
wish of their parent. The Kewanee Cemetery
grounds were also given gratis by Col. Blish, and the
Churches of the city, without regard to denomina-
tion, found in him a ready and willing helper at all
times.

uncan L. Murchison. There are several

|iT members of this family who are prominent

"^ and well-to-do farmers of Wethersfield

Township. Duncan L. resides on section n,

where he owns a fine and well-equipped farm.

Scotland is his native country, and among its
rugged hills were his parents, Finley and Catherine
(McLean) Murchison, born and reared. Duncan
was born June 8, 1845, and in i85r his parents de-
termined to move to the New World, where they
hoped not only to secure better advantages for
themselves, but also to enable their children to enjoy
better opportunities for accumulating a competency
and for doing good. The parents soon were located
on a farm in Wethersfield Township, where the elder
Murchison became a prominent and highly respected
settler. Until July, 1872, the date of his death, he
lived in this township, and the later years of his life
were gladdened by witnessing the splendid results
of his early and earnest labors. His widow survives
him, and resides in Wethersfield Township. The
children born to them numbered 12. Of these,
Duncan was the next to the youngest ; Roderick, of
whom a sketch is given in this work, was the young-
est.

Duncan was only six years old when he left his
native land, and therefore received his education in
this country. The early pioneer schools, however,
did not afford to the young student any great ad-
vantages for an education. He was reared and
educated upon a farm, and selected for a calling the
same business that his parents had followed. In
this he has been eminently successful, and is to-day

fj^V®))«^f*

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A^umi®^

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642

•zfefrx: ferv^O 0&0 Df^r^ ^&s-

• )

HENRY COUNTY.

ranked among the leading and most prosperous
farmers of this section of Henry County. He has a
farm of 240 acres, and has erected a magnificent
residence and fine and commodious barns, making
his a most desirable farm home.

Mr. Murchison was united in marriage in Wethers-
field Township, March it, 1869, with Maria, daughter
of Levi and Laura (Johnson) North. Her father
was a nacive of New York, while her mother was
born in Vermont. They came West and located in
Bureau Co., 111., in 1845, where, in 1852, Mrs. Nortli
died. Subsequently, Mr. N. re-married and moved
to Henry County, and at present is a resident of
Kewanee Township. Maria was the only child by
the first marriage, and was born at Princeton, 111.,
Aug. 5, 1850. Mr. and Mrs. Murchison are the
parents of seven children, named as follows : Laura
C, Mary C, Ross N., Anna S., Duncan Guy, Rob
Roy and Nina M. Politically, Mr. M. is a Repub-
lican.

enjamin I. Hulin is a manufacturer of
carriages and wagons at Cambridge, and
is dealing in agricultural implements. He
is the patentee of the Wagon End-Gate and
Top-Box Fastener, and is regarded as a solid
business man of the place where he is opera-
Mr. Hulin was born Sept. 2t, 1842, in Glen-
marka, Christianstadt, Sweden, and is the son of Jans
Johansen Hulin, who was also a manufacturer of
wagons. He died in the land of his birth at the age
of 60. He married Hannah Nelson, who also died
in Sweden. Of their children, six in number, four
are living: Elmer, Nels, Janson, Kyerster and B. I.
Mr. Hulin was instructed in the details of his trade
by his father, and came to the United States in 1868.
He came at once on landing to Monmouth, 111., and
obtained a position in the shop of W. W. Church, a
wagon-maker. He remained in his employment 14
months, and then went to work for the Wier Plow
Company at that place. He passed the chief part
of the winters in their service for a period of five
years. At the end of that time he came to Cam-
bridge, and built the shop where he has since been
engaged in business on his own account. A further

notice of his relations is presented in another part of
this work.

Mr. Hulin formed a matrimonial alliance with
Sophia Rahn, in March, 187 1. She is a native of
Sweden, and came to. America with her mother when
she was seven years of age. Mr. and Mrs. Hulin
have four children— Hilda Z., Oscar L., Frank L. and
Alice E. The parents are members of the Lutheran
Church. Mr. Hulin is a Republican in his political
connections.

■waazcuSMS-"— w>

*@&®033».

Bjenry Harms is a farmer on. section 23, Gen-
UJSj eseo Township, and has been connected
with the agricultural interests of Henry
County since the year 1855. He was born
in Schleswig-Holstein, Germany, Nov. 14
1826. When he was nine years of age he was
employed as a sheep herder in his native land, and
he also took care of a flock of geese, receiving for the
double service only $1.50 for the services of an en-
tire season. He was in the habit of passing the sum-
mer seasons in this method and went to school in
the winters. This alternating manner of operation
he maintained until he was 14. He was then em-
ployed as a farm laborer, and his wages consisted of
$8 and a pound of wool yearly, with a few yards
of linen cloth. After the first year his wages was in-
creased, until finally he received $23 a year. At
the age of 22 he went into the German Army, in
which he served three years, as the law requires.
On the expiration of the period of his enforced mili-
tary service, he resumed farming and followed that
occupation until he was the possessor of sufficient
means to pay his passage to the United States. He
was then 28 years of age. He came across the ocean
on a sailing vessel and was on the sea 41 days. He
came from the port of New York where he landed
directly to the city of Davenport. When he reached
that place he had $2 in his possession wherewith to
begin life in the New World. He had no difficulty
in procuring employment and he went to work in the
harvest field about 12 miles from the city. He re-
mained there a few months and in 1855, in the
month of January, he came to Geneseo. He passed
ten years in various employments in the city, and at
the end of that time he rented a farm. On this he

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HENRY COUNTY.

643

continued his operations until 1875, when he bought
the farm on which he has since been an independ-
ent farmer. He has erected the necessary build-
ings and has rebuilt the house which was on the
place. The farm contains 80 acres, and it is all inf-
proved and enclosed. Mr. Harms raises stock and
has a valuable dairy.

He was married in April, 1855,10 Eliza Maitiesen.
She was a native of the same German province in
which her husband was born. She died the Novem-
ber following.

March 7, 1856, Mr. Harms was again married, to
Sophia Guldensuph, who was also born in Olden-
burg, in Schleswig-Holstein. Two children were born
of this marriage : Louis was born Feb. 12, 1857.
He has been reared in the county in which he lives,
and was educated in the English and German
schools of the city of Geneseo. He was married Jan.
12, 1882, to Minnie Glawe. She is a native of Pom-
erania in Germany, and they have two children —
Herbert and Raymond. A daughter, Emma, was
born later, who died at the age of five. The son is
operating the homestead with the father.

*»#

-S-

^!|')rif-s/\«

illiam B. Lee, a prominent business man

at Cambridge, was born Feb. 17, 1829, on

" the Isle of Wight, England, and he is the

1=3
)

!' son of John and Mary (Hayles) Lee. His

father was born in Hampshire, England,

and his mother was a native of the Isle of

Wight. She was the daughter of an Englishman

who removed to the United States, and died near

Alton.

Mr. Lee came to the country of his adoption in
the fall of 1853, and settled in the city of Rochester,
N. Y. He was attracted to that place by the oppor-
tunities it afforded for obtaining employment, being
the " Flour City " of the State, and there he obtained
sS. a situation as a miller, which was his trade in his
native country.

In 1856 he came to Illinois, and was interested in
milling at Galesburg two years, after which he re-

f moved to Geneseo in Henry County. He was en-
gaged in the same business there until 1874, the
\V year in which he removed to Cambridge. He built
^L a flouring mill, which he has since operated. He

has had several associates in its management, and is
now in partnership with J. W. Stewart. They also
own an elevator, run b. the same power which oper-
ates the mill, and they traffic extensively in grain.

Mr. Lee was married, on the Isle of Wight, to
Caroline King, also a native of the beautiful little
island, which w.is recently made famous by the mar-
riage of the youngest daughter of the Queen of Eng-
land on its soil. Following are the names of the
children born to Mr. and Mrs. Lee: Carrie, Jessie,
William, Fannie, Albert, Frank, Charles (deceased),
Fred and Hugh; the latter is no longer living.

-S3=

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him.
His

marriage to Mary White transpired Oct. 1,

v£;

^finger Goodley, a farmer on section

Cambridge Township, was born Sept. n,
1822, in Lincolnshire, Eng., and is the son
of Ainger and Mary (Watts) Goodley. In the
spring of 1850 the family came to the United
States, and made their first location in Lake
Ohio. They maintained a residence there seven
years. The son, who is the subject of this narration,
removed to Henry County, and after that occurrence
they came hither, and took up their residence here
in 1859. The father died in 1874, at the age of 84;
the demise of the mother occurred March 14, 187 1,
when she was 80. Of ten children of whom they
became the parents, only three are living.

Mr. Goodley of this sketch came to Henry County
in 1857, and in the same month in which he arrived
in Illinois he settled in the township in which he has
since been a resident. At the outset he rented land,
and later he bought 80 acres in his own interest.
He has prospered in its management, and is now the
owner of 376 acres, all in good condition and in a
valuable situation. The position of Mr. Goodley is
one that affords a strong contrast with that of people
of the class to ,hich he belonged in his native land.
He has fulfilled the ambition of his life, which was to
secure for himself and his children the privileges to
which they were heirs by natural inheritance, and for
which he came to a country to obtain the privileges
denied him in his native land— that of holding an
ownership in the soil on which he earned his bread.
He has just claim on the esteem of all who know

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-W&tQh': ',. s

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644

HENRY COUNTY.

t::"?5:

1851, at Painesville, Ohio. Mrs. Goodley was born
July 24, 1828, in Lincolnshire, England, and she is
the daughter of James and Rose (Smith) White.
Her father is deceased. Following is the personal
record of the children of Mr. and Mrs. Goodley :
Anna M. is the wife of John Palmer ; James A. is the
oldest son ; John T. is the youngest.

Mr. Goodley endorses the principles of the Repub-
lican party.

llliam Love, a farmer and stock-raiser,
residing on section 27 of Western Town-
HT"" ship, and a native of Antrim County,
!' Ireland, was bom April T5, 1841. His
father, John Love, of whom a sketch is
given elsewhere, came to this country in 1849,
and located in Bucks Co., Pa. William was the
seventh of a family of ten children, consisting of
three sons and seven daughters. Coming to America
when a small boy, he received most of his education
in the common schools of Bucks County, and when a
young man of 20, in March, 185 1, he started for the
West, and soon found his way to Henry County.
Not long after his arrival the war broke out, and the
patriotism so characteristic of his nationality was
throbbing in his breast and he desired to defend the
flag of his adopted country. His patriotism was
publicly demonstrated on the 22d of February, 1862,
by his enlistment in Co. B, 65th 111. Inf., under
Colonel Carner. His regiment was assigned to the
Second Brigade, Third Division, and 23d Army Corps,
and was in the army under Sherman on his march
to Atlanta. His corps was afterward sent back
North. Mr. Love participated in all the active en-
gagements of the campaign and also fought at Frank-
lin and Nashville. He was then sent to Washington,
D. C, and later to Fort Fisher, and fought with his
regiment at Wilmington, and then joining Sherman
marched with him through to the sea. He was hon-
orably discharged at Greensburg, N. C, July, 1865,
after having served faithfully for more than three
years and five months. At the skirmish at Harper's
Ferry, three months after his enlistment, he was
taken prisoner, but was soon afterward paroled, and
was soon discharged. He was slightly wounded at
Columbia, Tenn., and at Pine ^Mountain, Ga. He
enlisted as a private, but was afterward made a

Corporal and then Sergeant, and finally Second Lieu-
tenant.

At the close of the war, he returned to Illinois and
began to work for the most extensive and successful
faniTer of Western Township, which gentleman was
destined to be his father-in-law. A few years later,
upon May 27 th, 1869, he was united in marriage to
his daughter, Miss Isabella Lloyd. She was born
on her father's homestead, in Western Township,
Nov. 1, 1849. Her father, Mahlon B. Lloyd, had
come from Bucks Co., Pa., early in the history of
Henry County, and was the first settler to locate in
Western Township. He was one of the most suc-
cessful farmers and business men of the county, and
for a time was engaged in the banking business at
Orion, where he established the first bank at that
place. When seven years of age, Mrs. Love went
to Bucks Co.. Pa., where she lived with an uncle and
attended school at Millersville, until she was 17
years of age, when she returned to her Western home.
She is the mother of five children, — Mahlon R., Ar-
thur and Edgar, besides two deceased.

Mr. Love made his first purchase of land, consist-
ing of 160 acres, in 1867, upon section 13, Western
Township. Here he settled and operated a farm for
some years, but after the death of his father-in-law
he' took possession of the old Love homestead. Both
Mr. and Mrs. Love are members of the Methodist
Episcopal Church, and politically, Mr. L. is a stanch
Republican. Though not an office-seeker he has
held numerous offices of his township.

-J-

4«*

-5— •

odney E. Linnell is a farmer on section 1
in the township of Colona. He was born
in Clayton, Jefferson Co., N. Y., May 24,
1832. His father, Rufus B. Linnell, was a
a native of the same town in which the son
was born. His birth occurred there May 10,
1803, and he was the second son of Samuel and
Sophia Linnell, who were natives of the State of New
York. The paternal great-grandfather was of En-
glish origin and on coming to America settled on an
island in the River St. Lawrence, which has ever
since been called by the name of the family. The
ancestor of the Linnell generations owned and
improved a farm on the island. Rufus B. Lin-
nell married Lucy Mellville. She was born in

^A£«nn$A^

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HENRY COUNTY.

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li)

Oneida Co., N. Y., Feb. io, 1807. They became
the parents of eight children, and seven still sur-
vive.

The elder Linnell was a pioneer of Henry County,
removing hither in 1844. The little household
journeyed in wagons, or rather with a wagon and a
buggy. The latter structure proved too frail for the
business required of it and on its giving out the
whole family proceeded on the route in the wagon.
They had with them three good horses. The acci-
dent to the light wagon took place while they were
in the State .of Ohio. On their arrival the father
exchanged a horse for a cooking-stove and ten
bushels of corn. The location of their home was
made on section 1 of what was then designated
township 17, and the farm was in a state of nature.
The first business which engaged the attention of
the new-comers was the preparation of a domicile in
which to shelter themselves, and they proceeded to
the erection of a log-house. They then gave their
attention to clearing the land, and were occupied in
that when the father was killed by the kick of a
horse. After the death of his father, Mr. Linnell
and an older brother assumed the management of
the homestead, which they continued to conduct to-
gether some years.

Mr. Linnell was married, Nov. 27, 1856, to Sarah
G. Taylor. She was born in "White Co., 111., and is
the daughter of Merritt and Sarah (Hatchell) Taylor.
The newly-married people took possession of a por-
tion of the homestead situated on section 1, and
which is now their property. They have had two
children. Lucy A. is the wife of Thomas Cann and
they live at Geneseo. Mary B. is the younger and
lives with her parents.

$«-£-*«===— -»-

iohael Ryan, engaged in farming on sec-
tion 3, Wethersfield Township, was born
in Ireland about the year 1819. He came
' to America when about 33 years of age and
remained one season in Stark County, and in
the fall of 1853 came to Henry County.
Shortly afterward he located in Wethersfield Town-
ship, but for. a time only, as he then removed to
Burns Township, where he resided for about 20
years, 1 1 years of the time working out by the month.

Next he returned to Wethersfield, and is now the
owner and proprietor of 130 acres in this township,
140 acres in Barns and 50 acres in Kewanee Town-
ship.

Michael Ryan was united in the holy bonds of
matrimony in Wethersfield, July 10, 1864, the lady
who was chosen to be his companion in life being
Miss Bridget Ryan, a native of Ireland, who was
born in the year 1827. They are members of the
Catholic Church and politically, Mr. Ryan is a Re-
publican.

ames Blair, deceased, formerly a resident
on section 18, Kewanee Township, was
born in Cincinnati, Ohio, July 5, 1829. He
continued to reside in the State of his nativity
until the year 1849, when he emigrated West,
locating in Peoria Co., 111., and lived in Rome
until 1854. He afterward came to Bums Township,
this county, in which section he remained for two
years, and came to Kewanee Township in his next
move, where he resided until the date of his death,
July 15, 1883. He owned 280 acres of well improved
and excellent farm land at the time of his demise,
and had erected a fine residence and good outbuild-
ings upon the home farm.

Mr. Blair was married in La Salle Co., 111., Dec.
26, 1854, the lady chosen to share his joys and sor-
rows, successes and reverses, being Miss Lucy E.
Emerson, a native of West Virginia, where she was
born May 18, 1830. Her parents, Benjamin and
Mary (Hinckley) Emerson, were natives of Maine
and Ohio respectively. Mrs. Blair has become the
mother of seven children, — Amos L., Augusta V.,
John L., Benjamin V., Mary E., Sarah E. and Lucy
I. Sarah E. died when four years old, in Kewanee
Township, March 21, 1868; Augusta V". is the wife
of William D. Oliver and resides in Kansas, and
they are the parents of one child — Carlos J. Mr.
Blair during his life-time held several of the minor of-
fices in his township. Mrs. B. is a member of the
Methodist Episcopal Church.

The grand old pioneers who came into this section
of the Prairie State and reclaimed it from its native
condition are fast passing away. One by one they
are laid at rest, but the fruits of their labor are being
enjoyed by the present generation, and will be by all

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-6v4»nn&

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648

HENRY COUNTY

-5*€^T

those to come, who know nothing of the hardships
endured and the obstacles encountered. Mr. Blair
was a young man of 20 years of age when he came
West, that he might have better advantages for mak-
ing an honest living and saving something for his
family. The record of his life tells how wisely he
acted, and with what success he lived. He became
an important factor in molding the affairs of his new
home, and his impress in the early formation of his
community is noticable even to this day. A worthy
man, a useful life, his memory should be perpet-
uated. As a man eminently fitted to be recognized
as a representative man of Henry County, we take
pleasure in placing his portrait in this Album.

<<>

-^-•vt/wfi

ewis M. Yocum resides at Galva, and was
born Feb. 25, 1820, in York Co., Pa. He
stands foremost among the self-made and
moneyed men in Henry County to-day, to
JZ which he came fully 30 years ago. He is a son
of Elijah Yocum, who died Sept. 27, 1867, in
Ashland Co., Ohio, aged 84 years and 21 days, and
Catherine A. (Wagner) Yocum, who died in the
same county, May 4, 1857, aged 66 years, two
months and two days. They were both natives of
Pennsylvania and were married Oct. 20, 1808. The
latter was a daughter of John Wagner, and was of
German descent.

At the age of seven years, Mr. Yocum of this
sketch removed with his parents to Wayne Co., Ohio,
where he was engaged in farming until he attained
his 23d year, after which he engaged in various oc-
cupations, following the mercantile business for 18
years. In the year 1844 he removed to Warsaw,
Kosciusko Co., Ind., where he was engaged in mer-
chandising. In May, 1850, he removed to Marshall
County, this State, where he followed fanning until
October, 1855, when he came to Galva, this countv.
Before coming here he had rented a store-room and
his goods were on the way, and upon reaching Galva
he immediately opened a general store. He con-
tinued business at that place for nearly 16 years,
and then sold out to engage in the banking business.
He was one of the founders of what was the First
National Bank at Galva. In May, 1878, Mr. Yocum
was instrumental in starting a savings bank at Galva,

which was conducted in connection with the First
National, and in January, 1885, at which time the
charter of the First National had expired, the
two banks were merged into one, and are now con-
ducted under the name of L. M. Yocum & Co., and
is doing a fine and constantly increasing business,
Mr. Yocum being the Vice-President of the same, a
position he held in the First National Bank.

Mr. Yocum is still, to some extent, interested in
the real-estate business in the county, but his main
real-estate interests are located in the State of Iowa,
where he has several thousand acres of choice land,
located mostly in Ida County. Of this, 2,000 acres
are in a high state of cultivation. Mr. Yocum is
also engaged in the banking business in Iowa, hav-
ing an interest in the Farmers & Merchants' Bank,
in Aurelia, that State, of which he is President, and
his only son, Oran E. Yocum, is the cashier, the lat-
ter attending to all the business. The business
career of Mr. Yocum has been an active, successful
and remarkable one, as lie started with comparative-
ly nothing in life and torday is one of the wealthiest
men in the county. His accumulations of this
world's goods is due to his own indomitable energy,
good judgment and perseverance, coupled with
fidelity and strict attention to business. Successful
business men are not rare in Henry County, but that
of Mr. Lewis M. Yocum has been of such a broad
character as to demand special attention.

The business conducted by Mr. Yocum is a forci-
ble illustration of what energy, coupled with good
judgment, may accomplish; and many a poor man in
Henry County who has been induced by Mr. Yocum
to work on his Western lands has reason to be thank-
ful for his kindness and for his suggestions, and
some of them to-day are well-to-do farmers in that
State. His banking operations are still conducted
by him with vigor, and he finds pleasure in person-
ally superintending the details of business which
many would leave to others. Thus, in the evening of
his life, with an eye still undimmed, he can look
back on his past career and be content.

Mr. Yocum formed a matrimonial alliance May 4,
1843, in Holmes Co., Ohio, with Rebecca B. Riddle,
born in Wayne County, that State, Nov. 18, 1825. She
is a daughter of John and Rebecca (Bonnett) Rid-
dle, natives of Pennsylvania; the former died in
Chariton, Lucas Co., Iowa, and the latter in Ohio.
Their union was blessed by the birth of two chil-

tf—

■s^y o/^iraiKfr^ — ^«^

ev^nn&niH^v^ — ^&^-

HENRY COUNTY.

649

dren, — Oran E. and Josephine A. The former was
born Nov. 18, 1844, in Warsaw, Ind.'He was united
in marriage March 3, 1875, with Elizabeth Deviney,
a native of Pennsylvania. She has borne him three
children, of whom Earl L. is the only survivor.
Josephine A., the second child of the subject of this
notice, was born in October, 1848, and died May 6,
1881, at Aurelia, Iowa, where her husband, J. R. At-
wood, was and is engaged in the banking business.

Politically, Mr. Yocum is identified with the Re-
publican party. He and his good helpmeet, who has
shared his joys and sorrows, his successes and re-
verses for 42 years and more, are both members of
the Methodist Episcopal Church.

Elijah Yocum, the father of the subject of this no-
tice, was born in Chester Co., Pa., Sept. 6, 1783, and
his wife, Catherine Ann, was born in Cumberland
County, same State, March 12, 17 91. He was a
carder and fuller, and in an early day was engaged
in making carding-niachines. He was a man of
business, meeting with moderate success. He. lived
in Wayne Co., Ohio, where he purchased a mill six
miles south of Wooster, in 1826. He remained there
until 1834, when he moved to Holmes Co., Ohio,
where he also was engaged in carding and fulling.
In 1837 he moved to Ashland County, same State,
and became the proprietor of a grist-mill. He
visited his children in this State several times before
his death. Religiously, he and his wife were mem-
bers of the Methodist Episcopal Church, of which he
was a local preacher. They were the parents of
eight children, — Mary Ann (Kaufman), Charles,
Matilda (Todd), deceased; John, who died in his
13th year; Martha (McClure); Lewis M., James,
and Ann Elizabeth (Glenn), deceased.

^lijah Storey. Among the enterprising and
energetic young farmers of Kewanee Town-
ship is the subject of this sketcn, who was
'j^p. born here Oct. 29, 185 r, and is a son of Jarius
and Nancy (Dingrnan) Storey, who were early
pioneers in this county, a sketch of whom may
be seen elsewhere in this volume.

Elijah received the advantages afforded by the dis-
trict schools, and remained at home until he attained
the age of 21 years. At that age he was united in

marriage with Miss Lavina McClellan, the event be-
ing celebrated on the 27th of February, 1872. She
was born in Kendall Co., 111., Sept. T9, 1852. Her
mother is deceased.

After marriage our subject settled on section 5,
where he has since resided, and is the proprietor of
an excellent farm of 85 acres, all of which he has, by
his industry and hard labor, brought into a good
state of cultivation, to-day being one of the best
farms in his township. Mr. and Mrs. Storey have
had born to them five children to bless their home
circle; but the eldest, Nellie, died when but a year
and 12 days old. The living are: Jarius L., Clar-
ence E., Ada and Ida (twins).

In politics, Mr. Storey affiliates with the Republi-
can party.

-«&-

-e~-

'!8&l.»Jte

|f scar Hallgren, a resident in the township of
Cambridge, was born in Ostergotland, Swe-
den, Nov. 28, 1847. He is the son of
Hampus and Louise (Swanson) Hallgren, who
were both natives of Sweden. The father died
in his native land, and the mother came to the
United States with her son. They made the journey
to this country in June, T870. The mother died at
Kearney Junction, Neb. A brother of Mr. Hallgren,
named Leander, had preceded him to America and
was living with an uncle, A. P. Swanson, who came
to this county in 1852. Three brothers and four
sisters of Mr. Hallgren are residents of Nebraska.
Their names are : Oscar, Leander, Margaret, Frank,
Emily, Ida, Axtel, Amelia and Jenny. These are
the names of all the children in the family. Mar-
garet is deceased.

On his. arrival in this country Mr. Hallgren came
to Illinois and rented land in Knox County. He
operated there three years, and at the expiration of
that time he joined his brother Leander in Henry
County. He interested himself in farming and is
now the owner of 160 acres of valuable land.

He was married at Galesburg, 111., to Miss Huldah
Swanson. She is a native of Sweden. Of their mar-
riage the following children have been born, who are
named Phebe, Nancy, Harry and Minnie.

Mr. Hallgren has taken an active part in all pub-
lic matters, and especially in school affairs. He is

(i)

.^r (2/-&H Q^niB^A^ — 5^^

■$@§Jfl§>/H6#&

650

-2*&k @V^III1@I1 0&-/C) J&sr

^#^f

HENRY COUNTY.

now discharging the duties of School Director. He
is extensively engaged in the purchase and sale of
broom-corn, which he ships to Chicago. He is the
owner of 480 acres of land in Phelps Co., Neb.

*
&

-43-

J^,hauncy Bassett, editor, publisher and
proprietor of the Kewanee Independent,
§P» "*> was born at Smithfield, Bradford Co., Pa.,
Oct. 25, 1814, and was the sixth in order of
birth of five sons and three daughters, bred
and reared by his parents, John and Clarissa
(Kellogg) Bassett, natives respectively of the States
of Rhode Island and Connecticut, and of English an-
cestry.

The subject of our sketch received a common-
school education in the schools of his native State,
and at the age of 17 began to learn the printer's
trade. The Northern Banner, a small weekly sheet
published at Towanda, Pa., was the first paper upon
which he worked; and, from the fact that about one
year from the time he entered the office in company
with his brother, he bought the plant.it is evident he
had gone into the business with no small degree of
eagerness. He held the Banner, however, a short
time only, finding, probably, that in those days, as in
these, a one-horse weekly newspaper in some -com-
munities was "considerable of a white elephant."
Any way, the Banner perished, and the afterward
renowned David Wilmot was connected with the
Towanda Democrat, a paper started by J. J. Cantine,
on which Mr. Bassett was employed for a time.
Wilmot was editor-in-chief. Leaving the Democrat,
Bassett returned to the Banner for a season, and in
the fall of r836 started out to see the world, or a
part of it; and, after visiting various places without
striking a "case," he found himself a "sit" until
Congress assembled, when he struck for the Capitol.
From here, in a few months he worked his way
through Pennsylvania, West Virginia and Ohio,
where he formed a limited co-partnership with a-
young man, and purchased the Mt. Vernon Demo-
cratic Banner, which they parted with in about a
year. After a few months of the "jour" printer's
usual experience, he drifted back to Coshocton, Ohio,
and bought out the Horizon (a paper upon which he
had worked before, buying the Mt. Vernon Demo-

— Q-A

cratic Banner), and changed its name to the Demo-
crat. He managed the Democrat about four years,
sold it out, bought it back, and held it about two
years longer. Finally parting with it, he was collec-
tor of tolls on the Ohio Canal at Roscoe, and during
the year of 1855 we find him in charge of the Henry
County (111.) Dial, at Kewanee. From that time to
the present, the history of the Kewanee press is re-
plete with the labors of Chauncy Bassett. He owned
and managed the Kewanee Monthly Advertiser for
seven or eight years ; started the Union Democrat
in 1863, ran it about a year and a half; the Weekly
Advertisers 1866; and in 1867 went to Galesburg
and took charge of the Galesburg Liberal. He was
at Galesburg about a year, and returned to Kewanee,
where, from the ashes of the Dial, he reared the Ke-
wanee Independent in 1870, a paper acknowledged
by all to be an honor to the town of Kewanee, and
therefore the highest credit to its able and honorable
manager.

Mr; Bassett has always been a staunch Democrat,
and that his services to that party were of such worth
as to attract attention away back in the '50's, is at-
tested by his appointment to the Kewanee Postmas-
tership by James Buchanan in 1857, and held it
until i860.

He was married at Columbus, Ohio, in 1840, to
Miss Ann Eliza Smith, who died April 19, 1882. She
was the mother of seven children : Orvil D., book-
keeper; William P , died in 1866; Sarah A.; Amelia
T., Librarian at Kewanee; A. Smith, printer; Frank
H., printer; Anna died in infancy.'

ifPPli \ k°mas ■*• Worthington, of Cambridge,
11 VSsl came to this township in which he lives, in
r * 1865. He was born in Doylestown, Bucks
Co., Pa., Nov. 29, 1810. The family of which
he is a member is of English extraction. His
paternal grandfather, David Worthington, was
born in the vicinity of Philadelphia. The latter was
a farmer, and died in the place where he was born,
at the age of 97. He married a lady named Mary
Williams, who was of Welsh descent. She became
the mother of six children. Of these the youngest,
Amos, was born arid died on the homestead. His
demise occurred when he was 47. He was a soldier

()

(i)

•&^K gV^MBD&v^c) ^&s-

HENRY COUNTY.

65 r

in the War of 1812, and after that was ended he
passed the remainder of his life on the farm of which
he had charge. He married Cynthia Good. Her
parents, Jonathan and Mary (Callender) Good, were
of the Society of Friends or Quakers. Her earliest
ancestors came to this country with William Penn.
Mrs. Cynthia Worthington was the mother of ten
children, who reached the period of mature life.
Four only are now living. Mrs. Hill is a resident
of Philadelphia, and Theodore is a resident of Iowa.
Mr. Worthington of this sketch is the second in or-
der of birth, and at the age of 23 went to Columbus,
Ohio, where he operated as a mechanic. He had
obtained a complete understanding of the business
of a carpenter in the State where he was born. He
came West on account of impaired health, and he
abandoned the business of his trade and commenced
farming. He followed that line of business until his
removal to Illinois in 1865, when he came to Cam-
bridge Township. At first he bought 140 acres of
land, on which the improvements were few. He
placed the entire acreage in profitable condition, and
was the resident manager of the farm until 1876,
when he fixed his abode at Cambridge. He is pass-
ing the sunset of his days in the enjoyment of the
fruits of a well-spent life. Mr. Worthington is an
adherent of the Democratic party.

He has been thrice wedded. His first wife, Mary
Tucker Worthington, was the daughter of Elishaand
Mary Tucker, of Doylestown, Pa, their mar-
riage occurring December 13, 1832. She died
in Columbus, Ohio, March 14, 1838, leaving
two sons. The eldest, Samuel A., died Oct. 25,
1861, at Summerville, West Virginia. He was an
officer in the 12th Regt. Ohio Vol. Theodore T.
married Clara Dennison, of Cambridge, 111., and is
now a resident in New Tacoma, W. T. His second
union was with Margaret E. Knapp, of Marion,
Ohio, July 18, 1839. She died June 20. 1842, leav-
ing one child, Franklin, who died Oct. 13, 1842.
His third union was with Eliza A. Freeman, Feb. 2,
1843. She was the daughter of Rev. Elijah and
Sarah (Going) Freeman. Of the latter union seven
children were born : Sarah L. married T. S. Knapp;
Amos E. died in Murfreesboro, Tenn., Feb. 26,
1863, in the the service of the United States, in the
32d Ohio Vol. Inf.; Martha M. is teaching in the
Deaf Mute Institute, Rochester, N. Y. ; William A.
married Mary Seaton, of Cambridge, died in Butler

Co., Nebraska; Carrol E. is in the book and station-
ary business at Emporia, Kansas ; Clara E. married
George B. Kelsey, and is living near Mt. Vernon,
D. T. ; M. M. Lila married E. M. Whitman, an at-
torney at Grand Rapids, D. T.

Mr. and Mrs. Worthington and all the children
are members of the Regular Baptist Church.

\k eman H. Haaff, of the township of Loraine,
is the roost extensive grazer and stock-
breeder in Henry County. The name which he
represents has its associations with the early
history of the State of New York, in which one
of his ancestors was a prominent official. His
progenitors in the old country were inhabitants of
Pomerania, on the shores of the Baltic Sea. The
original and proper orthography of the name is Haff,
and it signifies "haven." The family takes its pat-
ronymic from the marvelous harbors of the province
named, in the early days Klein Haff and Gross Haff,
but by a later nomenclature, consequent on the chang-
es in the provincial relations of the German States,
they are now known as the Pomeranian Bay. The
preference of Mr. Haaff would have been the angli-
cized form of "haven;" but he would thereby be cut
off from the family tree. He has, therefore, added an
" a " to distinguish himself from his father, instead of
using the common form of " junior.'' His primal an-
cestor in the United States journeyed to this country
via the West Indies, and while making a temporary
stay on one of them an earthquake transpired, which
so frightened him that he ran to the shore. A
French girl, in a similar state of terror, was near him,
and they took possession of a boat and drifted out to
sea. They were picked up by a passing steamer
and carried to New York, where they were married.
Mr. Haaff was born in Middlebury, Addison Co.,
Vt, Oct. 20, 1833. He is the oldest son of Heman
H. and Sarah (Tarbell) Haaff. The former was born
in Nassau, Rensselaer Co., N. Y., and became an itin-
erant preacher of the Baptist Church. He removed
his family to the State of New York while his son
was yet an infant. He located in the eastern part of
that State at first, and preached at Saratoga Springs
for a time. He went thence to Oneida County, and
subsequently to the counties of Otsego and Genesee.

-eA^roniif^g — ^^

^•s«

HENRY COUNTY.

He was in the ministry more than 30 years, and died
in Iowa at the age of 65.

After obtainirlg a preliminary education, Mr.
Haaff attended the university at Madison, and sub-
sequently the State and National Law School at
Poughkeepsie, graduating with the highest honors of
the institution in a class of 50. At 15 he began to
teach, and from that time on, 'until he was 24, he
was alternately occupied in teaching and attending
school. He finished his course of legal study, and
came to Illinois in 1854. He taught the Union
School in Oswego, Kendall County, two years, and
after his admission to the Bar of Illinois, he practiced
his profession in the city of Chicago, until the fire of

1871. While the hot embers were still smoking he
bought the remains of a ruined cathedral and also of
a brewery. He narrates the struggles he was ob-
liged to make to hold possession of his property, and
to prevent the vandals from carrying off the precious
brick that had suddenly become worth $16 per 1,000.
During the frightful winter that succeeded, he was at
times compelled to stand on the walls to encourage
his men to work, the cold was so bitter, and by April,

1872, he had succeeded in erecting a block of build-
ings, with a frontage of 175 feet and 75 feet high. In
December, when the cold was the most intense, all
was in readiness to begin the work of reconstruction,
and at the iminent risk of his own life he drilled the
frozen ground until it was honey- combed with holes,
into which he poured a keg of powder, and so made
an excavation in which work could be commenced.
He was arrested and taken to the office of the mayor.
He was discharged from custody, complimented for
" pluck," and told to "go ahead," as nobody was
hurt. He continued his operations in the line of
building, until he had, prior to 1874, erected two oth-
er business structures, acting as his own architect,
and supervising the workmen in person.

Mr. Haaff was a Republican until 1884. He aid-
ed in the organization of the grand old party in Ken-
dall County, and was an associate of Owen Lovejoy.
Under the first call of President Lincoln for troops
he raised a company, and was promised a commis-
sion if he would allow the men he had enrolled
to be sent to guard the bridge on the Big Muddy.
They were sent, and when the service was per-
formed the. officer in command had the superior
advantage of having seen service, and he was the
one man too many.

Mr. Haaff received the personal thanks of Presi-
dent Lincoln for a service in which he assisted while
"the Mississippi River was closed at Cairo. A syn-
dicate of pork-packers at Chicago were holding
40,000 pdunds of pork, which they were intending to
ship South, when the order came closing all trade
below Cairo, and they were very much exasperated.
They called an indignation meeting, hired Bryan
Hall, placarded that city, and announced a meeting
of the Republican party to express " our indignation
at the outrageous course of the administration in
presuming to close up the Mississippi River !" . Mr.
Haaff collected a few friends at his office, among
whom was the younger Gen. Forsythe, and the
younger brother of Judge Blodgett, also a newly
elected " justice of the peace," who was known as a
" very stubborn man." After some discussion it was
agreed that the party should go to Bryan Hall, on
the evening announced, and organize and run the
meeting themselves ; and they proposed to have in
readiness a set of resolutions commending the Ad-
ministration for its course. " The plan was that Mr.
Haaff should go upon the platform, call the assem-
bly to order, and ask for nomination for chairman.
Then Forsythe was to nominate the " justice " afore-
said, the motion to be seconded by Mr. Blodgett.
Mr. Haaff was to declare him elected, and the "jus-
tice " was to take possession of the chair, and stick
to it like death. Mr. Haaff says : "We knew that it
meant a fight, but as the administration had beat us
in our attempt to' enlist and fight abroad, we were
not averse to a fight at home. We knew that the
boss packer could lick any two of us, and that he
would as soon fight as eat. We carried out the pro-
gramme, and as soon as our man was declared elect-
ed, he got into the chair, and none too soon either,
for over the seats came a man flying, coat and hat in
the air, sleeves up, eyes blood-shot and all ready for
war. Three men flew for hirri, and he failed to reach
the chairman. In an instant the fellow was in the
hands of the police ; some one turned off the gas op-
portunely, and the attempt to block the course of the
Government went out in the darkness !"

One of the feats performed by Mr. Haaff while he
was a practicing attorney in Chicago illustrates the
sort of interest he took in the affairs of his clients.
In a family conflict where a father was endeavoring
to outwit his son, a stock of goods was in the custody
of Sheriff Nelson ; and while the latter was sound

*
&

-s»s — eA€i«®mi&A@

4>[W&Bnv>

T=X

HENR Y CO UN T Y.

653

asleep at the front door, Mr. Haaff let the property
down through a skylight, and the case was settled in
favor of his client without recourse to the law.

Mr. Haaff came to Henry County in 1874 for the
purpose of attending to the improvement of 4,000
acres of land of which he had become the owner. It
was swamp land, and he at opce entered upon the
work of reclamation. He has drained a large pro-
portion of the estate, made other improvements, and
erected a fine residence at a point known as Heman's
Grove. A large acreage is now yearly mowed by
machinery and is under cultivation. There are 60
miles of ditch on the estate of Mr. Haaff in Henry
County, and, as a neighbor remarks, " he has made
the desert blossom as the rose." He is an ardent
advocate of the principles of the Prohibitionists, and
is shaping his business to give himself to the work of
moral reform in the years to come.

He was married to Evelyn L. Currier, Oct. 1, 1863.
She was born in Wyoming Co., N. Y., and is the
daughter of Joseph and Celestia (Foster) Currier.
Her father was a merchant, and at the time of his
death was engaged in the management of an exten-
sive business at Buffalo, N. Y. Mr. and Mrs. Haaff
are members of the Baptist Church.

~X/W«\i2£l2'@,i©

•SSOTTOi'VW

rancis A. Cook, manufacturer of brick and
tile at Cambridge, was born Nov. 8, 1842,
" in the township of Wethersfield, Henry
County. He was probably descended from
English progenitors, as the location of the
family in the East would seem to indicate that
such is the fact. The earliest ancestors were set-
tlers in Salem, Mass. The parents of Mr. Cook,
Robert and Martha (Wiggins) Cook, were born in
Massachusetts. They came from that State to
Henry County in 1840. They settled in the town-
ship where the son was born, but later they went to
Kewanee, where their deaths occurred. The father
was brought up by the father of the lady he mar-
ried. He was a tailor by calling, and afterward be-
came a farmer in Henry County. His farm was
where the village of Kewanee is located. Of the
six children born to him and his wife there is only
one, the son who is the subject of this personal ac-
count residing in the county. The latter was edu-

cated at Kewanee. He was still in his minority
when he entered the military service of the United
States. He enrolled as a soldier May 12, 1861, a
few days after the first call of President Lincoln for
troops. He enlisted in the 7th Regt. Mo. Vol. Inf.,
in Co. I. His corps commander was Gen. John A.
Logan, and he served under him nearly three years.
He received an honorable discharge May 14, 1864.
Following are the names of some of the actions in
which he listened to the whistle of rebel bullets, and
with each one came the notion that its special mis-
sion was to ascertain his exact whereabouts. He
was under fire at Raymond, Jackson, Champion
Hills, Vicksburg, and in all the engagements in
which his regiment was involved.

Mr. Cook then returned to his home at Ke-
wanee. He passed the next two years in the busi-
ness of a painter, and then commenced the manu-
facture of brick. He was interested in the business
at Kewanee for five years, and at the expiiation of
that time he sold his interests there and removed to
Cambridge. He at once entered upon the manufac-
ture of brick and tile, in which he has since oper-
ated. He manufactures annually about 1,800,000
brick, or rather that is the capacity of his works. The
tile factory can produce 1,000,000 feet yearly. These
are the figures if the works are managed separately.
Jointly they have the capacity of about a million
brick and tile annually.

Mr. Cook was married Oct. 24, 1867, to Mary De-
morro. Their only child, Lettie, died in infancy.
Martha is the name of an adopted daughter.

Mr. Cook is a Republican, and belongs to the
G. A. R.

illiam E. Haxtun, President of the Hax-
tun Steam Heater Co., of Kewanee, 111.,
(see history of Haxtun Steam Heater Co.,
this volume) was born at Beekman, Dutchess
Co., N. Y., Jan. 20. 1832, and was the only
son of Elnathan and Maria (DeLong) Haxtun,
natives also of the town of Btekman, »nd of English
and French extraction respectively.

The senior Mr. Haxtun was by occupation a farm-
er, and also a civil engineer, and the subject of this
sketch, who at various New England and New York

S/.2

j^C ^^jjrjgprjj^A^ 3^&.

4^£<®ys

r -:^

HENRY COUNTY.

■(!)

academies acquired a first-class education, followed
both the occupations of his father until about 38
years of age. In 1870 he came to Kewanee, and
after trading in Western lands for probably, two
years, became interested in and Vice-President of the
Anderson Steam Heater Co., a flourishing manufac-
turing establishment of this place, and subsequently
merged into the present concern of which he is the
head. The history of this large industry under the
management and direction of Mr. Haxtun renders all
the eulogy of the business sagacity and genius of this
gentleman unnecessary, and therefore, if dealt in, in
this sketch, would be but fulsome and by conse-
quence distasteful.

Mr. Haxtun was married in Dutchess Co., N. Y.,
Oct. 25, 1858, to Miss Sarah A. Brundige, a native
of Chester Co., N. Y., and daughter of Edward Brun-
dige, of the same place. Of the children born to
this union we have the following brief memoranda :
Henry, the eldest, is of the Haxtun Steam Heater
Co. ; Maria, Annis B., Elnathan, machinist, employed
by Haxtun Steam Heater Co. ; and Edward B., a
student. In politics Mr. Haxtun is a Republican,
though not an office seeker, as is shown by his
record.

apt. William Irvin, a retired farmer of
|F Henry County, and a former railroad con-
^ tractor, is a resident of Geneseo. He was
born Nov. 25, 1816, in Lebanon Co., Pa. His
father, John Irvin, was a native of Ireland,
and left his country during the Rebellion of
1799. He married Elizabeth Brown, who was born
in Pennsylvania.

Mr. Irvin was brought up on a farm and thor-
oughly instructed in the details of agriculture'. He
was mrrried June 19, 1838, to Margaret, daughter of
Jacob and Jane Shad el. She was born in Lebanon
County, and gave birth to two children. Augustus
T. married Ellen Walkey, and is a real-estate agent
at Davenport, Io.va. Margaret J. is the wife of
Aaron Bollman, and they reside in Falls City, Neb.
In 1844 Mr. Irvin came to Chicago, where he ar-
rived'May 13. He embarked in mercantile business
under the old Tremont House, and he transacted his
affairs there one year. At the expiration of that time

he went to Cedar Creek, Stephenson Co., 111., and
there he became interested in the purchase and ship-
ment of grain. He continued to operate there until
r868. During the second year of the war he entered
the military service of the United States, receiving a
Captain's commission from Governor Yates, bearing
date of Sept., 1862. -He was assigned to the com-
mand of Company I, 74th Regt. 111. Vol. Inf., and
was in the service one year, being obliged to resign
on account of physical disability. Among the ac-
tions in which he was a participant was that at Per-
ryville, Oct. 8, 1862, at Stone River, and in the
battles at Chattanooga, Buzzard's Roost and Lookout
Mountain. He resigned in April, T863. The ardu-
ous character of the work done by his command is
shown by the fact that the company was full when
it went to the front, and at the date of the resigna-
tion of its Captain only 19 men answered to their
names at roll call.

Mr. Irvin was connected for some years with the ( i)
construction of railroads in the State of Illinois. In \
1852 or 1853 he commenced making contracts in the fa
interests of the Illinois Central Railroad Company, E5
and operated three years under the management of i&)
R. V. Mason, and during the time the road between «=»
Freeport and Dubuque was built. In 1856 he- took £fr
a contract on the line of the Racine & Mississippi ^
Railroad, and after the completion of it he went to • J)
Salt Creek and again operated for his former-em-
ployers. He next engaged with the builders of the
Racine & Mississippi Railroad and took a contract
on their line working east from Freeport, and after-
ward from Freeport- to Savannah. In connection
with Messrs. George and William Green, he aided in
the construction of the McGregor & Western Rail-
road, and they also assisted in building the Missis-
sippi & Western and the line between Quincy and
Keokuk. He was the originator of the Rockford,
Rock Island & St. Louis Railroad, and was largely
interested in its construction, and acted as Assistant
Superintendent while it wa.s being built. He was
also concerned to some extent in the work on the
road between Peoria and Farmington, and on the
Chicago & Rock Island route.

While he was a resident of Pennsylvania he was a
Captain in the State militia, and after his removal to
Stephenson Co., 111., he officiated as- Postmaster about
two years at Cedarville.

Since his removal to Henry County he has be-

:s^*: — g^ng®mi&^ ^g^

-«!

7P5eS3S^>'>r^-'

The Prophet

HENRY COUNTY.

657

come extensively interested in real estate, and owns
1,000 acres of farming lands in the townships of
Hanna, Colona and Edford, and he is also the pro-
prietor of considerable city property in Geneseo.

Since the family came West five sons have been
added to the household. Jacob H. has operated to
considerable extent as a railroad man, and is now a
hardware dealer and lumber merchant at Jamesport,
Mo. He married Lydia A. Coffing, daughter of
Courtney Coffing. He died in Pueblo, Dec. 31,
1878, leaving one child. The latter lives at Came-
ron, Mo. William, the second son, married Florence
Hill, and is a farmer near Green River. He has
three children. John C. married Emma Johnson,
and is engaged in farming near Cleveland, Henry
County. Charles C. is a railroad man. The next
child in order of birth was a daughter, named Mary
E., who was born Dec. 28, 1847, and died March 8,
1851.

->i 4 <*S>k<^M&><>

-S— ht

lames Sadler. One of the pioneers, as well
as one of the energetic and progressive
farmers of Henry County, is Mr. James

Sadler, who is a resident on section 1 8, Weth-
It ersfield Township, and a native of England, in

which country he was born, April 14, 1830.
His parents, William and Anna (Boise) Sadler, came
to America in r8s3 and located in this township,
where they afterwards died. Their family comprised
14 children, of whom James, our subject, was seventh
in order of birth. When 20 years of age he left
England for the New World, coming direct to Henry
County, where he engaged to work out at farm labor,
which he followed for three years. He next rented
land for a couple of years and then settled on sec-
tion 18, his present place of residence. His first pur-
chase was 100 acres, where he entered vigorously
and energetically upon the task of its improvement,
and has since increased his acreage until he now
owns 320 acres of valuable land and all tillable.
Upon his fine farm he has erected a splendid resi-
dence, barn and other suitable outbuildings, besides
having fenced his land. Mr. Sadler is well known as
a cordial and hospitable gentleman, and well liked by
all with whom he comes in contact.

He was married in Jefferson Co., N. Y., Nov. 13,
1861, to Miss Margaret E. Cassidy, who is of En-

glish ancestry, and was born in Canada, Feb. 4, 1842.
Her parents were Michael and Susan Cassidy. Mr.
and Mrs. Sadler's home circle has been blessed by
the birth of twelve children, of whom the following is
a list: Hattie L., Myron E , Arthur C, Anna I.,
George E., Thomas W., Emery C, Mary E., Ellen
J., William J., Eva L. and an infant unnamed.

Mr. Saddler has been School Director and Road
Commissioner of his township, and politically is iden-
tified with the Republican party.

^0006

a-bo-kies-shiek, or White Cloud, the
prophet of the Winnebagoes, and com-
monly called "The Prophet," was the
^r&)P most prominent Indian that was ever in-
timately connected with the history of Hen-
ry County. He was born about 1790, and
made Prophetstown his home. He was a stout,
shrewd-looking Indian; sagacity and cunning were
prominent traits of his character and essential to the
prophetic pretensions by which he imposed upon the
credulity of his ignorant followers. It is claimed
that he was one of the chief instigators in bringing
on the Black Hawk War. He resided at Prophets-
town, where there was a large Indian village.

Through the generous interest of Hon. Elihu B.
Washburne, while Minister Plenipotentiary from this
country to the Court of Paris, Whiteside County was
enabled to secure a portrait of this noted chief, which
now decorates the walls of the Supervisors' room in
the Record building at Morrison. It is painted by
P. A. Healey, the distinguished American portrait
painter, from the original study of George Catlin, the
American artist, and one of the most celebrated of
Indian painters. It was painted by Mr. Healey in
Europe, at the request of Mr. Washburne, and pre-
sented by him to Whiteside County as a historic
souvenir. This work was greatly admired while on
exhibition in the artist's studio at Paris. It is a full-
sized portrait and is a work of rare merit. It repre-
sents the Prophet standing erect, in full Indian dress,
with his blanket thrown over his left shoulder, par-
tially folded over one arm, and hanging with careless
grace by his side. He stands upon the brow of a
hill, while about are some small trees and shrubbery.
In the back-ground is the blue sky. In front is a
broad expanse of country, over which his eye rests

*$yi — @tK?ii v&m ^ ~s%*-

.658

0-7

«im®iid&

HENR Y CO UNT Y.

with a melancholy gaze, contemplating a land that is
rapidly fading away from him and his race. Mr.
Washbume was cordially received by the people of
Whiteside County, whom he had formerly repre-
sented for many years in Congress. The presenta-
tion of the portrait was made Oct. 27, 1877, at the
Fair Grounds, which had been fitted up for the oc-
casion, and was preceded by an eloquent address
from Mr. Washbume, the donor. It was made a
grand occasion, and one long to be remembered by
the people of the county.

In connection with this sketch we give the por-
trait of White Cloud, a reproduction of the painting
mentioned above.

-»«S88S&*~ -

ennetri Murchison, a farmer residing on
_ section 19, Wethersfield Township, was

IPv^' born in Scotland, March 24, 1841. When

J*iK~ 10 years of age, Mr. Murchison emigrated
with his parents, Finley and Catherine (Mc-
Lean) Murchison, across the briny waters to
this country. Kenneth lived at home until he at-
tained the age of 21 years, then he went to Kewanee
and engaged in the coal business, and was thus oc-
cupied for nearly ten years, at the expiration of
which time he returned to his former occupation,
farming. He purchased 160 acres on section 19,
on which he located and on which he has since
lived. He is at present the owner of rjg% acres.

The marriage of Mr. Murchison took place in
Stark Co. 111., Oct. 3, 1867, at which time Miss Mar-
garet C. McClennan, daughter of John and Flora
(Cameron) McClennon, natives of Scotland, became
his wife. Her parents emigrated to this country in
1852 and located in Stark County, from whence they
removed- to Wethersfield Township, this county,
where they at present reside. Mrs. Murchison was
the fifth in order of birth of a family of six children.
She was born in Scotland Nov. 20, 1846, came to
this country with her parents and resided with them
in Stark County until her marriage. Of her un-
ion with Mr. Murchison, nine children were born,
seven of whom survive : Donald A., Flora A.,
Catherine M., Christina H., Margaret A., Bessie M.,
Mabel, and two who died in infancy.

Mr. Murchison has held the offices of School Di-

rector and Overseer of Highways, and in politics
votes with the Republican party. His wife is a
member of the Presbyterian Church.

acob Fickling, a farmer of Cambridge
Township, resident on section 13, was
born Feb. 6. 18 12, in Wilton, Norfolkshire,
England. His parents, Nathan and Mary
(Stead) Fickling, were natives of England,
and they both died in London. They had
eight children, named Jacob, Rebecca, John, Sarah,
Jabez, Zenas, Jabez (2d) and one other child who
died in infancy. The first Jabez fell when he was
nine years old and broke his neck. The second
child of the same name lived to come to the United
States with his brothers John and Ja'rob.

Jacob landed at Quebec, in June, 1845, after a
passage of 52 days. While he was in the queer
Canadian city, the great fire occurred there, and he
went thence to Toronto, and after a few days passed
there in prospecting he proceed to Niagara Falls,
and there he found employ at the trade which he
had learned in his native land. He went thence to
Buffalo, where he took lake passage for Chicago on
the steamboat "New Orleans." The boat crossed
Lake Erie, but went down in the river St. Clair,
while passing through the straits to Lake Huron ;
and, instead of going to Chicago, Mr. Fickling went
to Detroit. His next removal was to La Fayette,
Ind., where he remained until after the Christmas
following, working as a shoe-maker. From there he
came to Danville, 111., and there he was married.
In 1846 he went to Peoria. Not long after he ar-
rived there, he and his wife took possession of a
farm a short distance from the city, where they lived
about 20 years and where their nine children were
born.

In February, 1867, Mr. Fickling sold his farm
and removed to Henry County. He bought a farm
of 120 acres of an excellent quality of land, of which
he took permanent possession and on which he has
prosecuted his agricultural projects with satisfactory
results.

His wife's name was Susan Draper before her
marriage, and their union was celebrated April 9,
1846. Mrs. Fickling was born Dec. . 18, 1823, in

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HENRY COUNTY.

Clermont Co., Ohio. She is the daughter of James
and Mary (Peyton) Draper, and her parents were
natives of Pennsylvania. They came thence to
Vermillion Co., 111., where their lives terminated.
Mr. and Mrs. Fielding have ten children, one having
been born to them since their removal to the town-
ship of Cambridge. Their names are as follows :
William Edward, Mrs. Mary Shreck, Sarah J. (died
in infancy), Rebecca, Mrs. Lucy Elliott, Mrs. Alice
Wasser, James, Mrs. Ida Wilkey, and a second Will-
ram, named for the oldest son who lost his life in th,e
military service of the United States. The latter
was a volunteer soldier and enlisted in Co. B, nth
I 111. Vol. Cav. Lucy, wife of Ervin Elliott, is the
mother of three som>, — George, Charles and Glenn.

4=4«-

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Lamuel W. Good. The late Samuel W.
|j|38ir Good was one of the industrious and pros-
•fllllvo perous farmers of Wethersfield Township,
where he resided on section i until his death,
which occurred Sept. i, 1885, caused by nerv-
ous prostration. He was born in Muskingum
Ohio, Jan. 28, T834, and was a son of Doring-
ton and Alice (Orr) Good. They came to Henry
County in 1851 and settled on section 1, Wethers-
field Township, where they died five years later.
Their family consisted of nine children, of whom
Samuel W. was the fifth in order of birth. His ed-
ucation was somewhat limited, only having the com-
mon-school advantages of that early day. He came
to Henry County when about 17 years of age, and
was a resident of the same until his death, being
engaged in agricultural pursuits He was the owner
of 186 acres of good, tillable land. Upon his farm
he erected a fine residence of modern style, a suita-
ble barn and out-buildings.

Mr. S. W. Good was united in marriage in Ke-
wanee, May 20, 1858, the lady chosen to share his
joys and sorrows, successes and reverses, being Miss
Mary A., daughter of Samuel and Alice (Dickinson)
Northrup, who came from Philadelphia to Henry
County, about 1855, and settled in Wethersfield.
He remained for awhile at the latter place and then
removed to Kewanee, where he died, in January,
1868. Mrs. Northrup died in Wethersfield Town-
ship, May 26, 187 1. Of their union were born two

children, — Charles and Mary A., our subject's wife.
She was born in Philadelphia, June 15, 1839.

Mr. and Mrs. Good were the parents of seven
children, namely: Charles N., Frank E., Elmer S.,
Willis E., Alice L. and Daisy S., besides one who
died in infancy. Mr. Good held several township
official positions, among which he was School Direc-
tor for many years. Politically, he was a believer in
the principles advocated by the Republican party.

* -»- +

j obert Nelson is a citizen of the township
of Cambridge, residing on section 18. He
p' was born in County Tyrone, Ireland, in
April, 1817. The family removed in 182410
County Donegal, on the " Green Isle," and
there made a permanent stay. The parents,
Joseph and Bettie (Moore) Nelson, were natives of
Ireland, where they passed their entire lives.

The son, who early determined on coming to
America to test the promises of that land which
were always the subject of discussion in his native
country, fulfilled the purpose in the year 1847. He
came here in the spring of the year and made his
first location in the city of Philadelphia. After pass-
ing a summer there, he went to Delaware, and- was"
in the employ of Henry L. Churchman three years
as an assistant on the farm. He went from there to
the western part of Pennsylvania, and in the autumn
of 185 1 returned to Delaware. Later, he went to
Davenport, Iowa, and there remained two years and
a half. He came thence to Henry County and
bought 40 acres of land on the same section on
which he still resides. He has brought the best of
effort and judgment to operate in the work to which
he has devoted his life, and has continued to pur-
chase land until he is at present the owner of 280
acres in advanced cultivation and in valuable con-
dition for mixed husbandry.

Mr. Nelson has accomplished a great work in
making his accumulations under circumstances which
would have deterred most men from making any
effort whatever. He has practiced the greatest
economy and has never tired in industry or perse-
verance. In 1858, or about that time, he was seized
with lameness in his left leg, which he endured for
22 years, and without much intermission in the way

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HENRY COUNTY.

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of labor. In thespring of 1880 the limb was ampu-
tated. He moves about on his crutches and still
superintends the management of his estate.

In his political views, Mr. Nelson is. in accord
with the Democratic party. When he came to
America he fell into line with the old Whig element.

Mr. Nelson was married in the city of Philadel-
phia to Ann Johnson. She was born in County
Donegal, in Ireland, and was the playmate of her
husband in the "land of the shamrock." Mr. and
Mrs. Nelson have eight children: Eliza is the wife
of Mr. Slack, of Du Page Co., Iowa; James, David,
Alexander, Robert and Samuel were next in order of
birth; William is deceased; John is the youngest.
The father and mother are members of the Congre-
gational Church in Cambridge.

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ohn Ringle, a farmer on section 6, Cam-
bridge Township, was born May 20, 1841,
in Armstrong Co., Pa. He is the son of
Joseph and Mary Ann (Whitesel) Ringle, and
his parents came to Henry County in 1857.
The grandfather of Mr. Ringle, Mathias Ringle,
was a soldier in the War of the Revolution, and set-
tled in Westmoreland Co., Pa., where his son Joseph
was born. The marriage of the latter to Mary Ann
Whitesel occurred in 1836. He was a farmer in
the township of Osco, where he operated as a renter
of land on his removal there. He then became the
owner by purchase! of 80 acres of land, on which he
prosecuted the business of a farmer with success
until 1880, when he transferred his family and inter-
ests to Cambridge. The senior Ringle continued to
add to his estate until he owned a large acreage,,
which he still retains.

The son who is represented by this personal ac-
count was reared in his native State and accom-
panied his father's family to Henry County. Four
years later the business of all classes was thrown
into confusion by the advent of the War of the Re-
bellion, and during the issues of the .first year of the
struggle, Mr. Ringle entered the military service.
He enlisted Sept. 20, 1861, in the Ninth 111. Cav.,
and was enrolled in Company C. He enlisted at
Geneseo, and when the regiment was filled went
thence to Camp Douglas, Chicago, where the com-

mand remained through the winter of 1861-2. In
February it went to St. Louis, and after passing two
weeks there, proceeded to the seat of war. The first
time Mr. Ringle heard the music of the rebel bullets
was in the engagement on the Waddell farm, in Ar-
kansas. Early in 1862 he was taken sick and passed
nearly nine months in the hospital, and was most of
that time on provost duty. He continued in the
service through the war, and after receiving his dis-
charge he returned to Osco Township. A short time
after he went to Caldwell Co , Mo., where he spent
four years, and during that time was interested in
farming. At the expiration of that time he came
back to Henry County and bought a farm in the
township of Osco. He operated with satisfactory
results until he was the proprietor of r5o acres. He
sold his possessions in the spring of 1883, and
bought the farm in the township of Cambridge on
which he has since prosecuted the business of a
farmer. The place contains ir7 acres and is located
half a mile north of Cambridge.

He was married to Mary A. Humphrey. She was
born in Brooklyn, N. Y. They have three children,
— Anna L., Ida A. and Kate L.

Mr. Ringle is a member of the G. A. R., and was
formerly connected with the Union League. He is
a Republican.

a v

ofe.teph.en M. Williamson, residing on section

ii 1, Wethersfield Township, where he is en-
|\Vs gaged in the vocation of a farmer, is a' son
of Peter and Rosanna (Shafer) Williamson, the
former a native of Ohio and the latter of Ger-
many. They settled in Scioto County, Ohio,
and afterward removed to Delaware County, Ind.,
where they resided until their deaths,

Stephen M. Williamson was the fifth child in order
of birth of a family of ten children. He was born in
Delaware County, Ind., Aug. r, ^35. His early
years were passed on the farm and in acquiring an
education at the common schools. He continued to
reside under the parental roof-tree until he attained
the age of 23 years, when he came to Bureau Coun-
ty, this State. He resided in the latter county until
the spring of 187 17 when he sold his farm there,
which occupation he had followed, and purchased
160 acres of land in Wethersfield Townshiprthis

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HENRY COUNTY.

66 1

county. In 1878 he built a frame barn on his place,
and in 1883 erected as fine a residence on the same
as exists in Henry County, and consists of nine
rooms, together with halls, etc. In addition to his
home farm, Mr. Williamson was the owner of 120
acres of land in Neponset Township, Bureau County.
He keeps about 35 head of cattle, 15 head of horses
and fattens about 100 head of hogs annually. The
appearance of his place is indicative of energy, per-
severance and economy on the part of its proprietor,
and he is living to-day amid pleasant surroundings,
the outgrowth of his own toil, good judgment and
labor, and meeting with success in his chosen vo-
cation.

Mr. Williamson entered the state of matrimony in
Bureau County, this State, Jan. 13, 1859, with Miss
Mary J., the accomplished daughter of Timothy and
Elizabeth (Russell) Bennett, natives of Ohio. She
was born in Wilmington, Clinton Co., Ohio, Sept. 10,
1840. They became the parents of six children, four
of whom are living, namely : Arrinda, Elmer C,
Arthur B. and Rosanna. Willby and Mary are de-
ceased. Arrinda is the wife of Rufus D. Lyle, and
resides in Neponset Township, Bureau Co., this
State. The remaining children are all residing at
home. Mr. W. has held many of the minor offices
of his township. Politically, he is a believer in the
principles advocated by the Democratic party.

* -^- *

aleb Jewett Tenney Little, retired busu
ness man, resident at Kewanee, dates his
ancestry upon this continent back to the
year 1640, and to the person of George Lit-
tle, who in that year landed at Newbury,
Mass., from Unicorn Street, near the great
London bridge. Tracing the subject of this sketch
through the male line, taking the eldest of each re-
spective generation, we find that Moses Little suc-
ceeded George of Unicorn Street ; that Tristram suc-
ceeded Moses ; that Henry succeeded Tristram ; that
Henry was followed by a son named for himself, and
he by Abner Bailey Little, who was born at New Sa-
lem, N. H., and married Nancy Tenney, of Hollis,
N. H. They reared four sons and seven daughters.
Abner B. began life as a merchant, but abandoned
that occupation and ever afterward devoted himself

to farming. His son Caleb, whose name stands at
the head of this sketch, was born at Goffstown, N.
H., July 13, 181 1. At the common schools of his
native State he acquired a fair English education,
and when 1 6 years of age was apprenticed to a black-
smith, which trade he learned and followed until
about 24 years of age. In 1837 Caleb Little came
to Wethersfield, Henry Co., 111., and the following
year brought his wife whom he had left behind until
he should prepare a home for her. During this year
Henry County was organized, and as he intended
this to be his future home, he resolved to attend the
meeting for the organization of the county, which
was held at the house of Geo. Brandenburgh, which
was located near the village of Colona, on the banks
of Green River. He made the journey from Weth-
ersfield to the place of meeting riding a colt without
a saddle! His father had preceded him by about
one year, and lived in Peoria County up to the fall
of 1837, when he too removed to Wethersfield, where
he spent the remainder of his days, dying Sept. 16,
1863, in the 90th year of his age. The elder Mrs.
Little had died 19 years before (in 1846) aged about
66 years.

For 14 years Mr. C. J. T. Little carried on black-
smithing at Wethersfield. He then engaged in mer-
cantile business and followed that about five years,
serving as Postmaster of Wethersfield at the same
time. Since he was 18 years of age he has followed
auctioneering, at which he made himself so popular
that even in his retirement his old neighbors, when
they have anything of the kind to be done, give him
no peace until he ascends the block and cries off
their fatted stock. Since 1870, at which time he
sold his last farm, he has not interested himself any
in agriculture. In fact, for the last 20 years he has
done little else than take the world easy. True, he
has cried more farm and stock sales than probably
any other two men in the county, but with him auc-
tioneering is so nearly a 'labor of love" that it ceases
to be labor at all.

In politics, Mr. Little was originally a Jackson
Democrat, but not approving of the men and meas-
ures of the party, he left it in 1846. At the outbreak
of the Rebellion he identified himself with the Re-
publicans, and has since voted and worked with that
party. At no time has he been an aspirant to office,
though his neighbors have coerced him into various
minor positions, such as Assessor, School Director

*
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t-i.t.

HENRY COUNTY.

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and School Trustee ; the two last named offices he
filled in Wethersfield Township for 23 years. He has
been for more than 40 years a consistent member of
the Congregational Church, and took a leading part
in building the first church edifice, a small log
house erected at the village of Wethersfield. He
was also as prominently identified with the con-
struction of the fine frame structure which replaced
the old log building. Through the various struggles of
a long life, Mr. Little has been dependent upon his
individual industry and effort. The recipient of no
gratuities, no gifts, testamentary legatee to no for-
tune accumulated by some relative, aided and abet-
ted by his industrious, prudent Christian wife, he has
fought the battles of life, and it is but truth to say
that he has won them.

May 13, 1834, at Milford, N. H., he was married
to Miss Eliza Ann Brooks, daughter of Leonard W.
and Sarah (Hosley) Brooks, and a native of Massa-
chusetts. To this union eight children have been
born, and the following brief memoranda give suffi
cient testimony of the fitness of Mr. and Mrs. Lit-
tle to rear children : the eldest son, Charles Freder-
ick Little, M. D., was born at Milford,- N. H., Jan.
27, 1836, graduated as M. D. from Rush Medical
College, Chicago,' served through the war as Surgeon
of the 19th 111. Vol. Inf., now practicing medicine at
Manhattan, Kansas ; Ellen Elvira, born at Weth-
ersfield, Oct. 6, 1839, received a thorough education
and was married to G. W. Perkins, Esq., when she
was only 18 years of age, a wealthy farmer of Far-
ragut, Iowa ; he was formerly a prominent teacher
in the High School at Danvers, Mass. ; Sarah Jane,
borivat Wethersfield, Nov. 7, 1842, also several years
a talented teacher in the public schools, married Dr.
J. F. Todd, of Chicago ; Harriet Newell, born at
Wethersfield, Sept. 7, 1845, a"d accomplished teach-
er of music, married to the Rev. Giffen, of the
Presbyterian Church, died Sept. 26, 1872, leaving
one child, Lida J. Giffen, who has been in the care of
her grandparents, Little, since she was 15 months
old; William Cutter, born March 17, 1847, by pro-
fession a lawyer, and real-estate and money broker
and ex-Judge Probate Court, Wichita, Kansas ; Eliza
Ann, born July 15, 1849, now Mrs. F. H. Reed,
Wethersfield; George Bailey Little, M. D., born
April 15, 185 1, a graduate of Rush Medical College,
Chicago, practicing physician of Burlington, Iowa;
and John Jewett Little, D. D. S., born Feb. 8, 1857,

graduate of Ann Arbor University, practicing dent-
istry at Burlington, Iowa. The children are all
members of the Congregational Church.

May 13, 1884, Mr. and Mrs. Little celebrated, at
their home, their golden wedding. All the children
of the family were present except Charles F., the
oldest son, who was detained at his home in Kansas
owing to the sickness of his wife. Besides the chil-
dren, there were present some two hundred of their
neighbors and friends. The occasion was one that
will long be pleasantly remembered by those
present. The presents were numerous, and many
of them costly, and all very appropriate. All the
children present were fine singers, and the exercises
were closed'with singing the famous piece, "Sweet-
Bye and Bye."

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■ dim. Newton, a retired farmer, resident at
Cambridge, was born April 14, 1827, in
'MS,' ' Cheshire, England. His parents, who were
Aaron and Elizabeth (Billingriam) Newton
passed their whole lives in the same shire.
Their children, "Elijah, Thomas, John and An-
na, are all deceased save him who is the subject of
this personal narration.

He emigrated to the United States in June, 1854,
landing at the port of New York. He went thence'
to New Jersey, where he was occupied three years
in a hat manufactory. In 1857 he came to Rock
Island County, and devoted his time, strength and
energies to agricultural pursuits, operating as a
renter near the city of Rock Island, and had the
satisfaction of winning success. Later he became a
land-holder by purchase, and conducted his affairs
successfully. After being in New Jersey three years
he returned to England, where he remained six
months; then returned to Rock Island County,
where he remained four years. He came thence to
the township of Andover, in Henry County, and
bought 160 acres of land, which he managed seven
years previous to purchasing, with profitable results.
He sold the property in March, 1876, and removed
to the village of Cambridge. In May of the same
spring, accompanied by his wife, he sailed for Eng-
land. May 1st they set sail from the home of their
birth, embarking at Liverpool and: landing at Phila-

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HENRY COUNTY.

663

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delphia, for the purpose of attending the Exposition.
Left Liverpool to return July 4 They returned
thence to Cambridge, which has since been their
home. The marriage of Mr. Newton to Sarah Har-
rison took place on Easter Sunday, in April, 1847, in
Prestbury Church, in Cheshire, England. The par-
ents of Mrs. Newton, Henry and Ann (Quinn) Har-
rison, were natives of Northumberlandshire, England.
They had six children: Jane was the name ot the
oldest , Mary married William Ammond, first mate
of the ocean steamship, "City of New York ;" Cath-
erine married John Grantham, and died Oct. 7,
1881, aged 55 years, leaving four children; Mrs.
Newton is the next in order of birth ; Mrs. Ann Dav-
enport and Eliza were the youngest. The latter is
not living. Miss Emma H. Grantham, niece of Mr.
Newton, came to Cambridge from England, in June,
1884, and is an inmate of his family. She was a
velvet cutter in her native county. Mr. and Mrs.
Newton are zealous members of the Methodist Epis-
copal Church.

■43*-

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• scar Kreidler, proprietor of the " Enter-
prise " Carriage Repository, dealer in car-
sMST riages, buggies, etc., and manufacturer of
"16A carriage and buggy tops, and making general
repairing a specialty, at Kewanee, 111. Such
is the reading of the business card of this gen-
tleman, and which we insert without apology and
without price. Mr. Kreidler is a manufacturer, and
therefore, though too young a man to have made any
particular history, is entitled to representation in this
department of the Album.

He was born at Newburg, Northampton Co , Pa.,
Oct. 18, 1859, and was the fifth in order of birth of
seven children of John F. and Maria (Miller) Kreid-
ler, natives of Pennsylvania and of German descent.
His education was limited, as at the age of 1 1 years
he began the trade of which he is now master. At
the end of an apprenticeship of six years in Penn-
sylvania, he came West, spent a year at Eureka, 111.,
and showed his good judgment by removing to Ke-
wanee. He landed here July 8, 1878, and went to
work at once for O'Brien Bros, as carriage trimmer.
Those people found him so thoroughly up in his
trade that when they removed to Ohio, they took

Mr. K. with them, and with them he remained until
November, 1882, when he returned to this place and
set up in business.

July 19, [882, at Kewanee, Mr. Kreidler was mar-
ried to Miss Capilola Lampson, a lovely and accom-
plished young lady, who yielded up her life April r,
1883, and with that of her new-born babe.

That Mr. Kreidler inherited nothing may be un-
derstood from his history ; that he has been success-
ful in business is known from his standing. He is a
prominent Mason, and, we believe.'a Republican.

■>~^Ay«v«iia2^|@*'l

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<>>

ohnson Lorenzo Wilson, residing on sec-
tion 27, located adjoining the town of
Galva, is a native of Ohio. He was born
in St. Albans Tp., Licking Co., that State, Aug.
2, 1832. The parents of Mr. Wilson of this
sketch were Seuel and Esther (Burnett) Wil-
son. He was born in Mew Hampshire, and died in
Jay County, Ind., in July, 1857, having removed to
Ohio, that State, in 1846. He was a farmer by oc-
cupation, and in his religious belief was, from the
time he attained the age of manhood, a member of ^
the Baptist Church. His father, grandfather of our
subject, was born in New Jersey, was of English ex-
traction, and a soldier of the Revolutionary War ;
was a farmer by occupation and died in Ohio.
Seuel Wilson was a soldier in the War of 1812.
Mr. Wilson's parents lived and died in Indiana.

J. L. Wilson, of whom we write, received his edu-
cation principally in Ohio. He removed with his par-
ents into Indiana, and from there came to this State, in
1854, stopping in Peoria County. He remained there
until the spring of that year, when he moved near
Elm wood, Knox County, this State, where he followed
the occupation of farming for three years. At the
expiration of this time, in 1857, he came to Galva,
in the neighborhood of which village he rented land
and was occupied in its cultivation for two years.
Previous to moving here he had purchased land,
which during the last few years mentioned he im-
proved as time would permit. At first he purchased
80 acres, which he afterward sold and purchased an-
other 80 east of the present village of Galva. He
subsequently bought 40 acres more, and then sold

£«*-

the 120 acres, and with the proceeds purchased 100

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HENRY COUNTY.

acres adjoining the present village of Galva, the
same being located on section 27, Galva Township,
and on which he at present resides.

Mr. Wilson was united in marriage April n, 1861,
with Miss Amanda M. Herbert. She was born in
Lewistown, Fulton Co., 111., in 1842. She has borne
him seven children: Lillian M., Ralph L., Fred H.,
Walter, Myrtie E., Katie and Ethel L. Mr. and Mrs.
Wilson, together with their children, Lillian and
Ralph, are members of the Baptist Church. Polit-
ically, Mr. Wilson indorses the party which advocates
prohibition.

ra D. Marston, a practicing attorney, resi-
ident at Cambridge, was born April 30,
T838, in Parsonsfield, York Co., Maine.
His ancestral progenitors were pioneers of
New England, and their genealogy is now in
process, of compilation (1885). David Mars-
ton, his grandfather, was a Revolutionary soldier.
His father, Jacob. Marston, was born in Parsonsfield,
Maine. He was a stone-cutter by occupation and
died at Parsonsfield, as did his wife, Martha (Doe)
Marston. They had n children. The mother was
the daughter of John and Abigail Doe, and her par-
ents of English extraction.

Mr. Marston grew to the age of 17 years in New
England. At 14 he became the arbiter of his own
fortunes, and at 17 he came to Henry County, on
foot and alone, with not an acquaintance west of
New England. He worked one season on a farm in
Clover Township, when he entered diligently upon
the work of securing an education, employing his
leisure to the bast possible advantage in study. At
18 he taught school for the first time in Clover
Township. He alternately taught and attended
school three years.

In July, i86t, he entered the army, enlisting in
the 42d 111. Vol. Inf., in Company B. In August,
1862, he rsceived an honorable discharge for disabil-
ity. In June, 1865, he began the study of law, which
he prosecuted with energetic perseverance, and in
November, 1867, was admitted to practice in the
State Courts of Illinois. Later ho was admitted to
the privileges of the Federal Courts. In 1869 he
formed a partnership with Judge J. S. Hinman, and

they were partners for three years. In 1872 his
present relations with the Hon. W. H. Shepard were
established. The firm of Shepard & Marston is
one of the most reliable in this section, and their
business and popularity have increased together
from the commencement of their connection. Mr.
Marston is popular in his profession through his gen-
ial character and his abilities as an attorney. He
possesses an available and comprehensive knowl-
edge of common and statutory law, and he is able
and effective in argument before a jury.- He is con-
sidered one of the safest counselors and one-of the
best trial lawyers connected with the Bar of Henry
County.

Mr. Marston is a Republican in his political opin-
ions. He is a member of Post A. A. Dunn, g! A. R.,
and of the A. O. U. W.

He was married May 14, r86i, in Rock Island
Co., 111., to Miss C. L. Weir. They have fixchildren.
Mrs. Marston was born Nov. 30, 1841, in Mercer
Co., 111., and she is the daughter of Thomas M.
and Lovina (Whitmore) Weir, who were among the
earliest settlers of this county.

-13-

-E3-

ewis Brasel. The year Illinois was admit- \
ted into the Union, Mr. David Brasel came W
with his family and located in Green Coun-
ty, which at that time was about as far north
as any of the sturdy settlers had ventured. In
his family was an infant two months old, to
whom they gave the name of Lewis, and who is the
subject of this personal sketch. JHe is to day a pros-
perous farmer, residing upon section n, of Burns
Township.

He was born in Tennessee, Aug, 16, 1818. His
parents, David and Anna (Clarksori) Brasel, were
also natives of that State. Lewis' was the eldest of
their five children, and, as stated above, was an in-
fant when they came into the newly made State of
Illinois. His parents moved, as many of those ear-
liest pioneers did, from county to county. They
•seemingly could not endure' to live in a too thickly
populated settlement, and consequently, when a few
families would move in, they would move on to some
new place. Lewis followed them in their wander-
ings until he was 21 years of age, when he rented a

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HENRY COUNTY,

farm in Morgan County. Here, however, he lived
but a year, when he moved into Putnam County,
where he worked at the carpenter's trade, which he
had previously learned, for about three years. He
then went to Henry, Marshall County, where for an-
other seven years he made his home, working at his
trade and farming. This he followed until 1854,
when he came into Henry County and purchased a
piece of land in Barns Township. He then ceased
his moving, for we find him since that day a perma-
nent resident of Burns. Here he owns 120 acres of
land.

In Jacksonville, 111., on the 4th of March, 1841,
the wedding of Mr. Brasel and Miss Mary Stout oc-
curred. She was a daughter of Ezra and Fannie
(Robinson) Stout, natives of Ohio. Here she was
born, Nov. 25, 1825. Her parents came to Illinois
in an early day and for several years lived here, then
went to Oregon, where they died. Mrs. Brasel was
the eldest of their it children; she has also become
the mother of n children, five of whom are de-
ceased. Those living are James D., Wiley L., Ezra
S., Francis E., Olive E., Ida M. and Eddie K. The
deceased are Frances L., Ann E., William H. and
Robert J. Olive is the wife of Albert Krause, a
farmer of Burns Township ; Ida M. is the widow of
Elmer A. Anderson, and resides in Burns Township.
Mr. and Mrs. B. are members of the Old-School
Baptist Church. He has held some of the minor
offices of his towhship and politically is a Democrat.

-5-

-f-

j.rederick Gunther, tile and brick manufac-
turer, residing in Kewanee Township, is
prominently identified with the interests of
the community. His native home is Germany,
for in that country, on the 13th of June, 1832,
he was born. When a young man he came to
America, reaching our shores in August, 1855. He
soon found his way West, and we find him directly
at work at the mason's trade in Wethersfield Town-
ship. This trade he learned in Germany, where he
served an apprenticeship of three years. He con-
tinued to work at his trade, also devoting some of his
time to other occupations, until about 1867. At that
date he started a brick-yard in Kewanee Township,
west of the village. This he operated for two years,

when he moved to his present location. In connec-
tion with his brick-yard lie is engaged in the manu-
facture of tile. In this line he carries on quite an
extensive business. He has erected a good house
upon his lot, which consists of nine acres of land,
and is living in comfortable circumstances. He is a
member of the Odd Fellows Order, and in politics is
an independent.

Mr. Gunther was married in Wethersfield Town-
ship to Fredericka Brandt. She is also a native of
Germany, and was a Christmas present to her purents
in the year 1833. Mary, Frank and William are the
names of the children born to Mr. and Mrs. Gunther.
Mary is the wife of Emil F. Speigel, of Wethersfield
Township, a sketch of whom is given in this volume.

««&fca2/©§@/K— f§l

*S&atfrzra».

ilson Fierce is a resident in the township
of Cambridge, and is a farmer of section
H§$^°" 33- He *s a native °f Athens Co., Ohio,
~^' and is of German descent, his grandfather,
Christopher Fierce, having been born in that
country. The former came thence to the United
States and located in the State of Virginia. He
there engaged in farming and reared his family,
which included four sons and four daughters. He
was married before he left his native land. His son,
Conrad Fierce, was the father of the subject of this
sketch. He was also a farmer, and passed his life
in the same pursuit in which his father had done be-
fore him. Conrad Fierce, father of Wilson Fierce,
died in the State of Indiana, April 4, 1840, aged 63.
He was married in 1802, to Elizabeth Wilson. She
was born in Loudoun Co., Va., and died Sept. 1,
1836, in Hamilton Co., Ind., at the age of 54. To
her and her husband 12 children were born. Wil-
liam, Ebenezer, Frances and Wilson came to the
West. Another brother, Clark Fierce, now deceased,
settled in Jefferson Co., Iowa. A sister, Mrs. Eliza-
beth Hoddy, now deceased, went to Wapello Co.,
Iowa. Mrs. Margaret Dickinson, another sister, re-
moved to Fall City, Richardson Co., Neb. Mrs.
Frances Herrold, the eldest, is living in Victoiia,
Knox Co, III., at the advanced age of 82 years.
The others are not living.

Mr. Fierce was educated in Hamilton Co., Ind.,

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HENRY COUNTY.

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whither his father had removed when he was seven
years of age. The latter was a blacksmith, and there
he followed that calling. He was married July 16,
1846, to Rebecca B. Grubbs, and she survived her
marriage but a short time. Mr. Fierce was again
married, to Charlotte Gibbs, who was born in Ohio,
and died in Cambridge, Aug. 3, 187 1. She was the
mother of 1 1 children. Eight of them are now liv-
ing: Wellington, Sarah E., Margaret E., Francis E.,
Jessie M., Mrs. Nellie Dill, deceased, Mrs. Eva M.
Dill and Ira E. Mr. Fierce contracted a third mat-
rimonial alliance, with Mrs. Phietta Biggerstaff. She
is the daughter of Simeon Gibbs. By her first mar-
riage she became the mother of nine children. W.
L. Day Fierce is the only child born since her sec-
ond marriage.

Mr. Fierce is the owner of 160 acres of land. He
came to Illinois in 1849 and settled at first in Knox
County, where he lived 12 years. In 1862 he came
to Henry County. He is an adherent of the Prohi-
bition party, and has held various town offices. He
and his wife are members of the United Brethren
Church.

$Wiigust Furst, Jr., residing on section 26 of
If, Kewanee Township, was born in Germany,
'^r0a Oct. 13, 1840. His parents, August and
Caroline Furst, were also natives of Germany,
and emigrated to America in 1857. They
located in Henry County, and she (die mother)
died in Kewanee Township, in 1884. The father still
survives.

August, Jr., came to the New World with his par-
ents, and has resided in this county ever since. He
is the possessor and proprietor of 450 acres of valu-'
able land, which by his energy, industry and hard
labor has been put in a good state of cultivation and
improvement. Upon the same he has erected a fine
residence, barn and outbuildings, and is a well known,
respected and successful farmer.

Miss Augusta Baartz, daughter of Frederick and
Mary Baartz, was the lady chosen to become the
wife of our subject, Mr. August Furst, Jr., which
event was celebrated on the 1 2th of March, 1863.
Her parents came to America in the year 1856 and
settled in this connty, where her father died Nov. 4,

1884. Her mother still survives. Mrs. Furst was
born in Germany on the 1 ith of April, 1842, and she
has become the mother of seven children, namely:
Louisa A., Albert A., Ottila C, Caroline A., Wil-
liam F., Theodore and Mary L. The deceased are
Louisa A., Theodore and Mary'L. '•>

Mr. Furst has been School Director of his town-
ship, and he and his wife are members of the
Evangelical Lutheran Church. In his political faith
Mr. F. affiliates with the Republicans.

-<~9-

V. Caldwell, the leading apiarist of Henry
County, is a farmer in the township of
Cambridge and is located on section 5. He
was born Dec. 26, 1847, in the city of Phila-
delphia, and is the son of Edward and Anna
(Hutchinson) Caldwell. His parents are na-
tives of the Quaker City and are how living in Burns
Township, in Henry County. They came to Illinois
in the fall of 1856. They have four children: John
V., Mrs. Sarah Howe, Mrs. Emma McCulloh and
Mrs. A. R. King. The latter is the wife of the
Judge of Delta Co., Col.

The Caldwell family is of Scotch origin and Irish
birth, belonging to the class distinguished as
"Scotch-Irish." The first ancestor, John Caldwell,
came to the United States in 181 2. He located in
Philadelphia, where he pursued his business as a
dentist until his death. He married Ann Vollum,
who was born in Philadelphia, and was a daughter
of Edward and Rachel (Soper) Vollum. Her pa-
rents were natives of the part of the State of Mary-
land known as the Eastern Shore. That portion of
that commonwealth for a long period of years had
no municipal divisions. Her father and mother were
respectively of Scotch and Welsh descent, and their
married life covered a period of 80 years. Her
father lived to be 106, and he had been for 80 years
a member of the Methodist Church. The mother
died at 99. She is the mother of four children,
named James, Edward, John and Robert.

After the death of Mr. Caldwell his widow was
again married to James Hutchinson and had three
children. They were named William, Mary and
Henry. She is yet living in Philadelphia and is 86

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HENRY COUNTY.

667

years of age. The mother of Mr. Caldwell, Ann
(Hutchinson) Caldwell, was born in Philadelphia,
and is a daughter of James and Anna (Scott) Hutclv
inson. She is of Irish extraction.

Mr. Caldwell was brought up in Henry County
and has passed his life principally in farming. Since
1879 he has devoted much time to the culture of
bees. He is noted for his skill in that line of busi-
ness and keeps 180 colonies. He ships the product
of the hives chiefly to Boston. His farm contains
80 acres of land under good cultivation. He is an
adherent of the Republican party and has served in
the capacity of Collector. He is a member of the
Order of Masonry and a member of the Methodist
Episcopal Church.

His marriage to Mary L. Funkhouser took place
Dec. 24, 1873. Mrs. Caldwell was born March 30,
1854, in Beaver Co., Pa., and she is a daughter of
Jacob and Hannah (Baldwin) Funkhouser. Her pa-

(( / rents were natives of the same State in which she
> was born. Edward V. and Alice Edna are the chil-

fyi dren of the household.

lias M. Crane, a business man of Cam-
bridge, has been connected with the de-
velopment of Henry County since 1854,
^L when he settled in the township of Osco. He
was born in Union Co., N. J., Sept. 3, 1827.
He attained to the estate of manhood in the
State of his nativity and on arriving at an age suitable
to embark in active business he interested himself
in farming.

Dec. 10, 1851, he was married to Louisa A. Miller.
They have seven children, who are named Britton,
Sarah, Josephine, Winfield, John A., Libbie and
Etta.

On coming to this county Mr. Crane located on
section 25, in the township of Osco, taking posses-
sion of a tract of land four miles southwest of the vil-
lage of Cambridge. He followed the calling of a
farmer there until his removal to Cambridge in 1883.
He is the owner of 610 acres of land, which is chiefly
situated in that township. For some years previous
to the transfer of his residence and business rela-
tions to the place where he is now operating, he was
extensively and successfully engaged in the busi-

ness of a stockman. He has given much intelligent
attention to the improvement of the stock on his es-
tate and exhibits some fine Hereford cattle, includ-
ing about 75 animals. Among other interests in
which he has been successfully engaged for 20 years
past, is the purchase of large quantities of broom-
corn for shipment to the Eastern maikets.

In 1882 he embarked in a mercantile enterprise at
Cambridge, and when his relations in that avenue
were fairly under way he removed in the year named
to that place. Mr. Crane is also engaged in raising
stock in Phelps Co., Neb., where he is the owner of
three sections of land and a large herd of cattle.

Politically, Mr. Crane is in harmony with the
Democratic party. While a resident of Osco Town-
ship, he was frequently called to serve in the vari-
ous offices and discharged the duties confided to his
care with honor and fidelity.

athaniel W. Tibbetts, engaged as a farmer
on section 27, Kewanee Township, was
born in Neponset Township, Bureau Co.,
111., Nov. 14, 1845, and is a son of James P.
4^ and Julia A. (Sayles) Tibbetts, natives of Maine
[ and New Hampshire respectively. They were
married in Lowell, Mass., and soon afterward came
to Heniy County and settled in Wethersfield Town-
ship. Later they removed to Neponset Township,
in Bureau County, where the mother died Nov. 28,
1866. The father still survives. Of their union
were born three children, as follows : Nathaniel W.,
our subject, James G., deceased, and John E.

Nathaniel W. remained at home until 21 years of
age and received a fair education at the common
schools. He then bought a farm in Knox County
and engaged in agricultural pursuits, which he has
since followed. At the latter place lie lived for about
a year and a half, when he sold out and removed to
Missouri, there making a purchase of another farm,
upon which he remained but one year, selling on ac-
count of poor health. In 1870, he came into Henry
County and located in Kewanee Township on a farm
of 70 acres. The same he has put under excellent
cultivation and improvement, and made it his per-
manent home, residing there ever since.

In Galesburg, 111., on the 27th of January, 1867,

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HENR Y CO UNTY.

Mr. Tibbetts was married to Miss Mary R., daugh-
ter of the Rev. Henry S. and Hannah (Huff) Willey,
natives of Vermont and Maine respectively. She
was born Feb. 12, 1807. He was a Baptist minister
(Free-Will), and preached for 42 years. He was
born Feb. 4, 1800. At the time of his death he had
settled in Hudson village, Me., and there died, July
5, 1872, as also did his wife, Nov. 18, 187 r. They
had become the parents of nine children, viz. : Henry,
.Hiram L., Elizabeth H., Lucena D., Henry S., B.
Frank, Mary R., George 'W. M. and Eliza E. Mrs.
Tibbetts was born in Dixmont, Me., March 16,

i843-

Mr. Tibbetts has been Assessor of Kewanee Town-
ship four years and Director in the Farmers' Insur-
ance Company for several years. Politically, he is a
Republican.

oieacartiM©*'— §§|

*©^S*3OT*i

IILharles M. Samuelson, engaged as a gen-
ii? eral farmer on section 35, in Western

lip',< Township, was born in Central Sweden,
wh November, 1828. (See sketch of John Sam-

ffl uelsori.) Charles M., whose name heads this

{ arlicle, resided at home until 20 years of age,
when he went to work for his eldest living brother,
Samuel, where he remained for four years. At the
expiration of that time, 185 1, he emigrated to the
United States, locating at Buffalo, N. Y. ; but in the
spring following he came to Andover, Henry Co., 111.
He afterward engaged to work on a farm near Gales-
burg, 111., at which he continued two years, working
for Deacon Chambers; but, wishing to return again
to Andover, he left his employment at the latter
place and returned. Here he was married, Sep-
tember, 1856, to Miss Hannah M. Swanson, who
was also a native of Sweden. She came to the
United States in the emigration of her father's fam-
ily, who settled in Illinois in 1852. (See sketch of
J. V. Swanson.) The family of Mr. and Mrs. Sam-
uelson now comprises seven children, including one
deceased. Their names are: Albert, who is mar-
ried, and lives on section 34, Western Township;
Peter A., Edward, Victor, Oscar, Hannah and Min-
nie, deceased, died in infancy.

Mr. S. first lived on the homestead his father
secured in Western Township, comprising 80 acres.

He afterward . purchased a 54-acre farm, and; still
later increased his possessions to a total of 480 acres.
His success as a farmer has been simply remarkable,
as, when he arrived at Buffalo from his native coun-
try, he had not a single cent, and now he has the
fine, large landed possessions referred to, which are
well equipped with farm buildings, and in good agri- .
cultural condition. ' These are the results of his own
industry and economy.

The family are connected with the Swedish Lu-
theran Church, at Orion, of which he is now a Trus-
tee, and in politics he is a Republican.

■•o$o««

WfflW

f obert Boyd is one of the farmers of Henry
County who has reached a prominent po-
sition as an agriculturist. He is the pro-
prietor of 400 acres of land, finely situated,
and in a valuable condition generally. He
was torn April 5, 1839, in the city of Montreal)
Canada. His ancestral stock is of English origin, and
he is the son of James and Margaret (Rutherford)
Boyd. In his infancy he was taken from the' Domin-
ion to the State of New York, and- he remained in
the Empire State until he was eight years of age. He
was then brought West by a man named Benjamin
Graham. The latter located in Henry County in the
fall of 1848, in Ciocker's Grove. Mr. Boyd passed
his early life in farm labor, receiving a compensation
suited to the kind and quality of the work he was able
to perform. He often received only his board, and
his wages for a long time was only $8 a month. He
was the object of the malice of the man who was his
reputed protector, and he was crippled by the effects
of his brutality. They parted company at the period
when the fatherless child was r4. But he was in-
dustrious and honest, and found no difficulty in
obtaining work suited to his condition, and managed
to save his earning until, in 1864, he was able to buy
80 acres of land in Cambridge Township. To this
he has added until he enjoys the repute ascribed
to him at the beginning of this personal narration.
Of the tract of 400 acres of which he is the owner
rS4 acres is located adjoining to the village of Cara-
brige. Mr. Boyd is a Democrat is political persua-
sion. It should have been mentioned in the proper
place that his mother, Margaret (Rutherford) Boyd,
was a second time married and accompanied her hus

^^ ov^renii&A^-

HENRY COUNTY.

-3tf€$toK-

669

band, Captain William J. H. Lee, of the British army,
to India, in the service of England. She remained
there 21 years. She returned to London, and at the
date of this writing she is in the United States visit-
ing her relatives. One of her sons is in the British
service in India, and is acting in the capacity of a
civil engineer.

Mr. Boyd was married to Mrs. Catherine (Blink)
Diesch. By her first husband she had three chil-
dren— Mary, Frank and Ellen. Three sons are
included in the household of Mr. and Mrs. Boyd.
They are named George H., Robert L. and Charles
D. Mr. and Mrs. Boyd are connected in member-
ship with the Methodist Church.

saac Pyle, engaged as a farmer on section 8,
of Kewanee Township, is a son of Samuel
and Frances A. (Howell) Pyle, natives of
(j Pennsylvania and Virginia respectively. They
married and settled in Muskingum Co., Ohio,
where they remained until 1856, when they
came to Henry County and located in this township.
They remained at the latter place, making it their
permanent home, at which place the father died,
Feb. 12, 1863. The mother still survives, and re-
sides on the old homestead. She and her husband
became the parents of four children, viz. : James C,
William W., Isaac and Samuel A.

Isaac, our subject, was born in Muskingum Co.,
Ohio, Aug. 24, 1833, and remained at home until 17
years of age, attending the district schools in the
acquisition of an English education during the winter
seasons and working on his father's farm in the sum-
mer. In October, 1856,3s stated above, Isaac came
with his father into Henry County, and began at
once in the work of agriculture, which he has suc-
cessfully followed since. Locating on a tract of land,
he began actively and energetically in the task of its
improvement and cultivation, and by subsequent
purchases is now the owner and proprietor of 260
acres of valuable land, his farm being one of the
finest in his township. Besides his agricultural pur-
suits, he has been also engaged in the business of
auctioneering, in company with C. J. T. Little ; was
appointed Inspector of the Coal Mines in Henry

County in September, 1880, which position he still
holds, and is sought for to settle various estates, and
also chosen the guardian of many children.

In Vinton Co., Ohio, on the 16th of September,
1855, Mr. Pyle was united in the holy bonds of
matrimony with Miss Caroline, daughter of Rezin
and Nancy (Aikins) Ball, natives of Virginia and
Ohio, respectively. They married and settled in
Ohio, where they lived for- many years, and then
emigrated to Nebraska, where they remained until
they died, the mother on the 23d of May, 1863, and
Mr. Ball Oct. T2, 1880. Of their union were born
seven children, the record being as follows : William
B., Eliphalet J., James W., Levi, Sarah A., Artemus
M. and Caroline M. The latter, now Mrs. Pyle,
was born in Muskingum Co., Ohio, July 19, 1837,
and she and her husband have had their home
brightened by the birth of eight children, six of whom
survived: William M., Ulysses G., Bert M., John
H, Nettie and May. The deceased are Charles E.
and Alice C.

Mr Pyle is largely interested in educational mat-
ters, and takes a great interest in all matters of that
nature, considering that to be the aim of his life.
He has served his township in various ways, was
Supervisor for four years and has been School Di-
rector for many years. Mr. and Mrs. Pyle are active
and prominent members of the Methodist Episcopal
Church. Politically speaking, Mr. P. is a Repub-
lican, and in his temperance views he is decided,
although not a fanatic, as he is in favor of all meas-
ures to resist the great evil.

-»

jpLlijan, A. South. Among the many wealthy
and respected farmers of Henry County, is
classed the subject of this sketch. His
jjUji. home is on section 31, of Western Township,
where he devotes his attention to raising stock
and doing a general farming business. In the
township of Dunkard, Greene Co., Pa., on the 8th
day of February, 1827, he was born. His father,
Elijah South, was also a native of the same township,
and of slight German extraction, and by occupation
a farmer. The early life of our subject was spent
upon his farmer's farm, receiving such advantages
for an education as was afforded in the community.

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He was married in his native township to Miss
Nancy Johnson, who was born and reared in the
same neighborhood, and the daughter of a Pennsyl-
vania carpenter and cabinet-maker. The grand-
parents of our subject on both sides were prominent
members of the Quaker Church in Pennsylvania.
The grandfather South was a soldier of the Revolu-
tionary War, and an uncle of Elijah's served in the
War of 1812. The elder South acquired a large
property in Greene County, where both the father
and mother of our subject died, at the ages of 83 and
74 respectively.

Elijah A. was the second of a family of eight chil-
dren, four sons and four daughters, three each of
whom are still living. Two of the sons occupy the
homestead of the father and grandfather, and which
was improved by them. Mr. South lived at home
until he was 28 years of age, working on his father's
farm, but doing business on his own account. At
that age, on the 31st of August, 1854, and in
Greene County, he was married to Sarah E., daugh-
ter of George and Mary (Bugess) Long, natives of
the Keystone State, and prominent farmers in
Greene County, where they died. In Prairie Town-
ship, of that county, Mrs. S. was born. She spent
her younger life at home, attending the schools of
her neighborhood. She died at her home in Osco
Township, this county, Dec. 4, T865, leaving four
children, — Mary A, wife of J. Marion Garland, of
Monongalia County, W; Va.; L. G. S., a teacher,
and resident of Park City, Montana Territory ; Dora,
wife of Edward Stewart, farmer at Colona Town-
ship, this county; and Plumer W., residing at home.,

In 1864, Mr. South came to Illinois and located in
Osco Township, where, in company with Eli Hol-
land, he purchased 265 acres of land, which was at
the time partly improved. There he resided for two
and a half years, when he purchased 80 acres in an-
other part of the township, which he improved and
farmed until about 1867, when he sold it and moved
to Edford Township, where he secured 200 'acres of
partly improved land. This place was destined to
be his home for about 15 years. In March, 1882, he
came to Western Township, and purchased a 284-
acre farm, upon which he now resides. This is one
of the best improved farms in the county, and Mr.
S. is one of the prominent and successful farmers and
stock-raisers of the district. Besides the land he
owns here, he has two improved farms in Rock

Island County, one of 225 acres and the other of 80
acres.

On Jan. 27, 1867, Mr. S. was married the second
time, returning to his native county to consummate
the ceremony. This time the -union was between
himself and Miss Mary Summers, a native of Fay-
ette Co., Pa. She had been reared and educated in
that county, and lived at home until her marriage.
Of this union three children have been born, one of,
whom is deceased. They have been named in the
order of birth, Sarah E.„ Charles and Guy, who died
in infancy. Both Mr. and Mrs. S. are members of
the Baptist Church, and the former is Trustee of his
Church.

-*3=r4

£!-

Lohn Stabler, engaged as a farmer on sec-

|f tion 35, Kewanee Township, is a son of

^^ Robert and Elizabeth (Hood) Stabler, both
natives of England. Their family comprised
four children, of whom John was the second
in order of birth. He was born in England,
July r, 1833, and his school advantages were quite
limited, being employed on a farm when but nine
years of age. On attaining his 20th year he went to
Canada, at which place he remained but one year,
and in the spring of 1854 came West, locating in
Bureau Co., 111. In the latter place he settled, re-
siding there until r874,when he came into Kewanee
Township, this county, and made a purchase of 290
acres of land, upon which he has since been a resi-
dent. By his hard labor and industry he improved
the same, and has on the place a fine brick residence,
barn and other outbuildings, besides having increased
his landed interests until he now is the proprietor of
390 acres of good valuable land. Besides the land
owned in Illinois, he owns 480 acres of fine farming
land in Lancaster Co., Neb. When Mr. S.. came to
Bureau County he had but $40. He at once en-
gaged to work out by the month, doing so for three
years, obtaining $14 a month as a salary.

Mr. Stabler was married in Bureau County, March
14, i860, to Miss Emma Burch, a native of England.
Of their union have been born six children, of whom
the following is a record: May E-, George W.,
Fanny E., Robert L., Franklin J. and one who died
in infancy. May E. is the wife of Wra. S. Lyle, and

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$<ss&t~

HENRY COUNTY.

4fc§JS®Y§§l

■J

671

resides in Farragut, Iowa; George W. resides in Bu-
reau Co., 111., and the remainder of the children live
at home. Mrs. Stabler died in Bureau County, Dec.
16, 1870, and Mr. S. was again united in marriage,
June 13, 1872, in Kewanee, to Tamar Peart, who
was born in Cumberland, England, Oct. 22, 1839.
When 16 years of age she came to live in Canada, at
which place she remained for somewhat over nine
years, then coming to the States.

Politically, Mr. S. affiliates with the Republican
party. He has been School Trustee for eight years,
School Director, etc., in his township.

-* #»-# *-

bar mbrose Mathews, a retired farmer and re-
spected citizen of Henry 'County, residing
in the village of Wethersfield, is a son of
Ambrose W. and Margaret (Connor) Mathews,
the former a native of New Jersey and the lat-
ter of New York. The parents of Mr. Mathews
of this notice were married and settled in New York,
where, after a short residence, they removed to the
Western Reserve, in Northern Ohio, from which
State they emigrated to Illinois in 1845, settling in
Wethersfield Township, this county, where they re-
sided until their deaths, hers occurring May 8, 1857,
and his June 16, T884. They reared to manhood
and womanhood ten children, namely: Charles C,
Henry, Nelson J., Uriah V., Enos T., Mary E.,
Amanda, Ambrose, William and Rosanna. Charles
C, Henry, Nelson J. and Enos T. are deceased.
Ambrose W., their father, was born Oct. 9, 1792,
and his wife Aug. 17, 1790.

Ambrose, Jr., subject of this notice, was born in
Seneca Co., N. Y., Nov. 20, 1831. He was but one
year old when his parents removed to Ohio, where
he resided with them until 1845. He received a
good common-school education in the district schools
and assisted his father in the labors of the farm until
he arrived at the age of 19 years. At this age in
life he was apprenticed to learn the shoemaker's
trade, at which he worked for three years. He then
came to this county, in 1845, and remained about
five years, when he returned to Geauga Co., Ohio,
and finished learning his trade. He then returned
to this county and worked at his trade in Wethers-
field and Kewanee until 1861. During this year he

dcgftt-

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enlisted as a private in the 1 24th 111. Vol. Inf., and
served until the close of the war. In 1863 he was
promoted as Commissary Sergeant of the regiment,
and served in that capacity during the remainder of
his term of enlistment. He met with many narrow
escapes, having received several shots through his
clothes ; but during his entire service, and the battles
in which he participated, he was never seriously
wounded.

On receiving his discharge he returned to his old
home in Wethersfield Township, where, throwing
aside his uniform and accoutrements of war, he
again entered upon the peaceful pursuits of life.
He has since been engaged in agricultural labors,
until about 1881, since which time he has followed
various occupations. He is the inventor of a force-
pump known as the " Little Giant," on which he has
received a patent. He manufactured and sold these
pumps for about four years, when he was obliged to
give up the business on account of ill health.

Mr. Mathews was united in marriage in Wethers-
field, Jan. 1, 1852, with Maria C. Cline, daughter of
Daniel and Betsey (Crouse) Cline, natives of New
York, in which State, Dutchess County, her father
died, Sept. 14, 1837, the date of his birth being June iJY
19, 1797. Mrs. Cline came to Henry County with a ^
married daughter in 1844, and settled in Wethers- , X
field Township, where she died June 8, r87i, the
date of her birth being Aug. 22, 1800. She was the
mother of four children — Jane A., George, Maria C.
and Mary E. Maria C, wife of the subject of this
sketch, was born in Dutchess Co., N. Y., March 16,
1828, and came to this county with her mother in
1844. Mr. and Mrs. Mathews are the parents of a
family of five children, namely: Cora C, Edward,
Rosa, Melva and John L. Cora C. is the wife of
James Wiley, Jr., and resides in Wethersfield Town-
ship. Rosa married George Dustin, who resides in
the same township. Edward and John L. are me-
chanics, and are employed in the manufacturing
establishment of the Haxtun Steam Heater Com-
pany. They have buried one child, who died when
about nine months old.

Mr. M. has held the office of Township Assessor
almost continuously for about 12 years. He was the
first Collector of Wethersfield Township after the W
organization of the same, and has held the office of ^7
Constable, together with that of other minor offices, v^

$$$$"

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HENRY COUNTY.

Vf He is a member of the Julian A. Pratt Post, No.
4j 143, G. A. R.

£ p Religiously, he and his wife are members of the
1 ' Congregational Church of Kewanee. Politically, Mr.
A M. is a believer in the principles advocated by the
Republican party.

~> — -—&<¥ 1-

«s»

-'arius Storey, engaged as a farmer on sec-
•<■ tion 4, Kewanee Township, was born in
Oneida Co., N. Y., on the i8th of March,
1828. In 1847 he came West and located in
%F in Kewanee Township, this county, where he
made a purchase of land, upon which he began
the task of its improvement and cultivation and has
to day 125 acres of valuable land.

He was married in this county on the 14th of
January, 185 r, the lady whom he chose to be his
companion in life being Miss Nancy Dingman, a
native of Canada. She has borne her husband four
children, as follows : Elijah, Larmer, Jane and
Josephine. (See sketch of Elijah elsewhere in this
Album.) Mrs. Storey died Jan. 31, 1867, and Mr.
S. formed a second matrimonial alliance April 25,
1867, with Elizabeth Schwyhart, who was born in
Ohio, June 21, 1843. Of the late union has been
born one child, Tessa.

Politically, Mr. S. is identified with the Repub-
lican party, and he has served his township as School
Director.

Joseph H. Page is engaged as a general farm-
|f er on section 8, Wethersfield Township,
^^ where he was born Sept. 24, 1839. His
parents, Hazelton and Mary A. (Cook) Page,
were natives of New England, coming to this
township from the State of their nativity in
1838. Mrs. Page died May 19, 1850, and the father
Nov. 9, 1881. Of their union were born five chil-
dren,—Robert C, Joseph H., Mary E., Ann J. and
Edgar O. Mary E. and Edgar O. are deceased.
Ann J. is the wife of Thomas Daniels and resides in
Cambridge.

Joseph H., our subject, remained at home, receiv-
ing a good common-school education in the schools

of Wethersfield Township, and assisted his parents
in the labors on the farm. He is now the owner of
160 acres of good tillable land in this county, upon
which he has erected good buildings, and by his
energy and industry has put the farm under excel-
lent cultivation and improvement, this being his
place of residence.

Mr. Page was united in marriage in this township,
Henry County, Aug. 29, 1863, the lady whom he
chose to be his wife being Miss Sarah R. Lester,
daughter of Charles and Julia A. (Snyder) Lester.
They came to Henry County from Cayauga Co., N.
Y., about r842 and settled in Wethersfield Town-
ship, where the mother died, Jan. 9, 1859. The
father died Feb. 14, 1876. They became the parents
of seven children, namely: Jefferson, Sarah R.,
Champlin M., Parker J, Myron, Phebe A. and
Charles. Sarah A., the wife of our subject, was born
in Wethersfield Township, Aug. 29, 1845.

Mr. and Mrs. Page have a family consisting of
four children, viz. : Mary B., Charles H., Guy W.
and Frank L.

Politically, Mr. P. votes according to the princi-
ples advocated by the Republican party.

-0—5

ohn H. Allen, druggist at Cambridge, was
born Feb. 9, 1843, in Shelby ville, Ind. In
^"3" ancestral descent he is of Scotch-Irish
origin, his earliest progenitor having been of
that race. His grandfather, Isaac Allen, camt
from Scotland to Virginia, and settled there
and raised a family. One of them, John Allen, born
in 1805, removed thence to Shelby County, Ind.,
where he was married to Martha Higbe'e. She was
a native of the State of Kentucky, and was of Ger-
man descent. Six of their nine children are now
living. In the spring of 1850 John Allen. removed
his family to Mason Co., 111., settling in Havana,
where, the lives of his parents terminated.

Mr. Allen, of this sketch, was educated in Ha-
vana, and at the opening of the Rebellion enlisted
in the nth 111. Cav., and served four years in the
army. Since that time he has been engaged in
different mercantile pursuits, for the last eight years
of which he has been engaged in the drug business.

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HENRY COUNTY.

677

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having been engaged in that business six years in
Ipava, this State, and two years in Cambridge.

The marriage of Mr. Allen to Lovina Marty took
place at Havana, 111., and their children are named
Emma A., Mattie E., Hattie F., Clara M. and Eu-
gene W. Mr. Allen is a Republican in political
views and actions, and a member of the A. O. U. W.
and Masonic Order.

ewis Hurd, a practicing physician, residing
at Wethersfield, is one of the earliest set-
tlers and one of the first medical practi-
tioners in Henry County. He came to Illinois
J/S in 1836, and after a stay of about one year's
duration in that portion of Knox County now
included in Stark County, he made a location in
Henry County in the same township in which he is
now a resident.

Dr. Hurd is the son of Dr. Thomas B. and Anna
(Shepard) Hurd, and was born in Hamilton, Mad-
ison Co., N. Y., Aug. 19. 181 1. His parents were
natives of Connecticut, where they were married and
first settled. Later, they removed to Madison Co.,
N. Y., and the death of the father transpired there,
about 1838. The mother died in the same place at
a later date. Their children were named Hepzibah,
Thomas B., Orrin S., Lewis and Anna.

Dr. Hurd was educated primarily in the common
schools of his native county, and was the assistant of
his father in the cultivation of the medicinal herbs
the latter used in his professional labors, as he be-
longed to the Thompsonian school. This associa-
tion was his first instigation to enter the profession
which he has followed incidentally since he was 19
years of age. He acquired a practical knowledge of
the medicinal virtues of plants and had the benefit
of the experience of his father. At r5 he entered
Hamilton Academy, which he attended until he was
19. He went to Buffalo, N. Y., in 1830, where he
began to practice to some extent. But he was prac-
tically unknown arid dependent on his own efforts
wholly. He is and has been all his life an expert
with tools, and while securing a start in Buffalo he
secured a maintenance at first by his work as a car-
penter until he acquired sufficient practice to pre-
clude his labor as a craftsman. At the end of four

years, he went to Lorain Co., Ohio, on a visit, and
while there decided to join a party who were coming
to Illinois. The transit over the intervening country
was made with horses and a wagon.

Dr. Hurd arrived in Knox County in 1836, and
was not at the time the possessor of a whole dollar.
He found an opportunity to teach in a family of
Kentuckians, not one of whom knew a letter of the
alphabet. This helped him to a home, and he
worked as a carpenter to supply himself with neces-
sary funds. Accident placed a complicated case of
illness in his charge, and his success established his
claims as a physician.

The attractions of the lady he afterwards married
brought him to Wethersfield, and he became an in-
mate of the family of her father, Abner B. Little.
The house was a pioneer's log cabin with one room.
The " parlor " was partitioned from the general space
by blankets, and comprised about four feet square of
territory. In this the " sparking" was carried on to
a final consummation, and the marriage was the first
in Henry County. Dr. Hurd and his wife removed
to the Little homestead and assumed charge of the
parents. The place was comparatively new and Dr.
Hurd operated as farmer, carpenter and physician.
He bought rails to enclose 15 acres, and he built the
fence by moonlight and midnight, as his duties
through the day absorbed all the time that the gen-
eral community was out of bed. After the lapse of
two years, he removed to a claim of 160 acres he
had made in another part of the town. He broke
15 acres, which he fenced after dark in the method
known in that period as ditching, the results being a
sod fence. He also built a log house, and after he
had harvested his crop he found his title was defect-
ive and abandoned the claim. He removed to the
village of Wethersfield, where he owned ten acres,
and built a frame house. His health was at that
time seriously impaired by the extraordinary labors
he had undergone. Later, he sold his property in
Wethersfield and removed to Iowa City, Iowa, with
the intention of practicing his profession, but he re-
turned to Wethersfield on account of ill health.

In 1842 he went to Chicago, where he engaged in
practice. As he belonged to no regular school, his
business was restricted and his patrons were some-
times located at remote points. This gave him an
opportunity to add other business, and he canvassed
Cook County in the interests of the American Bible

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Society. He was also the first canvasser for the
Western Citizen, the first anti-slavery journal pub-
lished in Chicago, and which was established by S.
C. Eastman. In 1852 the First Congregational
Church of Chicago was organized. It was principal-
ly the outgrowth of the efforts of Philo Carpenter, and
Dr. Hurd and his wife were among the little com-
pany who were its founders. They swelled the num-
ber to 30 members. The meetings were held in a
school-house, in "Carpenter's Addition, " until the
growth of the society warranted the erection of a
church and the engagement of a regular pastor.

Dr. Hurd was the first delegate from Chicago to
the first State Anti-Slavery Convention of Illinois,
which was held at Alton. His father-in-law, Abner
B. Little, cast the first anti-slavery vote in Wethers-,
field. He cast the second.

After a residence of nearly 1 1 years in Chicago,
Dr. Hurd went to Springfield, Mass., where he oper-
/*» ated successfully as a physician four years, and in
\ 1858 he came again to Wethersfield. Two years
J later he went to Ann Arboi, Mich., for the purpose
of obtaining for his children the advantages of the
C3- educational facilities of that place. Meanwhile, the
*9§ war came on, and in 1861 he went to the field as a
r=a volunteer physician, under the auspices of Hon.
\^ Austin Blair, Michigan's "War Governor. " In 1864
he returned to Wethersfield and engaged actively in
medical practice until 1877. He is- the owner of a
farm in Wethersfield Township and resides in the
village.

The marriage of Dr. Hurd and Caroline W. Little
was solemnized Aug. 22, 1837. Mrs. Hurd was born
in Hollis, N. H, Sept. 15, 1821, and came, in 1836,
with her parents, Abner B. and Nancy (Tenney) Lit-
tle, to Henry County. (See sketch of R. Augustus
Little.) Seven children were born to Dr. and Mrs.
Hurd and have all passed to the realms of the here-
afcer. Anna Caroline was the third child born in
the township of Wethersfield. She was born
Aug. 13, 1838; Lewis Gardner was born Oct. 3,
1840; Julius Augustus, July 6, 1842; Anna Caro-
line (second), Jan. 1, 1848; Eliza Orinette, July 18,
1849 ; William Little, April 17, 1852 ; Edwin Henry
Nevin, July 1, [854. The oldest son enlisted. at 20,
in 1861, in Co. D, 4th Mich. Vol. Inf., and died in
Washington, D. C„ March 15, r862, of typhoid pneu-
monia. He was one of the band of students who
enlisted from the University of Michigan.

<;>

Dr. Hurd is a Republican in political connection.
, The portraits of himself and wife appear on other
pages of this work. The days are not far away
when all the pioneers of Henry County will have en-
tered the land .which lies forever beyond the front- -
iers of this earth. That time will affix the full value
to the reminiscences and portraits of that class who
bore the burden of the period of first things.

homas Walsh, farmer, section 10, Cam-
bridge Township, was born June 9, 1840,
.5B?'*t in County Monaghan, Ireland, and he is

the son of Francis and Mary (Boyle) Walsh.
The parents were also natives of the Emerald
Isle, and there the mother died. She had
borne six children: Francis, Patrick, James, Thom-
as, Catherine and Mary. The three younger sons
came to the United States. James and Thomas
came hither in 1853. The latter settled on Long
Island, where he remained seven years. He then
removed to the city of New York, and was a resident
there five years ; his brother is a citizen there still. ,
In March, 1864, he came to Henry County, and in
the ensuing years was married to Melinda Funk.
He at once engaged in farming, to which he dovoted
himself with the thrifty energy of the country of his
nativity, and conducted his operations with marked
success. He first hired to work by the month,, and
then rented until he was in a position to buy a farm
for himself, on which he pursued the same wise
methods of management, and is now the owner of
400 acres of land, all in excellent agricultural condi-
tion. Mr. Walsh is also the owner of i,6oo acres of
railroad land in Nebraska, for which he is paying
with great rapidity, and will soon hold a clear title to
a splendid estate.

.•o$o«

llli. ugenio K. Hayes, dealer in agricultural im-

HIp plements, and manufacturer and dealer in

the Kewanee Check Rower, Hayes' Auto-

5|v matic Reel, "Boss" Shoveling Board, Kewanee

" Force Pump, wood cisterns, etc., etc., at Kewa-

: nee, 111. Mr. Hayes is a distinguished inventor

and manufacturer, as indicated by his card, which we

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HENRY COUNTY.

insert by way of introductory. He was born at La
Fayette, 111., May 2r, 1848, and was the only son
and youngest of four children of Harry and Harriet
(Wright) Hayes, natives of the State of New York.

The subject of our sketch was reared upon a farm,
and at the district schools acquired a fair English edu-
cation. Though decidedly of a mechanical turn of
mind, he followed agriculture up to the year 1881, at
which time he sold out his farm in Wethersfield
Township, to which he had removed from Stark
County in 1876, and in company with a Mr. Perkins
engaged in his present business. Mr. Perkins re-
tired from the firm in January, 1883, since which
time Mr. Hayes has conducted the business alone.
He employs about his shop from 12 to 15 men, keeps
on the road from one to three drummers, and sells
from J>35 ,000 to $50,000 worth of his own manufac-
tured wares annually. The Kewanee Force Pump,
of which he is the patentee, is probably the greatest
success of the kind in the world. With an ordinary
farm pump, operated by one hand, he is able to throw
a solid stream of water to the top of a three-story
building. Though it is hardly yet upon the market,
the indications are that he will sell over 1 ,000 the
first year of their manufacture.

Mr. Hayes takes no part in politics, but attends
strictly to business, and bids fair to become one of
the leading manufacturers of a town noted for its
thrift and enterprise in that direction.

He was married at Toulon, 111., Jan. 17, 187 1, to
Miss Matilda J. Dack, daughter of John Dack, de-
ceased, and has born to him five children : Ralph
W., Albert L., Forrest, Fred D. and Percy. Both
Mr. and Mrs. Hayes are members of the Methodist
Episcopal Church.

"*"•

acob Messmore, Jr., engaged as a farmer
on section 4, Kewanee Township, is a son
'*"*• of Jacob and Margaret (White) Mess-
more, natives of Pennsylvania. They came to
It Henry County in 1852, and settled in this
township, where they always remained, and
their family comprised ten children, of whom Jacob,
Jr , was the fourth in order of birth. He was born
in Wayne Co., Ohio, Aug. 28, 1840, and was but 12
,years old when his parents came into Henry County,

and has remained a resident of the same ever since,
with the exception of three years during the war,
when he enlisted in the cause for the Union ; the
date being Aug. 9, 1862, in the 124th 111. Vol. Inf.,
and served his country faithfully for three years, com-
ing home uninjured. Mr. Messmore is the owner
and proprietor of 145 acres in this county, which is
good, improved land.

He was united in marriage in Cambridge, 111.,
April 4, 1864, the lady chosen to share his joys and
sorrows, successes and reverses, being Miss Rebecca
J. Gochenour, who was born in Ohio, May T9, T846 ;
and of this union has been born one child — Emma P.
Mr. M. has held the offices of School Director and
Highway Commissioner, in his township, and politic-
ally is identified with the Republican party.

Scott Brown, stock dealer, residing at Osco,
Osco Township, is a son of John and
R Sarah (Kirkpatrick) Brown, his father being
niP> a natiVe of Chester Co., Pa., and his mother of
Ohio. After marriage, they settled in Ohio,
and soon thereafter removed to Fulton County,
this State. His father was engaged in farming in the
latter county for a time and the family moved to this
county and settled in Osco Township, where he fol-
lowed his chosen vocation, that of agriculture, until
the date of his death, Oct. 4, 1881. His wife sur-
vives him at the venerable age of 82 years, and is
still a resident of Osco Township. Their children
were five in number,— T. Scott, George C, John G.,
Mary L. and James M.

George C. is a resident of Osco Township, this
county; John G. resides near Marshalltown, Iowa,
where he is engaged in farming; Mary L. was united
in marriage to W. L. Hitchcock, who resides in
Greenfield, Iowa ; James M. follows the occupation
of a farmer in Osco Township.

T. Scott Brown, subject of this notice, was born in
Farmington Township, Fulton County, this State,
June 7, 1835. He received a fair education in the
district schools of his native county and there resided
until the spring of i860, when he removed to this
county. On arrival here he rented his father's farm,
which he cultivated for about two years. In August,
1862, Mr. Brown, whose name heads this notice, en-
listed in the 103dm. Vol. Inf., and served his coun

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HENRY COUNTY

H!*l^

try until January, 1865. In the skirmish near Co-
lumbia, S. C, he received a serious wound from a
minie ball in his right arm, in consequence of
which he was compelled to have that member am-
putated at the shoulder. He enlisted as a private
and was promoted First Sergeant. John G. Brown,
brother of Mr. Brown of this notice, was also a sol-
dier in the war for the Union, having enlisted in the
fall of 1861, in the 55th, 111. Vol. Inf., and served his
country until the close of the war.

Mr. Brown of this sketch has held the minor offices
of his township, and politically is a believer in and a
supporter of the principles of the Republican party.
He is a gentleman respected for his straightforward-
ness and fair dealings with his fellow man.

|| M. Dorr, residing at Galva, where he is
JS engaged in the jewelry business, was
^ born in Columbia Co., N. Y., May 25,
1832. The name Dorr seems to be a cor-
ruption of the name De Orr. La Fayette, on
his last visit to America, called on an uncle
of our subject, Elisha Dorr, and asked him where
the Dorrs originated. He told him tradition said
from England. La Fayette replied that it was not an
English name, but that it was undoubtedly from
Normandy, a province of France, as the name was
common there! There is but one family of Dorrs
known in America: .hence they all sprang from the
same family.

Matthew Dorr, grandfather of the subject of this
notice, resided in Columbia Co., N. ¥., wher,e he was
engaged as a woolen manufacturer, and where, at
Dansville, that Slate, he died. He was the father of
five children, namely : Abraham, Samuel, Matthew,
Jr. (the father of the subject of this notice), Phebe
and Sybil. Matthew Dorr, Jr., father of our subject,
was born in New York, and died in 1869, in Bureau
County, this State, aged 83 years. He was formerly
Judge of the Columbia County Court, New York,
later a woolen manufacturer, and also a soldier in
the War of 181 2. He was Postmaster ten years and
Justice of the Peace eight years while in Bureau
County, Illinois. He was married to Ann B. Mudge,
Jan. 29, 181 r. She died at Neponset, Bureau Coun-
ty, this State, in November, 1872, aged 79 years.
They were the parents of 12 children,— Adeline S.,

Irene, Elizabeth S., William M., Harriet C, George
E., Caroline, Hellen L., Phebe Ann, James Edmund,
Byron M. and Samuel.

Byron M. Dorr, of whom we write, was edu-
cated principally at Knox College, this State, and
during the two years prior to his majority, was en-
gaged in the active labors of the farm. He enlisted
in Co. A, 42d Reg. 111. Vol. Inf., as a private, but,
the company not being received under the first call
of 6,000 by the Governor, he re-enlisted as musician
and served nearly eight months, when the regiment
bands were discharged by order of Major-General
Hallock, and brigade bands formed. After this he
returned to Kewanee, and, his health having been
greatly impaired, he engaged to learn .the jewelry
business at that place. He mastered the same and
then went to Neponset, Bureau County, where he en-
gaged in business and continued until r869, when he
came to Galva and again engaged in the same busi-
ness. Mr. Dorr, ever since he came to Galva, has
continued in the jewelry business and at present has
a first-class store, with a good and constantly in-
creasing trade. He has also been engaged as teacher
of a band at different times, and is widely known as
a musician of fine ability. Politically, he is a be-
liever in and a supporter of the principles of the
Greenback party.

Mr. Djrr was united in marriage at Kewanee,
Nov. 16, 1856, with Emma M. Maunder, born in the
town of Martock, Somerset, England, in 1833, and
who emigrated to the United States in 1854. Re-
ligiously, Mrs. Dorr is a member of the Congrega-
tional Church.

?ames Lyle, farmer on section 25, Kewanee
'$ Township, was born in Bureau Co., 111.,
July 13, r8so, and is a son of William and
Margaret Lyle, natives of Scotland. He (the
father) came to America about 1844, and the
mother four years later. They first settled in
Bureau Co., 111., and from there removed into Henry
County in the year 1852, locating in Kewanee Town-
ship permanently. The father died at the latter
place, Dec. 21, 1878. They had a family of nine
children, of whom James, our subject, is the
eldest.

James received only a common-school education

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HENRY

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in the district schools of this county, where he was
reared. As a business man he has been reasonably
successful, and today owns an excellent farm of
85 acres, and Mrs. William Lyle, his mother, owns
154 acres. Mr. L. has been prominent in promoting
the welfare of the community in which he resides,
and in educational matters also takes a deep inter-
est. He has served as Director of his school district,
and politically he is a Republican. Socially, he is
connected with the Order of Odd Fellows.

At Kewanee, Sept. 7, 1881, Mr. Lyle was married
to Margaret Price. This lady was born in Wales on
Christmas Day of the year 1858. Two children
have been born into their home, to whom they have
given these names : Stella and Ernest.

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i'nn Moon, widow of the late Thomas Moon,
1 who was born in 1813, resided on sec. 29,
MW&? Annawan Township, for many years, and
was well known and respected throughout the
community. Mrs. M. was born in Yorkshire,
England, in 1825, and five years later came to
America with her parents, landing in New York.
Thence they proceeded to Chicago, where they re-
mained but one week; then they went to Jackson-
ville, where they remained until 1847, about 17
years. At that time they came to Annawan Town-
ship, this county, and became one of the earliest
families who settled in this section of the county.
Mrs. Moon has since then resided in the above-
named township, and for the last 21 years has lived
upon her present estate.

On the 1 2th of August, 1847, she was married to
Mr. Moon, who was also born in Yorkshire, England,
and three years prior to their marriage had come to
America. He was an energetic, successful farmer,
and when he died, in 1878, left a farm of 420 acres,
all under good cultivation and improved with good
dwellings and barns. Mr. Moon died Aug. 27,
1878. They had become the parents of the follow-
ing-named eight children: Anna, born Feb. 3, 1849;
George, Feb. 6, 185 1 ; John, March 5, 1853 ; Thomas
H., Aug. 23, 1855; James W., May it, 1858; Ra-
chel, Jan. 5, 1861; Joseph H., Jan. 21, 1864; and
Chales E., Aug. 9, 1867.
Mrs. Moon resides on the old homestead, and is

an excellent type of a fine old English lady. She
attends the United Brethren Church, but was for-
merly an Episcopalian.

apt. Norman H. Pratt, Postmaster at Ke-
SpH wanee, a position to which he was ap-
■ W' pointed by President Johnson, in May,
K 1867, re-appointed twice by Gen. Grant, once
|\ by " 'Squire " Hayes, and lastly by President
Arthur. The Captain was born at Bingham-
ton, N. Y., Dec. 10, 1825, and was fourth in order of
birth of three sons and five daughters of Maverick
and Samantha (Hyde) Pratt, natives of Connecticut,
descended from the English, and dating their ances-
try upon the Continent back to the first half of
the seventeenth century. From Binghamton Mr.
Pratt removed to Peoria Co., 111., in 1835, and from
there to Wethersfield, Henry Co., in 1846. Here he
bought a farm now occupied by a part of the town of
Kewanee, and upon which he and his wife spent prin-
cipally the rest of their lives. The old gentleman
died in 1868, at the age of 73, and his wife five years
earlier, at the age of 63. His three sons were in
the Union army, and two of them — the oldest and the
youngest — laid down their lives in front of Vicksburg.
The first, Julius A., was First Lieutenant of Co. A,
124th III. Inf., and was killed by a musket shot in
June, 1863, and the latter, James B., died from dis-
ease about the same time.

In August, 1862, in company with anothor gentle-
man, the subject of this sketch raised a company of
volunteers, and on Sept. 10 following it was mustered
into service as Co. F, 124th 111. Vol. Inf., Mr. Pratt
being First Lieutenant. At Vicksburg, Aug. 7, 1863,
he was promoted Captain of the company, a position
which he held when mustered out of service, Aug. 15,
1865, at the city of Chicago.

His discharge, which bears date Aug. 15, 1865,
shows that he led his company in Gen. Grant's Tal-
lahatchie expedition, December, 1862; at Port Gib-
son, May 1, 1863; at Raymond, Miss., May 12,
1863; at Jackson, Miss., May 14, 1863 ; at Cham-
pion Hills, May 16, 1863; at Vicksburg, May 18 to
July 4, 1863; on the Monroe (La.) expedition, in
August, 1863; at Benton and Yazoo, May, 1864; on
Sherman's Meridian Expedition, February, 1864; at

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HENRY COUNTY.

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the siege of Spanish Fort, Ala., March 27 to April 9,
1865, and on Gen. Canby's expedition against Mobile
and Montgomery in 1865. When the war was over he
returned to Kewanee and engaged in the insurance
business, and later on in the grain business, which
he left to accept the Postmastership.

His early education was limited to such as could
be had at the common schools of his boyhood days,
alternating the seasons of farming and attendance
upon the district school. In 1847 he abandoned the
farm and went to New Orleans, where he clerked in
a drug store for two or three years, a business he
followed afterwards at Peoria.

The Captain is identified with no particular
Church, though he is a good Mason, a strict regard
to whose principles constitutes the highest religion
and affords no excuse for hypocrisy.

He was married at Kingsville, Ohio, in 1855, to
Miss Louisa Sloan, a native of the State of Pennsyl-
vania.

li'-enry Wright, deceased, formerly a resident
Ji of Cornwall Township, was a native of
New York, in which State he was born Jan.
12, 1828. He was a farmer by occupation,
and followed the same until his enlistment in
the war for the Union. Mr. W. served his
country in Co. A, 151st 111. Inf., for about a year,
when he returned home to this country to die. Con-
sumption had seized upon him during his time of
service, and April 8, 1877, he passed away to the
land of the hereafter, leaving a wife and eight chil-
dren.

Mr. W. was united in marriage with Miss Annis,
the accomplished daughter of Oliver Root, Jan. 12,
1850, in this county. She is a native of Ohio, in
which State she was born Aug. 17, 1832. Her
father was a native of Vermont, where he was born
Jan. 21, 1792, and is at present living in Munson
Township, this county, and enjoys good health. He
married Miss Mary Thomas in 1817, a native of
Athens, Ohio. The children born to Mr. and Mrs.
Wright are as follows: William H, born Nov. 17,
185 1 ; Mary C, born Oct. 24, 1853; Frank E., born
Feb. 4, 1857 ; Ida E., born March 18, 1859 ;' Clar-
ence, Aug. 18, 1861 ; Alice, May 12, 1865 ; Arthur,
April 19, 1867 ; and Louisa, June 25, 187 1.

Mrs. W. is a member of the Free Methodist Church,
and a consistent, active Christian woman. She car-
ries on the home farm with the assistance of her
children, and is meeting with success in life.

ames C. Smiley, M. D., a distinguished
physician and surgeon of Kewanee, re-
"y moved from Deerfield, Ind., to Cambridge,
Henry Co., 111., in the year 1855, and five
years later began the practice of medicine. In
1865 he moved to Kewanee, and at once, by his
skill as a physician and his deportment as a gentle-
man and a scholar, took rank among the foremost of
his profession.

He was born at Winchester, Va., Sept. 14, 1832,
and was the son of the Rev. Walter Smiley, of the
Methodist Episcopal Church, his mother being before
marriage Miss Susan Kraus. His parents were de-
scendants respectively from the Scotch and German.
He was nine years of age when his father died, arid
but nine when he set out in the world to make a
living for himself. He attended pretty regularly the
common schools of his neighborhood during his
youth.

His first employment was as a clerk in a mercan-
tile establishment at Deerfield, Ind., and from that
time he dates the beginning of his medicinal stud-
ies. Dr. McAfee, of Deerfield, Ind., was his first
preceptor, and under, him Dr. Smiley studied and
practiced medicine for several years. After coming
back to Illinois he entered Rush Medical College,
Chicago, in i860.

Rev. Mr. Smiley left his family, consisting of a
widow arid nine children, in anything but independ-
ent circumstances, and the result was, the sons from
that time forward had not only themselves to lookout
for, but also had the care and support of their moth-
er and sisters. Young as he was, if he did but little
for the rest of the family in the beginning of their'
trials, he relieved them from any care upon his ac-
connt, by proceeding to earn* his own livelihood, and
thenceforward he has acquired what of this world's
goods he has, and has had, by his individual effort
and industry.

In 1880, in partnership with another gentleman, to
whom he leaves his management, he opened a drug

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HENRY COUNTY.

store in Kewanee, thereby adding to his income and
enabling him to have his prescriptions filled by drug-
gists who understand their business, and upon whom
he can safely rely for drugs chemically pure.

He belongs to the Masonic fraternity, votes the
Democratic ticket, attends strictly to his own busi-
ness, treats everybody politely and enjoys the re-
spect and confidence of the community in which he
resides.

Sept. 23, i"8s3, the Doctor was married in Jay Co.,
Ind., to Miss Mary Ellen Cook, a native of Ohio,
and of the two children born of their union, we make
! the following notice : Frank M., graduate of Rush
{ Medical College, and for the past two years a prom-
ising young M. D. of Brooklyn, L. I., and Florence,
now the accomplished wife of Mr. L. P. Kraus, a
druggist of Beatrice, Neb.

ames P. Heaps. While traveling through
Pj' Henry County, the biographical writer of
the Album met but few active business
men who were born in the county. The vast
majority of those who are to-day tilling the
soil, raising the stock, or engaged in business
or commercial enterprises, or are members of any of
the professions, were born without he borders of
Henry County. James P. Heaps, the subject of this
narrative, however, was born upon section 32, Anna-
wan Township, and is to-day living in the same
house in which he was born, and cultivating the soil
surrounding it. He is the son of the well-known
pioneer, William G. Heaps, and was born on the
1 6th of January, 1856. The only educational advan-
tages enjoyed by him were those afforded by the dis-
trict schools in the neighborhood. He is, however,
a good business man and a- successful farmer.

James P. was married on the roth of January,
1878, by the Rev. George M. Lewis, of the Baptist
Church, to Miss Sarah E. Pettitt. Like her husband,
she is also a native of Henry County, and they are
perhaps the only couple living in that county as
man and wife who were born and reared upon the
same section. She is the daughter of Samuel Pettitt,
a well-known farmer of Annawan Township, whose
biography is given on another page in this volume.
Mrs. Heaps was born July 29, 1856, and is the

mother of two children — Allison Ray, born Aug. 23,
1879; and Clarice Ethel, Oct. 31, 1881.

Mr. Heaps has the old farm under excellent culti-
vation, and has upon it a good, substantial dwelling,
with convenient out-buildings. He is thoroughly
imbued with the progressive idea that the most
profitable grade of stock to raise, as well as decidedly
the most pleasant to handle, are the best and higher
grades. He is breeding some Short-horn Durham,
of full blood, which are recorded in the "Herd Book."
His horses are of the Clyde and Norman breed,
while his hogs are Poland-China, and his fowls are
pure-blooded Plymouth Rocks. Politically, he is a
Republican.

enry Shanahan. The subject of this per-
sonal sketch and one of the well-to-do and
representative men of Henry County is Mr.
Henry Shanahan, a resident of section 5, of
Wethersfield Township, where he is engaged
extensively in farming. He was born in Mary-
land, Jan. 15, 1808, and is a son of James and
Elizabeth (Lucas) Shanahan, natives of Maryland,
and in which State the father died. The mother
died in Ohio. Their family consisted of five chil-
dren,— Willoughby, Henry, James, Michael and
Henrietta.

Henry, at an early age, having been deprived of a
father, went to live with an uncle, with whom he re-
mained until he attained the age of 21 years. In
the meantime they had moved to Ohio, and our
subject engaged to work out by the month, which he
continued for three years. At the expiration of
that time he rented a farm and remained in Ohio
until r864, when he moved into Henry County, and
settled in Wethersfield Township, at which place he
has since resided, with the exception of two years
spent in Nebraska. He is the proprietor and owner
of 103 acres of good tillable land, which he has put
under excellent cultivation by his industry, energy
and hard labor.

Mr. Shanahan formed a matrimonial alliance in
Pickaway Co., Ohio, Sept. 6, 1832, the lady whom
he had chosen to be his helpmeet being Miss Jane,
daughter of Nathan and Elizabeth (Hopkins) Frame,
natives of Delaware. She was born in Pickaway Co.,
Ohio, Oct. r2, r8i2. They first settled in Pickaway

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HENRY COUNTY.

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Co., Ohio, and resided there until their deaths. Of
their union were born seven children, — Smith, Robert,
Eliza, Jane, Painter, Lydia and Ruth.

Mr. and Mrs. Shanahan have had their home
blessed by the birth of nine children : James H.,
born May i, 1836; Elizabeth J., May 25, 1840; and
Martha A., Oct. 6, 1842, being the only survivors.
The deceased are George, born July 11, 1833, died
Sept. 10, 1834; Smith, born April 6, 1838, died May
21, 1843; May, born March 28, 1845, died Aug. 17,
1850; Robert, born Sept. 19, 1849, died Aug. n,
1850; Lydia, born Aug. 29, 1847, died Dec. 5, 1866;
and Katie, born Jan. 15, 1852, died Nov. 4, 1870.

Religiously, Mr. and Mrs. S. are members of the
Presbyterian Church, and in politics Mr. S. affiliates
with the Republican party.

euben B. Burn, a farmer on section 20,
Atkinson Township, is a native of the State
of New York, where he was born March
24, 1823. His parents were William and
Margaret Burn. His father was born in For-
gan, Scotland, and his mother in the State of
New York. Mr. Burn was brought up to the busi-
ness of a farmer, and lived in his native State until
12 years of age, when he went to Ohio.

He was married there April 9, 1846, to Miss Helen
M. Shelton.' She was born Dec. 13, 1827, in the
town of Park, Bradford Co., Pa., and is the daughter
of James Shelton. He was born in Connecticut,
April 16, 1800, and died July 22, 1841. Her mother,
Clarissa M. (Hurd) Shelton, was born April 8, 1805,
and was married July 2, 1823. Mrs. Burn is the
second in order of birth of their three children :
Charles E. was born May 3, T824; Esther L. was
born July 19, 1836; Leonard Clarke was born in
1846 ; the latter is the son of the second husband of
the mother of Mrs. Burn, who died in 1846. After
his death she married a man named Young, who
died Jan. 9, 1850. She is still living and is 80 years
old. Mr. and Mrs Burn have had three children :
Clarissa was born Jan. 18, 1847; Reuben -A. was
born Dec. 15, 1852; William W. was born Sept. 8,
1858 ; Clarissa is deceased.

Mr. Burn is the proprietor of 160 acres of land, in
an excellent state of cultivation. The stock on the

place consists of good grades of horses and cattle.
He is in sympathy with the Republican party in
political sentiment, and, in religious views,_is an ad-
herent of the Presbyterian Church. Mrs. Burn is a
member of the Methodist Episcopal Church.

lexander Murchison, one of the influential
citizens and progressive farmers of this
^ county, residing upon section 13, Wethers-
field Township, is a native of Scotland, having
been born in Rosshire, that country, July 7,
1831. The parents of Mr. Murchison, Alex-
ander and Ann (McKinzie) Murchison., emigrated to
the United States in 1849 and settled in Stark
County, this State, where they continued to reside
until their deaths. Their family comprised three
children, namely: Alexander, Jr., Jane and Donald.
Jane became the wife of John McRae, and died in
Stark County, and Donald is a resident of the same
county. Alexander, whose biographical sketch we
write, was reared on the farm, receiving the advant-
ages afforded by the common schools. Arriving at
the age of 17 years, he left the parental roof-tree and
worked out by the month for five years. At the ex-
piration of that time he engaged in breaking prairie
and running a threshing-machine, which occupation
he followed conjointly for several years and until the
breaking out of the war. Previous to the beginning
of the war he assisted in the organization of a rifle
company in Stark County, and when the first call for
troops was made they offered their services to the
Government, but were too late to be accepted.
Afterward this company was attached to the 19th
111. Vol. Inf., and Mr. M. was commissioned Second
Lieutenant, having held the same position in the
original rifle company. He was afterward promoted
First Lieutenant and subsequently Captain, serving
something over three years in the army. At the
battle of Chickamauga he received an injury in the
hand by a piece of shell, which laid him up only for
a short time, and he was in command of his company
the following day.

After the war was over and the cause for which
Captain Murchison fought was victorious, he returned
to Stark County, where he had purchased a farm,
and at once entered vigorously and energetically
upon the task of its improvement and continued- to

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HENRY COUNTY.

68S

reside there for two years. In 1867 Mr. Murchison
removed to Henry County and settled in Wethers-
field Township, where he purchased a farm of 80
acres of land, on which he moved with his family,
erected a fine residence, barn and other necessary
outbuildings, and where he is at present residing.
He has by laborious toil and economy increased his
landed interests in the county until he is at present
the owner of 240 acres in this and Stark Counties,
all of which is under an advanced state of cultivation.
His farm presents a. fine appearance, and is indicative
of good judgment and energy on the part of its pro-
prietor.

Mr. Murchison was married in Elmira Township,
Stark County, this State, July 3, 1866, to Margaret
N. Weed, daughter of Rev. N. C. and Jane (Camp-
bell) Weed, natives of North Carolina and Pennsyl-
vania, respectively. Her father was a minister of
the United Presbyterian Church, and he *and his
wife at present reside with their daughter and son-
in-law, Mr. and Mrs. Murchison, of this sketch.
Their children were it in number, — Eliza J., Robert
C, John M , Nathaniel R., James C, Margaret N.,
Caroline M., Frances A., Andrew B., Elizabeth B.
and Alice C. B. Margaret N , wife of the subject of
this notice, was born in Indiana Co., Pa., Nov. 2,
1840. Mr. and Mrs. M. are the parents of three
children, — A. Clarence, Lorena A. C. and Fannie
C. J. Mr. Murchison has held the office of School
Director in his school district for many years. His
wife is a member of the United Presbyterian Church,
and Mr. M. of the Baptist Church. Politically, he
is a believer in the principles of the Republican
party.

"ames Riley, a citizen of Atkinson, is a
Up farmer of the township of the same name,
E^3^** and is the proprietor of a fine and valuable
farm of 280 acres on sections 1 1 and 34. Mr.
jU Riley was born July 30, 1824, in Licking Co.,
Ohio. In 1834 he came to Illinois with his
parents. They settled in Bureau County, near the
location of the present town of Sheffield. The pre-
cise locality was partly entered by Mr. Riley him-
self, who; in 1847, obtained a soldier's warrant. The

document was a warrant to a soldier of the Mexican
War. It was laid on the land referred to. Mr.
Riley has been a resident of the State from the age
of 10. He came from Bureau to Henry County in
1854, and engaged- in farming. In 1880 he removed
to the village where he is now living. His land is
in the best condition for prosperous farming, and is
fitted with good and valuable fixtures of the latest
and most improved character.

In May, 1848, his marriage to Sarah Dunbar took
place, and they became the parents of five daughters
and three sons : Jemima was born May 2 1 , 1 85 r , and
died Jan. 28, 1874; Mary E. died in infancy ; Will-
iam was born Oct. 4, 1854; Hiram, Aug. 25, 1856;
Ellery, Jan. 25, 1861 ; Ls.ura, Sept. 2, 1865 ; Alice,
Aug. 14, 1871; Nettie, born March 1, 1874, died
April 1, following. Three of the children are mar-
ried. The mother was born in Ohio, June 1, 1828.
William was married to Elizabeth Schwabb, Feb. 24,
1875 ; Jemima was married to Benjamin McCloud,
March 4, 1867 ; Ellery was married to Lottie Web-
ster, Sept. 2, 1848 ; Laura was married to Victor
McCollough Sept. 25, 1880.

Mr. and Mrs. Riley are members of the Free
Methodist Church. Mr. Riley is a Republican in
his political relations.

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}: obert Broadtaent, engaged in farming on
section 24, Cornwall Township, is the
owner of 400 acres of land. He was born
"> \W Aug. 24, 1829, in Yorkshire, England. His
father, James Broadbent, was a native of
England, in which country he resided until
his death, in 1867 ; his wife followed him in 1881.

The gentleman whose name heads this article was
married May 7, 1881, to Mrs. Jane (Winter) Gasp.
She is also a native of England, having been born in
Lincolnshire, that country, in 1843. She has been
twice married. By Mr. Modd, her first husband,
she had two children — George and Sarah Ann. By
Mr. Gash, she has two children — Edward and James.
She has borne her present husband two children,
viz.: Hannah E. and Erwin.

Mr. Broadbent is the owner of 80 acres of land on
section 24, 80 acres on section 19, and 80 acres on
section 18, Annawan Township; also 80 acres on

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HENRY COUNTY.

section 13, and 80 acres on section 14-, Cornwall
Township, making his total landed interest in the
county 400 acres. Mr. Broadbent is a self-made
man. He emigrated to the United States, in 1855,
from his native country, and came to Bureau Co.,
this State, and his financial condition at that time
was such that he was compelled to work by the
month at various occupations for a livelihood. He
continued to labor in that manner for three years,
putting.by his savings, and hoping and trusting for
better times in the future. Better times came, and
after the expiration of three years, during which time
he had labored for others, he rented land and culti-
vated the same for his own individual profit for four
years. At this time of his life's history he was en-
abled by his economy in the past to purchase 80
acres of land, to which he has been adding from
time to time'until he is at present the proprietor of
the fine estate already referred to. In addition to
the cultivation of his land, he is and has been for
some time engaged in raising a good grade of Short-
horn cattle, and is meetingTvith success m-both de-
partments of his. farm life.

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dam Dunlap, a retired farmer of Phenix
if! Township, resident on section 28, settled
in Henry County in 1854. He was born
Dec. 18, 1833, in Wayne Co., Ohio, and is the
second son of William and Nancy (Finley)
Dunlap. His parents were pioneers of the part
of the Buckeye State where the son was born, and
there the father bought a timber farm and cleared it.
He was its owner and proprietor until his death, which
took place Feb. 14, 1852. Hjs wife died nine days
earlier, on the fifth of the same month, and they were
both buried in the same grave.

Mr. Dunlap passed the years of his minority on
the farm where he was born, and he received his ed-
ucation in the district schools. His home was with
his parents until he became wholly orphaned by
their deaths. He spent two years subsequent in
his native county, and in the year already mentioned
he came to Henry County. He was at first em-
ployed as a farm assistant, and followed that means
of obtaining a livelihood until the winter of 1862.
In August of that year he entered the military ser-

vice of the United States. He enlisted in Co. K,
112th 111. Reg. Vol. Inf., and he continued in the
service until the end of the war. He received his
discharge , in July, 1865, and. returned to Henry
County.

He was married Aug '10, 1865, to Mrs. Melinda
(Bartlett) Merriman, widow of Edward Merriman.
She was born in Onondaga Co., N. Y;, May 26, 1813.
After their marriage they settled on the place which
has since been their home, and which they own.
The farm includes 140 acres, situated on sections
27 and 28 and^sections 21 and 22. The estate is in
the finest condition for profitable agriculture, and for
the past few years has been rented by its proprietor.

Mr. Dunlap has been prominent in the public af-
fairs of the township; and has discharged 1 he duties
of his citizenship in official positions. He has been
Assessor nine years, acted as Supervisor one year,
and hasbeen Justice of the Peace three years. He
has also officiated as Commissioner of Highways two
terms — six years. Politically, he is a Democrat.

The parents of Mrs. Dunlap removed from' the
State of New York, when she was 19 years of age, to
Michigan. She was married in that State to Ed-
ward Merriman, who was also a native of the Empire
State. Their marriage took place March 4, 1832.
Mr. Merriman bought a farm in Wayne County, and
they were there engaged in farming until 1838, when
they removed to Henry County, driving through
with their teams, and bringing with them their house-
hold belongings. Ten days were consumed in the
journey, and on arrivaL Mr. Merriman entered land
on sections 27 and 28 and also on. section 25 in Phe-
nix Township. He built a log house on the section
last named, which his family occupied two years.
He then built another log house on section 27; m
which he pa sed the remaining' years of his life, and
devoted his energies to the improvement of his fine
estate. He died Feb. 14, 1858, leaving a widow and
six children. William, the oldest, lives in Phenix
Township. Louisa is the wife of Jay Stafford.
Charles is a citizen of Blairstown, Benton Co., Iowa.
Minerva lives in Geneseo. Catharine L. died in her
second year. Hortense B. is the wife of Abraham
Phelps, of Green Co., Iowa. Gilbert lives in the
township of Phenix.

Mrs. Dunlap, who, with her husband and family-,
came into the county at a very early day, very graph-
ically describes her arrival, and relates some inter-

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HENRY COUNTY.

esting early history. She also gives some glimpses
of the hardships endured by these early pioneers
and especially by the women. We prefer to give the
narrative in her own language. At that time she
was Mrs. Merriman, the wife of Edward Merriman :

"In 1838 my husband and myself," she says,
"thought we would leave Michigan and go into Illi-
nois, and see that wonderful river we had heard so
much about, known as Green River. It was talked
about a great deal at that time, and was really twice
as large in ink, or to read about it, as it really was.
We had two small children when we set out for
Illinois. On the 13th of October we arrived at the
residence of the late Liberty Stimpson. Here we re-
ceived a cordial welcome, and stopped for three
weeks. We then removed to the new residence of
R. Cherry in Hanna Township. The next spring
we moved back to Phenix Township, and settled on
the bank of a big slough in the eastern part of the
township, in a house with another family. My hus-
band had built the body of a poor log house, and
when we moved up there we set our beds in that
part of the house. When the storm came from the
West the rain poured down on us in bed, and we
didn't get up, for it was of no use. There were no
gable ends, no floors, no fire-place, no doors, no
chimney, and I had no stove, and a serious question
confronted me, Where was I to do my work ? At
the north side of the house I built a little room about
five feet wide and eight feet long. I built it just
high enough so that my husband could walk in and
not bump his head, I built a nice little fire-place in
it. I put it up with sod, and I prepared the sod
myself. I did my work in that small room until cold
weather set in. By that time my husband had a
pretty large field fenced, and a crop of com raised,
the gables of the cabin in, the floor laid, and a sod
chimney built, but no doors nor windows. When
corn-gathering time came he had no place to put his
crop, so he stored it in that house, and left me out
about four feet from the hearth across the room to
set my bed in and do my woik.

" About that time, the late William P. Cullen, of
Geneseo, with another gentleman, got lost one night,
while traveling in a one-horse buggy. They came
to my house and stayed over night, and were well
pleased to see five little children sleeping together
all in one bed. It reminded him, he said, of so
Some of these children were

mine and part of them my neighbors'. I enjoyed
myself during that period as well as I ever did
before. I had one near neighbor, and I was satis-
fied. I constructed two one-legged bedsteads and a
table out of what was called ' shakes,' and had no
others for about five years.

" The fall referred to above, there were plenty of
blackberries two miles away. When my neighbor
and I wanted some berries, we would take our water-
pails after dinner and walk to that grove and fill
them. I had a child eight months old, and I would
f fill my bucket with my baby in my arms and walk
home} and I counted that no hardship. I was then
25 years of age, stout and hearty ; and work was no
dread to me."

ames Knox Blish, attorney and counselor
at law, Kewanee, 111., was born at Weth-
ersfield, Henry Co., 111., May 2, 1843.
(For parentage, etc.,, see sketch of Hon. C. C.
Blish, this volume.) He grew to manhood
upon his father's farm, alternating the sum-
mers and winters with the duties incident to farm
life and attendance at the winter schools. However,
the High School at Kewanee and the Wethersfield "
and Kewanee union schools afforded the youth of
this vicinity what may be fairly considered rare op-
portunities for those days and in a Western State ; "
so, at the age of 1 8, young Blish was prepared to en-
ter college with more than ordinary primary and pre-
paratory training. He chose the Michigan State
University, at Ann Arbor, for his alma mater, and
at that institution graduated as a Bachelor of Arts in
the class of 1866.

It may surprise a few of the many readers of this
sketch to learn that the dignified and successful
young attorney, as they know him, once in life es-
sayed the role of theatrical manager, if indeed he did
not don the buskin and the tinsel. But such is the
fact. And why not? It was probably this experi-
ence that inspired within him the determination to
succeed at the forum, even though the mimic world
did not prove what his fancy painted it. It was at
Leavenworth Kan., that young Blish, soon after leav-
ing college, engaged for a time in the theatrical bus-
iness ; with what success does not appear. Returning

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HENRY COUNTY.

to Kewanee, we find that he settled down to farming
for a short time,-going, in the meantime to Chicago —
how many times cannot be remembered, even if it
were essential. But, anyway, he was there on Christ-
mas Day, 1867, and was married to Miss Mary E.
McManus, a lovely and accomplished young lady,
who was born at Sherburne, N. Y. In 1869 Mr. Blish
quit farming and purchased an interest in a blank-
book establishment at Council Bluffs, Iowa, and gave
that his attention something like two years, when he
sold out and accepted employment with the blank-
book manufacturer, J. W. Middleton, of Chicago.
He held this position until the great fire, when he re-
turned home, and with the late Judge Howe began
in earnest the study of law. This was the real .be-
ginning of his career. He was admitted to the Bar
in 1874 and began practice at once. From that day
his success was_assured, and when his final biogra-
phy is written, if he mistakes not, it will contain a
life worthy of emulation.

In 1876 he led the " forlorn hope " as the Demo-
cratic candidate for the Legislature, resulting, as it
only could in a town so overwhelmingly Republican,
but in no wise to the discredit of Mr. Blish. He was
admited to practice in the Federal Courts June 23,
1877 ; and as his hands are full of business his pro-
fession receives his entire attention. Mr. Blish is in-
terested in the First National Bank and the Haxtun
Heater Company, and is the attorney of both of
these corporations, and is also President of the Ke-
wanee Agricultural Fair Association.

Sept. 18, 1882, the Angel of Death visited his
home, and his two little children, James Louis' and
Bertha Bell, were left motherless.

+4&

s-s-

ik Wilson Lovejoy, of Annawan, has been a
g resident of Henry County since 1882. He
came to Sheffield, Bureau Co., 111., in Sep-
tember, 1879, and entered the employ of Marple
Brothers as an assistant in their mercantile es-
tablishment. ■ He remained in their service
three years, and in the year stated came to Anna-
wan. He obtained the position of head clerk with
S. N. Barker and is still occupying the situation.

He was born Aoril 20, 1857, in Chautauqua Co.,
N. Y., the son of John and Emily Lovejoy. He

was brought Up under the care and authority of his
parents, working on the farm -through the-seasons for
the business of agriculture and in the winters at-
tending the district school. He was married Nov.
28, 1881, in Bureau County, to Alice Halliday. She
was born in the State of New York, Sept 22, 1861.
She died Aug. 22, 1884, and left two children, —
Everett A. and Clara C. An infant daughter died
soon after birth. Mr. Lovejoy formed a second mat-
rimonial alliance, June 17, 1885, with Gertrude Mc-
Uermond. Mrs. Lovejoy was born in Henry County,
April 14, 1867.

Mr. Lovejoy is a Republican in political prefer-
ence.

Ion. Charles C. Wilson,, a distinguished at-
Js torney and counselor at law at Kewanee,
was born at North Wrentham, Mass., Sept.
18, T829, and was the eldest of five sons and
one daughter, and has one sister older than
himself, the progeny of Enoch and Abigail
(Richardson) Wilson. The father was also a native
of North Wrentham, and the mother of Portland,
Me., and oTold Puritan ancestry.

Enoch Wilson's father was Jared Wilson, Sr„ who
is known in history as a soldier of the Revolution, in
which service he, with several others from Wren-
tham, was a man picked for the Marquis de La
Fayette's Corps of Light Infantry. He was present
at the laying of the corner-stone of Bunker Hill
Monument, among the venerable men so eloquently
addressed by Daniel Webster. In that battle Jared
Wilson's father, Samuel Wilson, of Dover, was also
a soldier. Enoch Wilson, the Judge's father, died
in his native town in 1858, at the age of 69 years,
and Abigail R. Wilson at the home of one of her sons
at Creston, Iowa, in 1884, at the age of 84 years.

Of the four brothers of our subject we learn the
following facts; and, though the province of this
work is not to trace the various branches of any
family, we feel justified in encroaching somewhat
upon space. The youngest brother of C. C. is an
attorney at Creston, Iowa, while the other three are
all physicians and surgeons of -more or less distinc-
tion! One of them is located at Havana, Cuba, an-
other at Osceola, Iowa, and a third at Creston, Iowa.

C. C. Wilson was educated in the common schools

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of Massachusetts and in an academic course. In 1850
. h£_cam.e.tQ Illinois, and in Stark County purchased
six quarter-sections of land, which he sold in 1854,
-and began reading law. From 1856 to 1858 he was
in his native State, attending lectures at the Harvard
Law School, and in 1859 returned to Illinois to be
admitted to the Bar. He began practice in Bureau
County, but in i860 removed into Kewanee, where
he has since made his home. His first public ser-
vice in this county was as District Attorney for the
Fifth Judicial District from 1864 to 1868.

In 1868 President Johnson appointed him Chief
Justice of Utah, and from that time to 1870 he pre-
sided with ability and to the entire satisfaction of
the Bar of that Territory and credit to himself; but,
differing somewhat with General Grant as to the
Executive's right to dictate to the Judiciary, he, in
August of 1870, resigned and came home. Judge
Wilson has always been characteristic for his public
Spirit, and in his profession occupies a high stand-
point. For several years he was president of the
Kewanee Manufacturing Company, and was one of
the three men who organized the Anderson Steam
Heater Company, now known as the Haxtun Steam
Heater Company.

He is a Republican of the most pronounced type,
a speaker of rare force and ability, fully abreast with
the times in all public affairs, and is strongly spoken
of as the probable successor of General T. J. Hen-
derson in Congress.

Judge Wilson was married at Wrentham, Mass.,
Jan. 20, 1850, to Miss Maria N. Benhani, a native
of Vermont, and has had born to him seven children :
Jennie M., Abbie E., Mrs. S. P. Samuelson, of New
Windsor, 111. ; Laura M., Charles E., Cora A., George
F. and Edward H.

P. Taylor, M. D., of Woodhull, one of the
most successful practicing physicians on the
eye, was born July 1, 1834, in the State of
Pennsylvania. His parents, Michael and
Sally (Persing) Taylor, were natives also of that
State, but removed from there to Morrow Co.,
Ohio, in 1844, and in 185 1 came West, settling in
Monmouth, Warren Co., 111. In 1852, they removed
to Clover Township, this county, where the senior

Taylor is yet a resident. Mrs. Taylor died here in

l875- . .

Dr. Taylor, by his own efforts in private study, at-
tained a thorough education. In i86r, he com-
menced to study medicine in Carlisle, Clinton Co.,
111., and in 1864 graduated at the St. Louis Medical
College. Immediately after he was appointed Acting
Assistant Surgeon in the U. S. Navy, for 18 months,
holding the position of a staff officer until the close
of the war. The Doctor is a fine oculist, having
made the study and treatment of the eye a specialty.
He is also the proprietor of a drug store in the vil-
lage of Woodhull, in which place he has been a resi-
dent since the war closed. He has just completed a
fine residence in the village, at a cost of $3,000.

He is also the proprietor of 120 acres of land in
Clover Township, this county, and a half section in
Kansas. He is a Democrat in his political principles,
is a member of the G. A. R., and, though not a mem-
ber of any religious denomination, is liberal to all
sects and especially to all the public enterprises tend-
ing to the comfort or improvement of humanity.

Mr. Taylor was married in 1865 to Miss Ellen
Russell, a native of St. Louis, Mo., and their five
children are, — Porter E., Sophie M., Sallie B., Mollie
and Eddy D.

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illiam Arnett, a farmer on section 6, Lo-
raine Township, is one of the most prom-
KT"" inent agriculturists in Henry County. He
'} is the seventh son of Lewis and Clara Ar-
nett, and was born in Warren Co., Pa., May
3, 1831. His parents removed to Henry County
when he was six years of age. They settled in the
township of Loraine and there he grew to the estate
of manhood, attending the common schools and
working on the farm after he arrived at a suitable
age. He lived with his parents until he was 20
years of age, and after that he was in the family of
his brother Joseph one year.

In 1832, he started for California in company with
a party numbering 84 persons, with a train of ox
teams. They started on the 19th of April, and
reached Albany, in Oregon, on the first day of Sep-
tember following. The first work in which Mr. Ar-
nett was engaged was in splitting rails on a ranch,

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HENRY COUNTY.

and he then obtained a situation as cook on a ranch,
for which service he received five dollars a day.
- Finding that he could earn more money splitting
rails by the job, he abandoned the vocation of cook
for that of the latter, and worked in the employ of
the same man. La'e in the fall of that year he went
to California and engaged in mining at the place
known as "Sailors' Diggins," where th-j first gold was
discovered by Marshall in T848, who recently died
in the extremest poverty (in 1885). After spending
three months in that business without success, and
with theonly result of his having spent all his money,
he returned to Oregon. Arriving there, he inter-
ested himself in .the management of a ferry across
the Kalapoo River, which he continued to operate
six weeks. At the end of that time his brother joined
him, and they returned to California. There they
engaged in the business of packing goods from Cres-
cent City to the various mining camps in the moun-
tains, their transportation trains being composed of
mules.. In this they were occupied until the early
spring of 1857.

In that season they sailed from San Francisco for
home across the Isthmus, coming thence to the
city of New York. On his arrival at home Mr. Ar-
nett bought 30 yokes of oxen and engaged in break-
ing prairie. In the autumn of the same year he
bought 250 acres of land in a part of Loraine Town-
ship, on the south half of section 6, township 18,
range 4. The place had scarcely known the hand of
improvement and the proprietor has placed it all in
excellent condition. He has made additional pur-
chases until he has 373 acres, on the same section.
Mr. Arnett is a skillful farmer, and in addition to
general farming he raises a large amount of finely
graded stock.

He is one of the many citizens of Henry County
who are wholly self-made and who give unmistakable
proof of the material which has developed the pres-
ent splendid agricultural condition of the county.

Mr. Arnett was married Jan. 30, 1859, to Maria
Brittain, of Henry Count/, she being the daughter of
Jerome Brittain. The children are Elsie, who mar-
ried William Cliambers, now living in Ida Co., Iowa
Emma, Nettie, Eva and Leonard. Mrs. Arnett died
Dec. 20, 1876.

Mr. Arnett was married Nov. 30, 1880, to Josie
Kempster, of Whiteside Co., 111. By this marriage
, there is one child — Howard,

<xrx>

|»mil F. Speigel, who follows the occupation,
of a farmer and resides on section 10,
Wethersfield Township, was born in Ger-
many, May 20, 1852. He emigrated to the
United States with his parents, Frederick and
Minnie Speigel, when he was nine years of age.
The mother of Mr. Speigel of this sketch is de-
ceased, and his father is yet living in Kewanee.

Emil Speigel was the nth child in order of birlh
of a family of 14 children. He lived at home until
he was r4 years of age, after which he worked out
for about four years, and then removed to Io\?a.
On arriving in that State he purchased a farm, and
was occupied two years in its cultivation and im-
provement, when he returned to this . tounty and
purchased. 155 acres of land in We'thersfield Town-
ship, and on which he has resided until the present
time. The major portion of his land is under an
advanced state of cultivation, and he is meeting with
success in his chosen vocation — agriculture.

Mr. Speigel was married in Kewanee, Nov. r7,
1875, to Miss Mary, daughter of Frederick and Fred-
ericka Gunther. (See sketch of F- Gunther). Mrs..
Speigel was bora in Wethersfield Township, Jan. 6,
1857, and they are the parents of two children:
William, Edward and George. Politically, Mr. S.
affiliates with the Democratic party.

^<OC>C . '»-

ohn P. Clarke, residing on section 10 Lynn
'it Township, where he is engaged in farming
and stock-raising, was born in what was
ihen Berlin (now Swedona), Mercer Co. 111.,
July 14, 1844. For history of his parents, see
sketch of Wm. Clarke in another part of
this work.

John P. Clarke remained on the paternal home-
stead, receiving an education in the schools at Mi-
lan, Rock Island County, his parents having removed
to that city when he was^a small child. He also at-
tended school at Andover, after his parents had set-
tled in Lynn Township, this county, and. completed
his education in a graded school at Orion. He con-
tinued to reside with his parents, working on the
farm, and prior to his majgrity spent some six years

« 'i

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HENRY COUNTY.

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153

iii clerking at Milan and Rock Island city. He
was united in marriage March 20, 1879, with Miss
Emma A. Wilkinson, daughter of John A. and Mar-
tha (Fuller) Wilkinson, natives of New York. The
parents, prior to their marriage, had riemoved from
the latter State to Hebron, Jefferson Co., Wis., where
they were married, and where Mrs. Clarke, wife of
John P. of this notice, was born Sept. 14, 1856.
Her father died at that place about five years after
her marriage. Her mother was afterward married
again, to Melvin W. Davis, and in 1869 came with
him to Rock Island County, where they now reside,
and where Mrs. Clarke's step-father is acting as ex-
press messenger for the American Express Company.
Mrs. Clarke was educated in the district schools of
Wisconsin, and the High School at Rock Island
city-, and resided with her mother till her marriage.
Mr. and Mrs. Clarke are the parents of one child,
Harry W., born April 22, j88i. She is a member of
the Baptist Church of Rock Island city, where
she was organist for four years. John P. Clarke was
the eldest of a family of five children. He has for
some time had control of the entire homestead, con-
sisting of 325 acres, most of which is in an advanced
state of cultivation. In his chosen vocation, agri-
culture, he has met with signal success. Politically,
he is identified with the Democratic party.

¥ — •~$^~* — *

Frederick E. Gresser, merchant at Atkin-
son, is a native of Germany, as were his.
parents. He is the son of John and Bar-
bara H. (Kachel) Gresser, and the family emi-
grated to the United States in r8si. They
remained in the State of New York, where they
landed, six years. In 1857 they came to Henry
County. The elder Gresser bought a farm, on which
he operated some years, and is now living in com-
fortable retirement. The parents of Mr. Gresser of
this sketch were married in T842, and he is the first-
born of the family. His birth occurrred in the coun-
try whence he came, and he was but eight when the
transfer of the household to a new country took
place. He completed the term of his minority un-
der the parental roof, and his first important step was
his marriagj. He was united in the bonds of matri-
mony with Christina Dannenfelser. She was born

Oct. 28, 1868, in this State. She has been the moth-
er of five children : Edwin S., Albert G., Clarence
E. and John C, born, in the summer of 1885, are
living. Maude G, the third child in order of birth,
died in 1881.

Mr. Gresser was interested in farming for some
years, and owned a tract of land on section 10 in the
township of Atkinson. But he sold the place and in-
vested the proceeds in the business in which he has
since been operating. He is doing a general mer-
cantile business, and trades in dry goods, groceries
and clothing. He is offii iating as Commissior.er of
the Highway, and is serving his fourth year in that
capacity. He is a Republican in political preference.

ohn H. Taylor, residing on section 7,
(^ Wethersfield Township, is one of the pros-
perous and energetic farmers of Henry
County, and was born in Philadelphia, Pa.,
April 8, 1829. He is a son of Thomas and
Ellen (Wright) Taylor, also natives of Penn-
sylvania, where the father died. The mother's de-
mise occurred in Wethersfield Township.

John H. was the eldest in his father's family which
consisted of eight children, and remained under the
influence of his parents until he reached early man-
hood, in the meantime having attended the district
schools where he received a fair education. Upon
reaching his 21st year he engaged to work by the
month, continuing to do so for two years, when, in
the spring of 1852, he came to Henry County and
purchased a farm in Wethersfield Township, where
he has since resided. Upon his farm, which is val-
uable and tillable land, he has erected a good sub-
stantial residence, good buildings, etc., and has now
in his possession 477 acres of land, 100 of which is
located in Iowa.

Mr. Taylor was married in Stark Co., 111., in Nov.
1853, to Miss Deborah Barrett, who was born in Put-
nam Co., N. Y., April 28, 1833. Mr. and Mrs. Tay-
lor have become the parents of four children: Mary
E., Albert C, Frank and James G. Mary E. is the
wife of Benj. Glyde and they reside in Iowa ; Albert
C. was united in marriage with Miss May Glyde
Feb. 18, 1879, and they reside in Wethersfield Town-
ship ; Frank was married to Miss Addie Glyde Sept

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HENRY COUNTY.

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21, 1881, who died Sept. 10, 1883 ; and he formed a
second matrimonial alliance, with Miss Edna Morton,
the'date of their marriage being July, 1884 and they
reside in Nebraska ; James G. resides at home with
his parents.

Mr. Taylor has held the office of Highway Com-
missioner for r8 years, School Director the same
length of time, and other minor offices of his town-
ship. Religiously, they are members of the Congre-
gational Church, of which Mr. T. is a Trustee, and
politically he affiliates with the Republican party.

illiam H. Blish, engaged as a farmer in
Wethersfield Township, where he is resid-
ing, was bom in Hartford Co., Conn., May
25, 1812. He lived in Connecticut until
1837, when he emigrated West, thinking to
better his condition financially, where he lo-
cated in Wethersfield Township, making his
home here ever since.

Mr. Blish was united in marriage in Connecticut,
Jan. 25, 1836, with Eliza Hollister, and of their un-
ion have been born seven children the following
being the record: Charles, Helen, John, Adelaide,
Prudence, Rhoda and Addie. Mrs. Blish died in
.Wethersfield, Nov. 18, 1858, and Mr. Blish was
again married, in St. Lawrence Co., N. Y., April 17,
i860, to Hannah Gage. Of the latter union there
has been born four children, — Maggie, William H.,
Jr., Hannah E. and Belle G.

Mr. B. has held the office of County Treasurer
twice, Justice of the Peace for many years, Supervi-
sor and most of the offices in the gift of the people of
his township. Politically, Mr. B. is identified with

the Democratic party.

^OOOSs

illiam Lilley, who has been for more
than four decades a factor in the de-
velopment of Henry County, has resided
in Kewanee Township since 1843 — the year
in which he became a citizen of the State of
Illinois. He was born in the parish of Oldham
near Manchester, England, Jan. 22, 1817. William
Lilley, his father, was a woolen manufacturer in his

native land, and married there, about the year 1810.
Betsey Lilley, his wife, was connected with several
well-known families of wealth and standing in Eng,
land.

William Lilley, Sr., sailed for the American Con-
tinent with his wife and three children, July 11,
1818, in the " Susannah," of Londonvfrom Liverpool.
A landing at St. John, N. B., was effected, and the
family removed thence to Boston, where they arrived
September 8, following. After a short residence hi
Massachusetts, Mr. Lillie became one of a stock
company who built the first cotton mill in that State,-
at Andover. He was one of the managers of the
establishment until his removal to Sherbrooke, L. C,
where he and his wife died. He was -born Feb. 7,
1786, and his demise occurred Oct. 1, 1829. His
wife was born Feb. 13, 1784, and died Nov. 18, 1832.
Their children were: Mary, Ralph, Sarah, William,
Charles, John and George ; William and Charles are
the only survivors. The latter is a resident of
Lowell, Mass., and is a mechanic and manufacturer
of repute and prominence.

William Lilley, the subject of this Harration, was
reared in Massachusetts, and went to Canada about
1822 with his parents. After the death of his
mother, which occurred three ye^ars after that of his
father, he returned to the Bay Sta*te and located at
Lowell. He passed ten years as an employee in the (
cotton mills in that place. The crowded condition
of all avenues of business in the East seemed to pre-
clude all possibility of his getting on in the world
according to his ambitions, and he investigated the
rumors of the possibilities afforded by the opening
West.

In 1843 ne came to Henry County, and after pros-
pecting until she was satisfied of the comparative
feasibility of various sections, he decided to locate
in Kewanee Township. He selected a quarter of
section 26, on which he located and began life in-
earnest. He engaged ia the improvement of his
property, and as his circumstances improved accord-
ingly, he rapidly took position among the prosperous
and prominent agriculturists of the country. His
present possessions tell the story of his methods and
habits. He is the owner of nearly 400 acres of ex-
cellent land in Henry County, and his children hold
among them about four times that acreage. He has
about 100 head of horses and colts, and 20 head of
cattle. He sends to market annually about 150

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HENRY COUNTY.

693

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hogs. The rearing of horses has been made a spe-
cialty by Mr. Lilley, and his stables exhibit a fine
and valuable collection of thoroughbred English
Draft animals. In this business he has acquired an
extended reputation, and his name is inseparably
connected with the development and progress of the
county.

Mr. Lilley was united in marriage, Nov. 1, 1843,
to Harriet Huntly. They had six children : Helen,
Mrs. Gilbert Morton, of Shenandoah, Iowa, was born
Jan. 6, 1845 ; George, born Feb. 7, r85o, is a resi-
dent of Brookings, D. T., v. here he is the President
of the Dakota Agricultural College ; John, born Feb.
8, 1852, is a resident of Iowa; Charles, born Aug. 4,

1854, lives with his father : Laura, born Feb. 8,

1855, died Feb. 28, 1868. Mrs. Lilley was born
Feb. 28, 1821, in Statistead, Canada. Her ancestors
came to America in the Mayflower, and the most
noted child of New England birth, Peregrine White,
was her great-grandfather in the maternal line. '"She
died at her home in Kewanee Township, Sept. 24,
188 1, after a brief illness.

Mr. Lilley adds another name to the long and
honorable list in Henry County who give substantial
evidence of the value of industry, perseverance, thrift
and good sense when applied to the resources of
a section of country which require onl,r intelligent,
persistent effort and judgment to yield returns that
amply fill the measure of a man's desires and prove
the quality of his abilities.

on. William Lorenzo Wiley, residing at
Galva, Illinois, was born in Saxton's River,
Vermont, Nov. 10, r82o. The genealogy
(\j of the Wiley family is as follows : The great-
grandfather of William L. Wiley, the subject of
this notice, was born in Londonderry, N. H., in
1739, and died in 1777. He married Nancy Miller,
and they had seven children : Samuel, Nancy, John,
Polly, Robert, Susannah and Jonathan. The grand-
father of William L., Robert Wiley, was born in
Londonderry, N. H., Dec. 13, 1767. He married
Abigail Campbell in 1793, and they had eight chil-
dren, as follows : John, William Campbell (father of
William Lorenzo Wiley), Asenath, Ira, Rodney, Oren,
Robert and Achsah. Robert Wiley died June 26,

1826, in Rockingham, Vt. The grandmother, Abi-
gail Campbell, wife of Robert Wiley, died May, 1826.

The father of William L., William Campbell Wiley,
was born in Rockingham, Vt., July n, 1797, and
died at the same place, May 18, 1878. He married
Mary Perry, daughter of Gates and Mary Perry, of
Rockingham, Vt., in 1818. She died at the same
place, May 13, 1878. The mother of William L.
Wiley was in direct line from Robert Fletcher, who
came to this country from Yorkshire, England, in
1630, she being the eighth generation of the Fletcher
family in this country, Mr. Wiley being the ninth
generation. The Fletcher family have had their an-
nual gatherings at Lowell, Mass., for many years.
Daniel Webster married into the Fletcher family:
hence the name of Fietcher Webster. The Harpers,
of New York, also married into the Fletcher family.
The descendants of the Fietcher family are numer-
ous and widely scattered through the Union.

For several generations the ancestors of Mr. Wiley,
of this sketch, have been prominent farmers of their
native State. His own father was one of that num-
ber. William L. attended a common district school
until he was T4 years old, then for six years taught
school during winter seasons. He attended acade-
my in the fall of each year and worked on his father's
farm during the remaining portion of the time. At *
the age of 2 r he engaged in the wholesale of general
merchandise at Saxton's River, Vt., under the firm
name of Osgood & Wiley. He was married April
14, r842, to Louise, daughter-of Samuel and Crissa-
na Bailey, of Saxton's River, Vt. The father of Mrs.
Wiley, Samuel Bailey, died Sept., 1880. The mother
of Mrs. Wiley was born Oct. 24, 1790, and died April

3, i843'

The only child of William L. and Louise Wiley,

Walter Lorenzo Wiley, was born at Saxton's River,
Vt., Jan. 6, 1844, and died at Galva, 111., May 22,
1862. For several years previous to his death, he
was a member of the First Baptist Church of Galva.
Mrs. Wiley, wife of William L., was born at Saxton's
River, Vt., May 31, 1821, and died at Galva, July
n, 1862. She was one of the constituent members
of the First Baptist Church of Galva, 111.

Mr. Wiley married for his second wife Eunice B.,
daughter of Edson and Corintha Williams, of Galva,
111. The issue of this marriage was two children, —
Jessie Louise, born at Galva, Feb. 18, 1868, and
Walter Spencer, born at same place, March 29, 1872,

@nn!£A£)-

•zt&K. (5\» <ain®ttiijfr^ — *&*?

-«t^f

Henry county.

«»

and died April 3, 1879. Mrs. Wiley was bom Jan.,
15, 1844, in Westmoreland, N. Y., and died at Gal-
va, 111., April 25, 1883. Mr. Wiley, after remaining
in business at Saxton's River four years, his partner,
Mr. Osgood, withdrew. Then, in company with his
brothers, George R. and Henry C, continued the
same business for six years. Part of this time he
was Postmaster at Saxton's River. In 1850 Mr.
Wiley removed to Waterville, Maine, and conducted
the same business as the junior member of the firm
of Locke & Wiley. In the fall of 1851, he emigrated
to Illinois and settled in Brimfield, where he engag-
ed in the purchase of real estate. He purchased
land in Henry County, and in 1854, in connection
with his brothers and cousin, J. M. Wiley, came to
Henry County and laid out the town of Galva, where
he has since been engaged in real- estate business
and banking. For about four years from the organ-
ization of the First National Bank of Galva, in 1865,
he was its President, but owing to excess of other
business and ill health he resigned.

For many years Mr. Wiley engaged largely in the
purchase and improvement of lands in Western
Iowa, some 1 ,000 acres of which he still owns, but
now more especially engaged as the cashier of the
well known banking house of L. M. Yocum & Co., of
Galva, 111. He has always been a strong advocate of
temperance, never having used ardent spirits or to-
bacco. He has been a member of the Baptist Church
for over fifty years.-

In politics Mr. Wiley was formerly a Whig,
but afterwards gave his influence and energies
to the organization of the Republican party. He
was one of the two delegates from the Fifth Illinois
District in the convention, at Chicago, that nomina-
ted General U. S. Grant for his first term as Presi-
dent. For four years he was member of the State
Board of Equalization, representing the same Dis-
trict. For several years he was Director and Vice-
President of the Peoria & Rock Island Railroad
Company. He is a gentleman of sound judgment
and good business qualifications. As a public man
nothing can be said against him. He has ever been
abreast of all public improvements and donated lib-
erally of his means towards every laudable enter-
prise in the community. His straightforward, manly
dealings with his fellow man have earned for him the
respect of the citizens of the town, as well as the dis-
trict, who have honored him with their-suffrages.

The father and mother of Mr. Wiley, says the
Christian Watchman, of Boston, Mass., " were worthy
members of the Baptist Church, Saxton's River; Vt.,
for 54 years. They were baptized Nov. 14, 1824, and
were two of the oldest members of the Church at the
time of their deaths. They led consistent Christian
lives, donating liberally to^buildings for public wor->
ship and taking great pleasure in attending upon the
ordinances of God's house. Their labors have ceased,
and they have many friends as witnesses of their
fidelity to the cause they so much loved. "

harles C. Blisb, a distinguished farmer
la and breeder of thoroughbred cattle, and
pjilp"^ President of the First National Bank at.
ifc Kewanee, Henry Co. ,.111., was born at Glas-
M tonbury, Conn., May 26, 1820, and accom-
■*, panied his parents, Sylvester and Rhoda
(Cheney) Blish, to Illinois when he was r; years of
age. (See biography of Col. S. Blish.) At the com-
mon schools of New England he acquired a pretty
thorough English education, and mastered the sci-
ence of surveying. He was the first male teacher
employed at Wethersfield, and probably taught- the
first winter school in this part of the county, — in
the winter of 1840-1. From 1840 to 1844, he filled the
office of Deputy County Surveyor, and from 1850 to
1854 was County Surveyor in chief. Farming and
stock-breeding constitute the business in which he
finds the greatest pleasure^ and though President of
a National Bank with $100,000 capital stock, as com-
pared with his rural pursuits he finds the position
irksome. (See history of the First National Bank of
Kewanee, this volume.)

Mr. Blish owns three fine farms in Henry County,
and, in company with his son, Mathew B. Blish, cul-
tivates two of them, including the old homestead of
his father, aggregating over 600 acres. As a stock-
grower, Short-horn cattle, registered, is his specialty,
though among his horses and hogs are many of the
finest bloods to be found in the State; and his annual
sales of thoroughbred stock are attended by dis-
tinguished breeders' from all parts of the United
States. In 1865, in company with his brother, Tie
laid out what has since been known as Blish's AddU
tion to Kewanee, and in the year 1884 removed from
his farm into the city where he has since resided.

-3^^— feA^BD®IIIl^A® ^^^

%&&-

HENRY COUNTY.

«9S

Like his father, Mr. B. is a Democrat in politics.
He is no partisan or office-seeker, but a firm and un-
qualified adherent to the principles of that party.
Aside from the prestige of wealth, Mr. B. is a man of
more than ordinary influence in the community,
where the years of his manhood have been spent.
As a farmer and fine stock-breeder in this county he
ranks A 1 ; as a banker, the confidence of the peo-
ple is reposed in him; and as a neighbor and citizen
he enjoys a full share of the love and esteem of the
populace.

He was married Dec. 23, 1840, in the town of
Goshen, Stark Co., 111., to Miss Elizabeth P. Bonar,
who was born in Bethlehem, Ohio, Dec. 14, 1820;
and of their children we make the following brief
memoranda : James J., a talented young attorney
of Kewanee; and Mathew B., farmer and stock-
grower of Wethersfield Township ; William H., Syl-
vester, Carie L. and Catherine E., all died in in-
fancy.

lames Wiley, carriage and wagon manufac-
turer, of Wethersfield, was born in Ireland,
September, 1823. He came with his father,
'M William Wiley, to America when but 17 years
|t of age, and his mother, Mary (McMurdy)
Wiley, followed the next year. In Philadelphia
the death of the father occurred, and that of the
mother in Wethersfield Township.

James was the fifth in order of birtli of a family of
six children, and while in Philadelphia learned the
trade of wagon-maker from his brother. In 1849 'ie
came from the latter place into Stark County and en-
gaged to work at his trade in Toulon, which he con-
tinued for about a year, and in 1850 came into
Henry County. He located in Wethersfield, where
he built a carriage shop, in which he has since car-
ried on his business, and in 1883 built a fine resi-
dence, in which he and his family reside.

Mr. Wiley was married in Philadelphia, Pa., July
31, 1844, to Nancy, daughter of George and Rose
(Percy) Holmes, and she was born in Ireland, Oct.
20, 182 r. Mrs. Holmes died in Philadelphia, Pa.,
and her husband in Stark Co., 111. Mary, Rosanna,
James, Tillie, William J., Tillie (second), George and

Wiley.

Laura are the children of Mr. and Mrs.
Rosanna and Tillie (first) are deceased.

Mr. Wiley has served his township as Highway
Commissioner, School Trustee and School Director.
Politically, he affiliates with the Republican party.
Mr. and Mrs. Wiley are members of the Congrega-
tional Church.

Ijgenjamin H. Wright, dealer in stoves and
•r hardware, at Kewanee, 111., son of John
and Phcebe (Halstead) Wright, natives of
" York State " and of Scotch-Irish and Ger-
man extraction respectively, was born in
Orange Co., N. Y., Jan. 4, 1823. His pa-
rents reared a family of six sons and four daughters,
and he was sixth in the order of birth. The com-
mon schools afforded him a fair English education,
and at the age of 17 years, at Florida, in his native
county, he began the wagon-maker's trade. At the
end of one year he went to Dutchess County and
joined his brother in wagon-making, and remained
there perhaps a dozen years in that business, and
afterwards three or four years as dealer in lumber
and coal. In 1865 he came to Kewanee and em-
barked in the business he has since followed, recreat-
ing in the meantime probably two years.

In politics Mr. Wright is a Republican, coming
from the Whigs, with whom he cast his first vote.

He was married at Dover, N. Y., in 1852, to Miss
Charlotte McKoy, a native of Connecticut, though
brought up in Dover. Of the three children born to
Mr. and Mrs. W. we have the following brief record:
Silas a farmer in Kansas ; Ella, wife of W. A. Bowen,
jeweler, Kewanee; and Anna, an accomplished
young lady at home with her parents.

"acob Boos, a farmer on section 17, town-
)^ ship of Loraine, is a native of Prussia. He
accompanied his parents to America when
he was still in his minority. Philip Roos, the
father of Mr. Roos of this sketch, was born in
Hesse Darmstadt, Germany, in November,
1806. He was educated according to the laws of his
country by attending school until he was about 14,

of s*

&^m&w>*<& — *®*-

■Z0&K @VOMl@!l fl&'/c) ' >^

-«*

§7^f

HENRY COUNTY.

when he commenced operations as a coal miner. He
was occupied in that avenue of employ until 1853.
In that year he came to the United States and lo-
cated in Henry County. He bought a farm on sec-
tion 8, in the township in which he passed the
remainder of his life. The man of whom the place
was purchased had made some improvements, con-
sisting of the building of a log cabin and a small
amount of plowing — about seven acres. The new
proprietor at once entered into the work of improve-
ment and put the whole acreage under the plow, and
erected a good frame house, which was the family
residence as long as the parents survived. The
death of the wife occurred in 1855. The father mar-
ried again, and the second wife died in 1875. His
demise transpired in 1878. The issue of the first
marriage was two sons. George, the oldest, lives in
Buffalo Co , Neb.

Jacob Roos was born in Prussia, Aug. 30, 1837.
He Was 16 when the family were brought to America
by the father, as has been stated. The son was an
attendant at the schools of his native country until a
few months before the removal to the New World,
and during that time he was occupied in mining.
After coming to the township of Loraine with his
parents, he remained a member of the household of
his father until 1859. In that year he set out for the
latest gold fields that had attracted the notice of the
adventurers who would grow rich by some speedy
and novel method, — Pike's Peak. A considerable
party set forth for the land of promise with" ox teams,
and made the journey thither in the slow but sure
and not altogether disagreeable manner, which has
been so many times related as the inevitable experi-
ence of the travelers overland to a distant point on
the great unsettled interior of this continent. On
arrival there Mr. Roos engaged in teaming, and until
1861 was occupied in hauling goods from Denver to
the mountains. The breaking out of the Civil War
brought his attention to another duty, and he en-
listed in the First Colorado Cavalry. He remained
in the military service and continued in the dis-
charge of the duties of a soldier until the close of the
war. He remained on the frontier during the entire
period. After receiving his discharge he returned to
Henry County. He rented a farm in Loraine Town-
ship, and after operating as a farmer in that method
five years he bought 80 acres of land in the township
of Atkinson, and at a date a little later he bought 40

acres additional. He retained the ownership of that
place but two years, and at the end of that time lie
sold out and purchased a farm in the township of
Yorktown. After a year he again sold out and
bought the farm hd now owns. It is situated on sec-
tions 17 and 18, and contains 260 acres. He has
made later purchases and is at present the owner of
340 acres. He is engaged in mixed husbandry and
raises grain and stock. He keeps a considerable
dairy and sells the. cream, as is the custom in this
locality.

Mr. Roos was married in January, 18 66, to Rosina
Ott. She is the daughter of Casper and Elizabeth
Ott, and was born in Cook Co., 111. The family in-
cludes six children, — Charles P., Joseph C, Louisa,
Katie May, William H. and Carrie M. The mem-
bers of the family belong to the Evangelical Church.

ewis F. Matteson, proprietor of a meat
market, Galva, was born June 13, 1844, in
Sweden, and is a son of Hans and Brita
Matteson, both natives of that country. The
parents emigrated to the United States, land-
ing in Altpna, this State, Oct. 8, 1855. They
remained there for a time, and then went to Victo-
ria, Knox County, where they resided for a few years
on a farm. From the latter place they moved to
Galva Township, this county, where they settled on
a farm, two and one-half miles east of the present
village of Galva, and where the father died, at the
age of 55 years. The mother yet survives. She bore
her husband eight children, five of whom are -yet
living, namely : Mrs. Anna Bostrom, Mrs. Carrie Ol-
son, Mrs. Lizzie Eiickson, Lewis F., subject of (his
notice, and Hans A., a resident of Nebraska.

Lewis F., whose biography we write, received but
little education prior to attaining his majority, and
that in the district schools of this county, the
principal part of his education being acquired by
self-instruction and reading at home. In early life
he assisted in the labors of the farm, and was en-
gaged in farm work until May, 1877, when he moved
to Galva, and there, for a time, clerked and worked
at various occupations. In Oct., 1879, he worked for
F. M. Rigen, and continued in that gentleman's em-
ployment for a year and a half. He then worked

<*'»

K^§*

^^ — ^a^ii nffii3n&\&) ^g^

^&^

HENRY COUNTY.

697

for a Mr. Billington, and was with hi in one year,
when he formed a partnership with P. T. Bergman
in the business. He bought his partner out in
March, 1885, and since that lime has conducted the
business himself, meeting with financial success.

The marriage of Mr. Matteson to Miss Lizzie M.
Sanberoy occurred June 10, 1875. She was born
in Sweden, Dec. 9, 1856, and has become tfie moth-
er of four children: Louis Franklin, born July 1,
1876; Dulie Lila, born March 8, 1878; Jefferson,
bom June 28, 1880; and May, born May 26, 1884.
Mrs. Matteson is a member of the Lutheran Church.
Politically, Mr. Matteson is a believer in and a sup-
porter of the principles advocated by the Republican
party.

-£3-

-E3-

rove N. Palmer was born at Painesville,
Ohio, May 16, 1828, and was the oldest
son of Noyes and Lucy (Emmerson) Pal-
mer, natives of Ohio and Connecticut respect-
ively and of Saxon English descent. The
Palmers now found in every State in the
American Union, and numbering among them many
distinguished men and women, came to the Colonies
first in the person of Walter Palmer, a native of Not-
tingham, England, in the year 1629, landing at
Charleston, S. C. Walter was born in 1585, and his
descendants in the male line, and through whom we
trace the subject of this sketch, are : 1, Gershom
Palmer, born 1645; 2, Walter Palmer, 1685; 3, Wal-
ter Palmer, 1717 ; 4, Walter Palmer, 1739 ; 5, Isaac
Palmer, M. D., 1779; 6, Noyes Palmer, father of
the gentleman whose name heads this article, was
born in 1804.

At a re-union of the family, held in 1881, an asso-
ciation was formed called the " Palmer Re-union As-
sociation, " issuing to its members each a certificate
of the following purport, showing a ship at sea and in
full sail: " Dec. 30, 1883. From Nottingham, Eng-
land, No. 312. 1629, America, 1882. To Charles-
ton, 1629; Seakonk, 1643; Stonington, 1653. Or-
ganized 188 1. Palmer Re-union Association.
Coat-of-arms, bearing motto, Palma virtuti.

CERTIFICATE OF MEMBERSHIP.

This is to certify that Mr. Grove Noyes Palmer,
of Kewanee, Henry Co., 111., is a member of the Pal-

mer Re-union Association; and as such is entitled
to the rights, privileges and benefits vouchsafed by
the Constitution and By-Laws.

E. H. Palmer, President.

Noyes F. Palmer, Recording Secretary.

Z. A. Palmer, Treasurer.

Noyes Palmer, of the sixth generation, died July
13, 1840, aged about 35 years, and his widow in
1856, at the age of about 46 years. By occupation
Mr. Palmer was a farmer, and his three sons were
thoroughly trained thereat. Grove N. was the eld-
est, and as such, after the death of his father, had
largely the care of the family. His education was
limited to such as could be acquired at the common
schools of his neighborhood, and when about 19
years of age, began the trade of carpenter and joiner,
at which he worked several years. In 1850 Mr.
Palmer removed to Wethersfield, Henry County,
bought a farm and soon afterward became one of
the largest growers and shippers of Osage orange
plants for hedge fence in the country. He followed
the business about ten years, handling as high as
50,000,000 plants annually and making thereat quite
a sum of money. In 185 [-3 he was also engaged in
mercantile business at Wethersfield, but his hedge-
fence enterprise soon required his entire attention,
and he abandoned or sold out his store business.
In 1879 he removed his family into the town oi Ke-
war.ee, where he has since resided ; his elegant farm,
however, in Galva Township, receives constantly
his personal supervision.

July 3, 1850, at Painesville, Ohio, Mr. Palmer
was married to Miss Hannah Elizabeth Livingston,
a native of Otsego Co , N. Y., and a daughter of an
old soldier of the War of 181 2, Alexander Livingston,
deceased; and of the nine children born to them,
seven are living: Hortense E. (Mrs. Dr. D. B.
Colby, of Chicago); Esther M. (Mrs. Dr. Geo. B.
Little, of Burlington, Iowa) ; Nellie A , an accom-
plished stenographer, of Chicago; Ida Blanche,
teacher in the public schools; Charrie R., short-
hand reporter, with Haxtun Steam Heater Works,
Kewanee; Hattie M. and Carrie L., students; Wil-
bur C, born March 5, 1856, died April 25, 1857;
Frank W., born May 14, 1858, died Sept. 20, 1862.

The only public offices Mr. Palmer has held were
such as enabled him to be of service to his neigh-
bors, and at the same time of not enough importance
to require the neglect on his part of any of his var-

•i»

%&*

I, ^»g — ^A<s>raii3>A^ — ^^ "**

HENRY COUNTY.

ious business interests. He is a member of the
Masonic fraternity, also of the Independent Order of
Odd Fellows, and, like the rest of his immediate
family, belongs to the Congregational Church. Po-
litically, he is a Republican.

uirsm Webb, residing on section 15, Anna-
|' wan Township, where he follows the occu-
pation of a farmer, is a native of Somerset

Co., Maine, in which State he was born May 20>
1849. He was brought to this State when three
years of age, in 1852, and located in Annawan
township. He was united in marriage to Miss Me-
lissa A. Sweet, Oct. 19, 1876, Rev. Chester Covell,
of the Union Church, performing the ceremony. She
was born Aug. 19, 1849, at Buda, Bureau Co., 111.,
and has borne her husband two children, — Clara B ,
born Oct., 29,. 1877 ; and Esther L., Aug. 13, 1881.
Mr. Webb has 80 acres of good land, all in an ad-
vanced state of cultivation, together with a good
dwelling-house, two stories high and 22 x 26 feet in
dimensions. His barn is small but comfortable, and
his horses are Normans and Clydesdales. His cattle
are high grade Durhams. He is meeting with suc-
cess in his chosen vocation, agriculture, and is one
of the progressive fanners and respected citizens of
his township. Politically, he is a Republican.

1 ohn Weidlein, a retired farmer of Ed ford
Township, resident at Geneseo, came to
Henry County in 1851. He was born
Jan. 17, 1812, in Bavaria, Germany. While a
resident of his native land he was subject to
the legal regulations of the country, through
which the government takes the control of all the
sons born to the subjects of the emperor except that
of their support, which remains the burden of the
parents. Mr. Weidlein attended school until he was
14 years of age, and then woiked on the farm un-
til he was 16. He was then apprenticed to learn the
trade of a blacksmith and he served two years. After
working three years as a journeyman blacksmith, he
was old enough to enter the army, in which he served
three years. He then obtained a substitute to fill
his place, and with his father's family he sailed for
the United States. The voyage consumed seven

weeks, and the vessel discharged her passengers at
Baltimore. Immediately after landing the family all
went to Bedford Co., Pa. There the father bought
a farm, and there the son made his home between
two and a half years.

He then, in 1839, established his own household.
He was married March n ofthatyear toEleonoraC.
Emmert. She was also a native of Bavaria. The
newly married pair took possession of a rented
farm in Bedford County, which they occupied seven
years. At the end of that time Mr. Weidlein bought
a farm in the same county. He retained its owner-
ship until 1850, when he sold it, and in the next year
came to Illinois. The journey was made over land
by team to Wheeling, Va., where they took passage
on a steamer and traveled on the rivers, which con-
stitutes the river route between the East and the
West. The water was low, and three weeks were
passed on the trip. They landed at Rock Island,
where the father bought a team, and came thence to
Henry County. He entered land on section 9 of
township 16, range 2 east, which is now the town-
ship of Osco. The proprietor built on the place a
small frame structure, -which served as a shelter for
the family until he could press the work of improve-
ment along to a point of profit; and after he had
placed 150 acres under the plow, he proceeded to
erect a house, to which the first building foTmed the
kitchen. He drew the lumber and other materials
used in the new houses from Moline. He also set
out a considerable number of shade-trees. He was
in fair circumstances on his arrival in Henry Coun-
ty, as lie was the possessor of $[,000, all of which
was the fruits of his industry and frugality • on the
farm he rented in Pennsylvania. When he was
married he was noL the owner of an unincumbered
dollar. In 1856 he sold his farm in Osco Township
and he then bought 320 acres in Ed ford Township,
for which he paid $650. There had beeii 40 acres
broken and fenced and a small frame house had
been begun. He at once proceeded to put the prop-
erty in first-class condition for the accommodation of
his family, as he had abundant means and facilities
for doing, erecting excellent frame buildings, plant-
ing shade and fruit trees, and making all the im-
provements common to the best type of farms in the
county.

He occupied the place until 1880, when he re-

j*q*: %A<£[ig®1lll&^ **&*

H&NRY COUNTY.

4®&%

moved to Geneseo and bought the place he has
since occupied there.

Eight of the children born to him and wife are
still living. Andrew is a resident of Geneseo, and
is the owner of a farm in Osco Township. Philip
lives in Topeka, Kan. Lewis is a resident in Ma-
rion Co., Kan. Jacob lives in the county last named.
Ths homestead in Edford Township is under the
management of George J. Edward lives in Butler
Co., Kan. Caroline is the wife of George Drehmer.
Valentine is also a resident in Marion Co., Kan.
The parents are members of the Lutheran Church.

ohn B. Moffitt, a full history of whose
life would alone fill a volume half as large
as this Album, was born in County Antrim,
Ireland, of Scotch patronage, Feb. n, 1833,
and was the son of John and Matilda (Blair)
Moffitt, who were visiting friends in Ireland at
the time of the birth of our subject. From Scotland
the family came to America in 1842, bringing two
children, and had seven born in Philadelphia. The
senior Mr. Moffitt died in Philadelphia, and his
widow still lives at Kensington.

John B. was intended by his father for a carpet
manufacturer, and he taught him therein when not at
school. At the age of 14 John ran away from school
and made his way to New Bedford, whence he shipped
in a sperm whaler and was gone four and a half
years, cruising the Australian coasts, Japan, New
Zealand, the Southern Ocean, Peru and Pacific Isl-
ands. Returning home, he was induced to learn the
carpenter's trade ; but before the end of three years
he went again to sea on a whaler, as " boat-steerer "
or harpooner, and was out about ten months, when
he and three seamen, including the Captain, all that
were saved, were cast away on Ascension Island
(one of the Caroline group in the South Pacific), and
lived with natives about six months, when they were
rescued by a Cunard steamer that happened to touch
the island. While there, he learned to speak the
native language and became very much infatuated
with their mode of life. The " Britannia " carried
them to Hong Kong, where they shipped in an opium
clipper for Shanghai. It was now the winter season
and the sailors were compelled to work night and

^©c — e^nii;

day in the worst weather imaginable. At the mouth
of the Yang Tse Kiang, the vessel grounded, the
t:de drove them from the vessel and they lay a
month at Shanghai, repairing. Finally, carrying a
lot of Chinese refugees, they set sail, to be wrecked
again upon a small island, from which they pulled
60 miles away to another, larger island. Here they
found a Chinese junk, with whose Captain they were
unable to make terms; so, dropping that unruly gen-
tleman overboard, they took his junk and made back
to Shanghai. From there Mr. Moffitt shipped on a
man-of-war, or private armed vessel, and for two
years was employed as convoy against pirates. After
an interesting experience with pirates at the mouth
of the river Min, and after being again cast away
upon a Chinese island, he found himself at Hong
Kong, from where he shipped in a Dutch bark,
" Emily," for Java via Foo Chow, laden with tea.
At Java the vessel took on a cargo of coffee, and the
next we hear of Mr. Moffitt he is digging gold in
Australia, where he alternated between poverty and
opulence for about seven years.

Via Peru, the Chinchi Islands and Queenstown,
he landed again in Philadelphia, April r, 1862, after
an absence of n years. In March, 1863, he came
to Kewanee, where he worked a while at carpenter-
ing, then farmed a few years, again in mercantile
business of various kinds and in various capacities,
and in 1875 pulled out for Texas, where, at the town
of Terrell, he bought and shipped grain for about
two years. Returning to Illinois, he lived a year or
two in Ogle County, and came back to Kewanee,
where he finally' settled down to business, and, as he
says, " for life." He carries on the extensive furni-
ture establishment in the village. Belongs to no
Church, but is a Knight Templar in Masonry, and
always votes the Democratic ticket.

He was married at Princeton, 111., in May, 1865,
to Mrs. Elizabeth Lyle.

N^r-3

Wm.L. Dairy vipleKi, Deputy County Clerk; was
born in Knox County, Ohio, April 7, 1827, and came
to this county Dec. 14, 1853.

James P. Dodge died at an early day. His widow
married a Mr. Burton. She again became a widow
and married Thomas Stagg. He died recently, and
the widow removed to Whiteside County.

M<^r9 — :S5€^JC —

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* *

HENRY COUNTY

Reuben Cone came with the Geneseo Colony in
1836, bringing his wife and three children. One child
was born here. Mrs. Cone was Miss Harriet Thom-
as, of Canada. Mr. Cope removed to Kansas in
1862, and in 1871 went to Colorado, where he died
in 1883. Three of the sons live in Colorado.

J. IV. Epperson was born in Indiana, in [829. He
came to Knox County in 1849, and to Henry'County
in 1853.

Geo. S. Emmert is a native of Germany, where he
was born in 1839., He came to Henry County in
1851.

Thomas Fitch came to Henry County in June,

1837-

John M. Follett was born in Essex County, New
York, March 18, 1832. Came to Henry County in
May, 1852.

Sylvanus Ferris was a native of Pennsylvania.
Came and settled in Wethersfield, 1838. Died Feb.
11, 1877.

Thomas Glenn, a brother of James Glenn, came in
the spring of 1835. He never married ; died in 1850,
of consumption.

Dr. George Gager was an herb doctor, and lived
near Dayton. Ha was a droll character in many
ways. He died at an early day.

George Garland was born in Pennsylvania in
1836. He came to this county in 1859.

L. B. Goodell was born in Pennsylvania in 1834.
He came" to this county in October, 1857.

Joseph Goodrich was born in Wethersfield, Ct.,
July 31, 1794. He came to Henry County in 1836.
Died Feb. 19, 1852. He had been a missionary to
the Sandwich Islands.

Patterson Holmes, native of Redfieli, Vt. Born
Sept. 1, 1830. Came here in 1853.

Dr. S. T. Hume, second physician to locate in
Geneseo. Some of his early experiences, when every
new man was suspected of being a horse-thief, are
given elsewhere, and are not only illustrative of the
times but also amusing.

Charles Atkinson, one of the organizers of Henry
County and one of its first officials, came to this
county in 1835 and located in Cleveland. He came
from Massachusetts and took an important part in
the early history of the county. He moved to Mo-

line and is now one of its wealthy and prominent
citizens.

Henry S. Aldrich, the county's first "Baby Mine,"
was born in Phenix Township in December, 1835.
See biography of. Earl P. Aldrich, page 3051.

Royce Allen came to Henry County in 1852; was
born in Camden, N. Y., June, 1819; died in 1880,
aged 62 years.

Harriet K. Adams, wife of Geo. Adams, was born
in Jefferson Co., N. Y., Dec. 27, 1825 ; came to the
county in 1855.

William C. Bartlett, born in Montgomery, N. Y.,
Dec. 18, 1797; died Sept. 3, 1878. Catherine, his
wife, was born in Champlain, N. Y., April 17., 1803.
They came to this county May 4, 1836,

Jerome Brittaiii was a pioneer carpenter. He
built for C. W. Davenport the .first log house, a
large double one, and the first " out on the prairie,"
in Morristown, in 1836, five miles south of Branden-
burg. He died in 1839.

John Boyd, Sr., was born in Philadelphia, April
9, 1802 ; came to the county in 1848; died in Cam-
bridge, Feb. 2, 1877. He served three years in the
army. Died Feb. 2, 1-877.

Joshua Brmvning was elected one of the first
County Commissioners. He died at an early day.

George Brandenburg was, born in Maryland July
28, 1799; came to this county Sept. 9, 183^. His
wife, Plicebe, was a native of Vermont, and was born
Jan. 22, 1795; came to the county 1836. George
Brandenburg was always known as " Judge." When
questioned as to what court he had presided over
by a Boston " tender-foot," he replied that he was
" Judge " of one of the earliest elections in the county !
A son and daughter, Frank and Elizabeth, reside in
Dayton, in this county.

Francis M. Brandenburg, native of Indiana, born
July 11, 1834; came to this county in 1835.

Cornelius Bryan settled in Henry County in 1837 ;
died June 23, 1854, aged 64 years.

Mrs.E. J. Blodgett came to this county in 1849.
She was born in 1832.

Redding Busenbark, born in Ohio in 1821, and
came to this county in 1855.

Preston Browning and family came from White
Co., 111., in an early day. He returned to Southern
Illinois. His son resides near Geneseo.

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HENRY COUNTY.

701

Alfred Beck settled between Green and Rock
Rivers. He died many years ago and has no de-
scendants living whom we could find.

James M. Barrett was bom in Maine in 1809;
came to this county in 1849, and later removed to
Page Co., Iowa.

Elizabeth K. Blackfan was born in Bucks Co.,
Pa., March, 1811; came to this county in 1841;
died Jan. 10, 187 1.

F.J. Cox and Elizabeth, his wife, settled in Henry
County in 185 1.

Washington B. Colbert left the county and went
to Oregon in an early day. Some of his half-brothers
remained in the county.

George A. Colbert was one of the first preachers in
the co.uity, he and P. K. Hanna and Ithamar
Pillsbury being the first that are now remembered as
preaching to the settlers. There are grandsons of
Colbert living here.

Charles W. Davenport was born in Stratford,
Conn.; came to this county in June, 1837. Mary
E., his wife, was a native of Norwalk, Conn. ; came
in 1837.

Charles W. Davenport came Oct. 31, 1836. His
wife was Ellen E.

Samuel Clark, a prominent farmer of Andover, re-
moved to Richland Grove, where he died a few years
ago.

Anthony Hunt came with the Glenns'to the coun-
ty. A full account of Mr. Hunt and family may be
found in the sketch of James Glenn. His wife, Car-
oline, born in Germany, May ir, 1812, and came
with, her husband to the county in 1835, was the
second woman in the county.

Rufus Hubbard was one of the first of the Gene-
seo Colony. He was known as the first and great
music teacher in the county. He died in Moline,in
r883, leaving one son.

John P. Hanna, a brother of P. K. Hanna, and at
one time known all over the county as " Uncle
Prior,'- was one of the earliest and most respected
of our pioneers.

George W. Hill was born in Ohio, in 1840. He
came with his parents to this county in 1846. He is
a son of Thomas Hill.

John B. Hagin was born in New York in 1818,
and came to this county in 1855.

Jeduthan Hubbard was a native of Connecticut.

He came to this county in 1839. He died Dec. 8,
1861, aged 61 years.

Albert Jagger was one of the substantial men of
ihe Andover Colony. He returned to New York.

Jacob Kemmerling was born in Ohio, May 18,
1807, and came to this county in March, 1837.

William T. Little, from Hollis, N. H., came to
Wethersfield in 1836, and died May 25, 1845.

Abner T. Little came to this county in 1837, and
died Sept. 8, 1863, aged 90 years.

Henry G. Little, born in Goffstown, N. H., July
29, 1806, came in 1836; delayed coming a year in
order that he might bring a wife with him. He is now
living in Grinnell, Iowa. He was at one time Sher-
iff of the county (1854). He was an active, promi-
nent and an excellent citizen.

George H. Lincoln was born in New London,
Conn., May 3, 1808, came in 1850, died July 16, 1873,
aged 70 years.

Charles Lester was a native of Massachusetts, born
Jan. 29, 18 15 . He came to this county in 1844 and
died Feb. 14, 1876.

Andrew McFarland was a native of Pennsylvania,
where he was born in 1804. He came to Henry
County in 185 r.

Daniel B. McHenry was born in White County,
111., Nov. r6, r827- Came to this county in January,
1836. Rachel A. McHenry, daughter of Benjamin
FriUs and wife of D. B. McHenry, was born in
Pennsylvania, Nov. 8, 1831, and came to the county
in 1837.

Eric Miles was a resident of Galva, where he died
in 1880, at the advanced age of 92 years.

Mrs. Phebe Miller was born in New York in 1790 ;
came in 1835'. She was many years housekeeper for
Eben Townsend; died April 10, 1879.

James Frank Miller, native of Southampton, L. I.;
born 1825; came in 1835; died April, 1877.

Stephen Marshall lived in Colona and died about
the year 1840, while on a visit East. He left a large
family of children, who are in California. When
Marshall came to the county he lived with the two
Glenns and Anthony Hunt, all in one cabin and all
old bachelors.

Anthony unt died on the homestead he first im-
proved, Oct. 16, 1875. He was a German and mar-
ried a German lady of St. Louis. Members of his
family are still in the county. He was an industri-

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4*^£

702

HENRY COUNTY.

I
1

ous farmer and an excellent and intelligent citizen.
Mrs. Catherine Hunt anddaughter, Sarah, reside in -
Geneseo.

Andrew Oliver, a native of Scotland, was born
March 20, 1820. He came to this county in 1838.

Marcus B. Osborn, native of New York ; born in
1803; came in 1837 ; removed to Salt Lake City.

Eric Olson came to this country with the Swede
Colony. He died in 1880, aged 73 years.

Edward A. Mix was in his earlier life a sea Cap-
tain and came from New York city. He was one of
the founders of the Andover Colony. He returned
to New York and look an active part in the late war.

Eben Townsend was an old man when he came to
the county. He was one of the Andover Colony.
Lived to extreme old age, and was buried in the An-
dover Cemetery.

Adrian Van Winkle was an' extensive farmer in an
early day. Afterward he was a grain-buyer in Gen-
eseo. Died in 1883.

S. B. Shumway was born in Bradford Co., Pa.,
April 15, 1822, and came to Henry County in 1853.

Luther Sheldon, a carpenter, was born in New
York, November, 1809, and came to Henry County
in 1839. He died May 4, 1877.

George Tyler kept the first ferry on Rock River in
this county. He died in 1838. His widow kept
tavern in Cleveland, where many of the newly-arrived
pioneers boarded and lodged on their arrival.

Joseph Tillson, the first actual settler in Cambridge
Township, was born in Wrentham, Norfolk County,
Massachusetts, March ri, 1801. He left Boston in
September, 1836, and came West, arriving in Henry
Countyin 1837. In 1838 he built the cabin in which
Mr. Stackhouse found him when he came here in
1840.

J. M. Timberlake was born in Sangamon Co.,
Ills., June 8, 1837. He came to Henry County in

i8S7-

Ralph A. Tenney, a native of New Hampshire, was
born Oct. 13, 1826. Came to Henry County in 185 1.
Removed to Chicago.

Charles F. Tenney is a native of New Hampshire,
where he was born March 28, 1832. He came to
Henry County in 1853.

Thomas H ' .Maine, was born Sept. 17, 18 15. Came
to Tazewell Countyin i836,"and to"Henry County

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in 1855. His wife, Maria E., came with him.
was born in Ohio in 1823.

G. W. Timber lake vt as born in Henry County, Oct.
24, 1843.

Ebenezer Tyler came from New Hampshire to
Wethersfield Township in 1848. Died April 25,
1877.

Aunt Polly Vincent came in 1845. Died in Cam-
bridge in 1881, aged, 70 years. An elegant pioneer
woman, widely known and beloved. She was a na-
tive of Canada.

William J. Vannice was Sheriff of the county at
one time. He was born in Montgomery Co., Ind., '
Feb. 17, 1838, and came to the county in 1852.

Zachariah Welch, a. native of Pennsylvania, came
in 185 1. Died March 14, 1877, aged S3 years. By
occupation he was a farmer and carpenter.

David Wiley is a fine specimen of a jolly Irish
laborer. He was the chief sod-fence maker in the
county. He lived in Morristown, and died there
without issue in 1840.

Street C. Welton, born in Litchfield, Conn., 1816,
and came in 1849.

Mrs. Adaline Welton was born in Orange Co,, N.
J., in 1824, and came to Henry County in 1849.

Col. John H. Wells came from Orange Co., N. Y.,
in 1838. He died May 20, 1844.

Lester C. Welton, a native of Litchfield, Conn., was
born in April, 1817, and came in 1849. His wife
was a native of Hartford,- Conn , and was born in
May, 1819.

Jesse Woolsey was the first landlord at Andover —
then the favorite stopping place with all the travelers
on the old Knoxville and Galena road from 1840 to
about 1850— and was widely known. He died some
years ago.

Ebenezer Walters lived in Bernard's Grove, about
five miles north of Geneseo Left the county years
ago. None of the family here.

Chauncey E. Washburn was born in Massachu-
setts, May 17, 1834. Came to Henry County in

i837-

John M. Withrow is a native of the county, and
was born in 1848. He is a son of W. VV.

Abisha Washburn was a native of Massachusetts.
He settled in Colona. He died in 1872, oh the last
day of August. He came in 1837. His widow is
living in the county.

— — -f^t^

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HENRY COUNTY.

703

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Lucinda Washburn was born in New Hampshire
in 1809, and came to the county in April, 1836.

William C. Wilson was born in Norway in 1839,
and came to this county in 1858. Was Captain in
the army; served five years.

John P- Potter, born in Coshocton, Ohio, Sept.
14, 1823. Came in 1838. His wife, Charity A.,
was born at Young's Mills, Ohio, Feb. 25, 1829. Her
family settled in Whiteside County, 1837.

David Potter, born Oct. 1. 1799. From Knox
Co., Ohio. Came in October, 1838.1" Born in Craw-
ford Co., Pa.C Died in Wethersfield, Oct. 8, i860,
aged 61 years.

John Henry Poppy, of Germany, was born in 1797.
He came in 1847 and died in December, 1875.

Thomas Miller was a noted hunter. He looked a
good deal like an Indian and was still more so in his
acts and manners. ~He died in Hanna Township
years ago.

Hannah Paddelford was born in New Hampshire,
May ii, 1790. He came to this county in 1837.

Rufus P Parish was born in New Hampshire,
Sept. 4, 1816. Came to county in 1855.

Isaac Paden was born in Fayette Co., Pa., Nov.
6, 1800. He came to this county in 1852.

Ithamar PilLbury was the chief founder of the
Andover Colony. He was the first Presbyterian
preacher in the county. He was buried in the An-
dover Cemetery.

Caleb Pillsbury was a brother of Rev. Ithamar
Pillsbury. Caleb's son, Levi, lives near Andover.
One of his daughters lives in Lynn Grove.

William R. Robinson was born in Southampton,
Scut 24, 1829. He came to this county in May,
1842.

N. H. Robinson was born in 1-788, Long Island.
Came to this county in 1839. Died in Kansas, March
8, 1877.

Solomon Penny, widely known as '" old Sol Penny,"
the happy story-teller of the county. Many think
he was nearly Lincoln's match in this respect. He
was also a great wit. Penny's Slough was a great re-
sort for the disciples of Izaak Walton. Penny's
house was a welcome and favorite resort, and " Old
Sol " was a great attraction.

Henry C. Sleight via.?, born Aug. 15, 1792. Came
to the county in 1844. Died at Sag Harbor, Jan. 7,
.877.

Luther C. Sleight was born in Russellville, Ky.,
in April, 1817. Came in 1837. Removed to Sag
Harbor.

John D. K. Sleight was born in New York in
January, 1834. Came to county in 1844. Removed
to Richmond, Va.

Halman A. Sleight was born in Jamaica, N. Y.,
Aug. 7, 1828. Came to County in 1844. Was
Treasurer of Henry County five terms. Died in the
county,

William Stackhouse, native of Burlington, Vt., was
born in 1814. Came to county in 1838. In a short
time went away, and returned in 1840.

Henry Sullivan was a prominent man at an early
day in the politics of the county. He was at one
time Recorder.

Isaac N. Stewart was born in New York, Oct. 12,
1814. Came to Henry County in August, 1847.
His wife was born Oct. 2, 1828. Came to county in

1855-

Lyman Snow was born in Massachusetts in No-
vember, 1809. He came to Henry County in 1840.
Died in Cambridge in 1880.

Austin Sykes was born in Rutland Co., Vt., April
28, 1815. Located in Henry County in 1850.

Roderick R. Stewart, one of the founders of Gen-
esee His three daughters were the first school-
teachers in the county. He held many offices in
the county and his family was the prominent leading
family in the county.

Arba M. Seymour, the first Surveyor of the county.
His wife was a Miss Crocker. Mr. Seymour removed
to Wisconsin.

R. L. Sheppard was born in New York in 1819.
He came to Henry County in 1858.

John Searles was born in Ohio in 1 804. He was
one of the pioneers of Henry County. He came in
1836.

Samuel Sullivan and brother and two sisters carre
here together. They were from Ohio. They left
the county and went further West many years ago.

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704

6V4?HII®IIB»

HENRY COUNTY.

*
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ocx> ,

ohn Melloy, dealer in wood and coal and
drayman at Cambridge, was born Sept. 2,
1832, in Bedford Co., Pa. In the paternal
line of descent he is of Irish extraction, his
grandfather, Hugh Melloy, having been a na-
tive of the Green Isle. The latter came when
a young man to the continent of America and located
in Huntingdon Co., Pa. He passed the remainder of
his life in the vocation of a farmer there. His son,
William Melloy, was born in Bedford, Bedford
County, and is yet living, at the age of 73. He was
a blacksmith by occupation, and -married Catherine
Hoop. She is still living. The ten children born of
lliis marriage are named Elizabeth, John, Catherine,
Ellen, George (deceased), Biven, William (deceased),
Susie, David and a daughter, who is deceased.

Mr. Melloy was educated in the county where he
was born, and on arriving at a suitable age he en-
gaged in the business of a farmer, and was there
married. He remained in the State of his nativity
until his removal in November, 1869, to Henry
County. He made a location in ,the township of
Atkinson, but only remained there until the spring
ensuing, when he came to Cambridge and embarked
in the business which has been mentioned at the
beginning of this personal account.

He formed a matrimonial contract with Catherine
Kertz, a native of Bedford Co., Pa., and the daughter
of Robert and Rachel (Clark) Kertz. Mr. and Mrs.
Melloy are the parents of five children, viz. : Emma,
who is the wife of Mr. McFarland, of Iowa; Robert
W., Nellie., John and Annie. The latter is the wife
of John Kookes. The parents are members of the
Methodist Church. Mr. Melloy is a Democrat.

S. Ellingsworth, of Hanna Township, be-
came a resident of Henry County in r87o.
l"'t""3" He was born Oct. 15, 1834, in Worcester
Co., Md.,and is the son of William and Zipton
A. Evans Ellingsworth, both of whom were
natives of Maryland. The family removed to
Illinois in 1845. They embarked on a steamer for the
city of Philadelphia, and went thence by rail to Pitts-

burg, whence they came on the river route to -Rock
Island. The father bought land in the township of
Moline, and there pursued farming three jears. At
the end of that time he made a change of location,
going to Pleasant Valley, in Hampton Township.
The homestead was there maintained until 1862,
when another removal was made to Hanna Town-
ship. Some years later the senior Ellingsworth went
to Geneseo to pass the closing years of his life and
is still resident there.

Mr. Ellingsworth of this sketch was reared on the
farm and has, been familiar with the details of the
business which he has made the vocation of his life
since he was old enough to have an understanding
of his obligation to the work of the world. He was
an attendant at the common school, and obtained
such education as the time and place afforded.

At the age of 22 he entered the employ of P. K.
Hanna, of Hanna Township, and he operated in his
interests three years. In 1870 he bought the farm
which he has since owhed and to which he has given
his personal supervision. He is engaged in mixed
husbandry. The farm is on section 34.

The marriage of Mr. Ellingsworth and Mary
Stokes Hanna took place Feb. 13, 1870. She is the
daughter of Young and Lucy (Niver) Stokes, and
was the widow of R. N. Hanna. Her parents were
pioneers of Henry County. The children who are
now members of the household are three in number,
and are named Young S., Joseph H. and- James
Garfield.

illiam H. Kemmis, a farmer on section
10, Loraine Township, has been a resident
of Henry County from his childhood. He
was born in Salem, Washington Co., N. Y.,
March 25, 1835, and was less than three
years of age when his parents, in 1837, removed
to Illinois, and located in this county. " Samuel D.
Kemmis, his father, was botn in Washington Co., N.
Y., March 23, 1802. The latter grew to manhood
on the farm of his father, where he was born, and
was sent to the public schools to obtain such educa-
tion as was possible at that period. He made good
use of his time, and was still young when he engaged
in teaching. He was a hatter by trade in later life,
and was married in his native county to Mary Rood.
She was born in the same county, - In. the- summer

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HENRY COUNTY,

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of 1835 they removed with their family to Ohio, and
located in the vicinity of Cleveland. After a brief
stay there they went thence to Detroit, Mich., where
they continued to remain until the year that has been
mentioned as that in which they came to Illinois.
The removal from Michigan to Illinois was accom-
plished in the manner common in those days, with
teams. On the road the mother was seized with
sudden illness, and died of heart disease. She was
buried at a place 25 miles east of Chicago. She left
three children, the oldest of whom was but seven
years old.

They came to Henry County in the fall, and the
father made a claim on the southwest quarter of sec-
tion 21, in township 18. (In that way the township
of Loraine was designated on the' charts of the sur-
veyors before the Government of the United States
placed the land in market.) That tract was not long
in the possession of the senior Kemmis, and he
bought another on section 10 of the same township.
Of the latter he was the resident owner and occupant
until his demise, which occurred in 1858. His wife
died in 1837. In 1850 he was again married to
Susanna Robinson. She is his survivor, and occu-
pies a portion of the homestead estate. Of the first
marriage three children were born : Thompson A.
lives in Montana ; Lydia R. is not living.

Mr. Kemmis, of this narration, is the youngest.
He was a child of three months when his parents re-
moved to Ohio, and of course accompanied them on
their several removals. He followed in the steps of
his father in the matter of bringing up and educa-
tion. He was married Dec. 9, 1858, to Nancy Blair.
She is a native of Detroit, Mich. They settled on
the homestead property, and have always been resi-
dents thereon ever since. He has erected the
buildings he occupies and utilizes in his farming.

ohn S. Long, residing on the southeast
quarter of section 16, Lynn Township,
where he is engaged in the occupation of
farming and stock-raising, is one of the ener-
getic, progressive farmers of Henry County. He
was born in Saltsburg, Indiana Co., Pa., March

father of John S. Long, Jacob, was a native of

the same State as his son. He was a mechanic and
was the sixth child and second son of Jacob Long,
Sr., who was born in Germany, and of German pa-
rentage. Jacob, Sr., emigiated to this country with
his parents when he was a small boy, settling with
them in western Pennsylvania, where he was mar-
ried to a Miss Crousier, who was born in Pennsyl-
vania. Her father was a farmer. The grandfather,
Jacob, Sr., died there and some 25 years later the
grandmother followed him to the land of the here-
after. Jacob Long, Jr., father of our subject, had
learned the trade of grain cradle-making, which he
followed with no small degree of success the major
portion of his life. He was united in marriage at
Clarksburg, Indiana Co., Pa., in 1830, with Barbara
Shirley, a native of that county. Her father Thomas,
and her mother Polly (Miller) Shirley, were of
Irish and German extraction, and her father was a
farmer by occupation. The grandfather of Thomas
Shirley, whose name was also Thomas, was a soldier
during the entire period of the Revolutionary War.
The grandparents of Mrs. Long died at Clarksburg,
Indiana Co., Pa. ; the grandfather in May, 1776, and
the grandmother the same hear. The mother of
Mrs. Long, wife of the subject of this notice, was the
second child of a family of eight children, three
daughters and five sons.

After the marriage of the parents of this notice,
they resided in Westmoreland and Indiana Counties,
Pa., until the death of the father in 187 2, who at that
date was in his 66th year. The mother is yet living
and resides with her younger son, Matthias A., in
Liberty, Gage Co., Neb., aged 74 years. She is the
mother of ten children, eight sons and two daughters,
all of whom are living except one, who died in Ander-
sonville prison. Another son was in the army and
has from some cause or other not been heard from
since he entered the service. The family still live in
hope that he does not lie beneath the ground in one
of the unnumbered and unknown graves of Union
soldiers at the South.

John S. Long, subject of this notice, resided at
home, attending the common schools and assisting
on the farm until he was 19 years of age In March,
1854, he came to this State and located in Rock
Island County, where for a time he worked as a gen-
eral laborer. He afterward came to this county and
one year later, in 1859, in company with 27 others,
he made an overland trip to Pike's Peak, Col., where

* *

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«»

-gV&IItl&lltlfW^

HENRY COUNTY.

after a tedious journey he arrived in Placerville, or
Hangtown. After spending three years in the mining
region, and meeting with success in his labors, he re-
turned by water via the Isthmus to this county, ar-
riving here in April, 1862. Immediately on his
arrival he purchased 160 acres of land, located on
section 16, the same being the southeast quarter of
that section. The land was partly improved, and he
■entered upon the task of its cultivation, determined
to establish a home, which determination has been
fulfilled ; and his farm to-day presents the appearance
of thrift and good agricultural judgment, and is one
of the best farms in the township. By energetic
effort, good judgment and economy, he has added, to
his landed interests 120 acres, which lies adjoining
his original purchase, and also 80 acres of timber
land in Mercer County.

Mr. Long formed a matrimonial alliance May 21,
1862, at Geneseo, this county, with Miss Nancy J.
Fleming. She was born at New Paris, Ohio, June
13, 1837, and is the daughter of Alexander and
Nancy M. (Adams) Fleming, natives of Kentucky
and Tennessee respectively, who were married in
New Paris. Her father was a merchant, and both
died in Pendleton, Wayne Co., Ind. Mr. and Mrs.
Long are the parents of eight children, — Alice M.,
Wilson YV\, Julia, Burtie E., Jessie L., Fleming T.,
Roy (deceased) and Nannie P. Mr. Long has held
the office of Supervisor of his township for ten years,
eight of which were consecutive. Politically, he is
identified with the Democratic party, and socially he
is one of the respected and honored citizens of his
township.

{.ons Shult, a general farmer and stock-raiser,
residing on section 3, Lynn Township, is a
native of Sweden, where, in Smolan, that
country, he was born, Oct. 16, 7834. The par-
ents of Mr. Shult were extensive farmers in
their native country. They emigrated to the
United States in 1857, and soon thereafter located
in Lynn Township, this county, where the son had
preceded them three years previous, in r854. The
father 'died in Lynn Township, in February, 187 1,
and his mother is at present residing with her son,
Hons, and is in her 77th year.
Hons Shult, subject of this notice, on emigrating

to the United States, came almost immediately to
this county, where he was engaged for a time in la-
bor on the railrqad, alternating the same by working
on the farm for three years. He then rented land,
which he cultivated for his own individual benefit
for some seven years. At the expiration of that time
he purchased 70 acres of unimproved land. This
was in the year 1863, and Mr. Shult entered at once
upon the cultivation and improvement of his land,
where he. determined to establish a home for himself
and family.

He was united in the bonds of marriage July 19,
1862, at Andover, this county, with Miss Mary
Johnson, a native of Sweden. She was born March
9, 7841, and emigrated to the land of possibilities
with her parents when she was 19 years of age, they
settling in Lynn Township. Her father died at her
residence, March 18, 1883, aged 72 years. Her
mother still survives and resides in Orion. Mr.
Shult at present is the proprietor of 435 acres of well
improved land, located on sections 3, 4, 9 and 10.
in addition to the time he devotes to agriculture, he
is also to a considerable extent engaged in stock-
raising, and as an agriculturist and stock-raiser has
met with considerable success. His family are
members of the Swedish Lutheran Church at Orion.
Mr. Shult has held the office of School' Director some
time, and politically is identified with the Republi-
can party.

'jEiram Bigelow, the oldest practicing attor-
ney in Henry County and one of the leading
members of the Bar in this section of the
State, resides at Galva. He was born at Le
Roy, Genesee Co., N. Y., Feb. 23, 1829, and
was the fourth in a family of eight children.
His father, John A. Bigelow, was born in the State of
Connecticut, in the year 1795, being a lineal descend-
ant of John Bigelow, who emigrated from Wrentham,
county of Suffolk, England, and settled at Water-
town, Mass., where he died, July 14, 1703;

John A. Bigelow served as a volunteer in the War
of 1 812, and was at the battle of Buffalo. In 1820
he married Miss Mary McCollum, daughter of Jacob
McCollum, whose father was an Elder in the Church
of Scotland. Jacob McCollum was born in the State'
of New Jersey during the Revolution and on the day

3«5®fS*-

3^C SV^irafl&T^ 3^KT

HENRY COUNTY.

of the battle of Monmouth, which history tells us
was one of the hottest ever known. He married Miss
Susan Harris and both lived to a ripe old age.

Hiram Bigelow was reared and educated at LeRoy,
his native place, and when only 18 years of age be-
gan life as a school-teacher, which business he fol-
lowed two years, and afterwards engaged as a clerk
in a mercantile establishment in his native town.

The latter business he abandoned and took up the
study of law, purchasing his own books for that pur-
pose with money which he earned himself.

In 1854 he came West, and in the spring of 1855
he was admitted to the Bar at Elkhorn, Wisconsin.
In 1856 he settled at Galva, then a village scarcely
more than a year old, and began the practice of law.
His business rapidly increased and he soon became
an active and successful lawyer, principally for the
reason that he never neglected business entrusted to
his care, but was always industrious and attentive
to the interests of his clients. In i860 he was elected
to the office of State's Attorney for the Sixth Judicial
Circuit, then composed of the counties of Henry and
Rock Island, which office he held for four years.

At the time he settled at Galva, and for years af-
terwards, titles to real estate in the "Central Military
Tract " were very uncertain, and to what is known to
the profession as " real-estate law " he applied him-
self with great diligence; and, having been engaged in
the trial of many cases in the State and United
States Courts involving the title to lands, and being
uniformly successful, he is acknowledged to stand in
the fronk rank of the profession in that department of
the law.

®>

«s»

-5-

ndrew M. Peterson is one of the ex-
tensive and successful farmers of Henry
W^iT County. His home farm, on section 23, of
Western Township, consists of 240 acres, all
under splendid improvements. Mr. Peterson's
remarkable success in life is a fine illustration
of what may be accomplished in this country -by one
with energy, foresight and determination, pushing for-
ward. He was born in Sweden, July 7, 1828, and
lived with his parents upon the farm until about 23
years of age, when he determined to 1 ome to the
New World. He soon found himself in Henry

County, where he began to work as a laborer on the
railroad. He struggled along, working honestly and
fairly, using economy in all things, and after his mar-
riage settled down as a farmer. At that time he lo-
cated on section 23, Western Township, where he
owned 240 acres. Besides this, he has 160 acres
under good improvements on section 24 of the same
township, and also 160 acres under the plow on sec-
tion 1, and 80 acres on section 2. This vast accu-
mulation of property is the result of his own efforts,
assisted by his wife. When he started in the town-
ship he was very poor. When he landed at New
York city he was without a penny in his pocket, but
he found a friend of whom he borrowed $ro, with
which he secured his passage to this county. He first
entered 60 acres of land, and by degrees has secured
one of the largest farming interests in the county.
Besides all this property, he is a stockholder in the
bank at Orion and also in the mercantile company.

Mr. Peterson was married March 29, 1855, in
Western Township, to Catherine L. Swanson. Like
himself, she was bom in Sweden and came to Amer-
ica with her parents, in 1853. They are yet living,
on the first 80 acres of land they purchased in Osco
Township. To Mr. and Mrs. Peterson have been
born seven children, two of whom are deceased.
The family record is written as follows : Loasie is
married and lives in Nebraska; Sophia is also mar-
ried and resides in Osco Township; Emma M.,Let-
ta, Ida (deceased), Victor S. and Matilda.

The family are all members of the Lutheran
Evangelical Church, and politically Mr. P. is a Re-
publican.

>e~-

fl^dward C. Clow, engaged in the general
mercantile business at Morristown, is a
native of Hudson, Summit Co., Ohio,
j§&- where he was born April 18,1843. His ])ar-
I ents, E. S. and Margaret J. (Fleming) Clow,
nfaved to New Castle, Pa., Sept. 8, 1843, where
they resided for three years, and then moved to Rock
Island and resided there for two years, after which
they moved on a farm three miles south of Milan,
at which place he assisted his father in agricultural
pursuits for a time.

Mr. E. C. Clow, of this notice, enlisted in the 37th

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^^mmw^^Q ^ey1

-«t&&c<

HENRY COUNTY.

111. Vol. Inf. in 1861, and served four years and nine
months in the Union army.

After the term of his enlistment had expired, he
came home somewhat broken down in health, but
otherwise uninjured.

Arriving home he again engaged in farming, which
occupation he followed for about a year, when he
abandoned 'the farm and opened a grocery and res-
taurant at Milan. Continuing the latter business
for about four years, he disposed of his stock and
removed to Filmore Co., Neb., and there once more
engaged in the occupation of farming, and occupied
his time in that manner for 13 years.

In the fall of 1883 Mr. Clow came from Ne-
braska to this county, and purchased the property
where he is at present residing and carrying on his
business, at Morristown.

He has a general stock of goods, and by his fair
and honest dealing with his patrons has established
a good and paying business.

The marriage of Mr. Clow took place at Milan,
Rock Island Co., this State, April 28, 1870, and Miss
Carrie Gale, the daughter of Monroe and Elizabeth
(Cossum) Gale, became his wife. Her father died
in Rock Island, where her mother still resides.

Mrs. Clow was born in Cleveland, Oswego Co., N.
Y., May 20, 1850.

Six children have been born to Mr. and Mrs.
Clow. Three died in infancy, and three, Ethel F.,
Cora E. and Edward S., are now living.

In politics, Mr. Clow is a strong adherent of the
principles of the Republican party.

^enry Rumler, of the township of Atkinsom
is is a citizen of the United States by adop-
tion. He was born in Belgium, April i4>
1854. His parents, Francis and Amelia
(Bonne) Rumler, came from their native land
with their family when their son who is the
subject of this account was a child of three. They
came to Atkinson Township in 1858. Mr. Rumler
has been brought up almost wholly in the township
where he now resides. He was married Nov. 15,
1878, in Henry County, to Wilhelmina Bouwhuis.
Mrs. Rumler is the daughter of Anthony andTerisa
(Vanlandschoot) Bouwhuis, and is descended from

Holland-Dutch parents. Mr. and Mrs. Rumler
have five children now living. Their names are Wil-
lie H., Annie T., Edward, Lizzie and Albert. Fran-
cis died at the age of two^years. The family are
Catholics. Mr. Rumler endorses, the principles of
the National Greenback party.

4«*

ohn Buell, photographer at Geneseo, was

'f born in the place where he is at present a

fl"* business man. He is the son of Christian

and Christiana (Meyers) Buell, of Geneseo, of
whom a sketch is presented on other pages of
this volume. The date of the birth of Mr.
Buell was July 27, T856. He was a pupil in the
public schools at Geneseo during his boyhood and
early youth, and later was a student at the North-
western College at Naperville.

Mr; Buell was from earliest youth possessed of
artistic propensities, and as opportunity served de-
voted considerable time to the gratification of his
tastes, and when he was r8 he became interested in
the acquisition of a knowledge of the profession
which he is now pursuing. He entered the photo- j
graphic establishment of N. D. Davis at Geneseo, . S
and passed two years under the instructions of that
gentleman, and at the end of the time mentioned
was fitted to enter upon the responsibilities of the
business independently. He went in 1876 to the
city of Jackson, Mich., where he passed four years
in the first-class photographic establishment of that
place, and while there was in the constant acqusition
of all the progressive ideas pertaining to the busi-
ness. In 1880 he returned to the State of his na-
tivity, and passed three months at Ottawa, after
which he returned to Geneseo. He bought the es-
tablishment of Mr. Davis, of whom he at first learned
his profession, and has since been engaged in the
transaction of a profitable and popular business.
Mr. Buell is a young man of unexceptionable char-
acter, and is considered a valuable accession to the
interests of the place he resides in.

He was united in marriage to Sarah E., daughter
of Sanford Swank, of Hampton, Rock Island Go.,
111., Oct. rr, 1883. Mrs. Buell was born Sept. 24,
1859, in Rock Island Co., 111.

-&&$M|®gir&*<£ — *^-

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HENRY COUNTY.

711

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■— 0S0—

|f ev. Erland Carlsson, Pastor of the Swedish
Evangelical Lutheran Church, at Ando-
ver, is one of the most widely known gen-
tlenien of his nationality in America. Few
men have exerted greater influence for good
over their fellow men than has Rev. Mr.
Carlsson. He has a splendid record, and one which
we shall not attempt to elaborate in this sketch, but
merely give the more prominent features of his
great works among his people in behalf of religion
and education. He was born in Sweden, Aug. 24,
1822, and graduated at the University of Lund, in
1844, and was ordained to the holy ministry by the
Bishop of Wexio, in June, 1849.

After five years of faithful service in the Estab-
lished Church (the Lutheran) of Sweden, with royal
permission he left his native country, in June, 1853,
coming to America. He at once proceeded to Chi-
cago, arriving there in August of the same year. He
took charge of the Immanuel Swedish Lutheran
Congregation, which had been organized in that city
in the same year, and consisted of a few poor Swed-
ish emigrants. His remarkable career in that city is
best told by the simple record of his pastorate of 22
years for his congregation. Commencing, as above
stated, with a handful of poor Swedish emigrants, and
without influence, during Mr. Carlsson's services,
his congregation became one of the largest Protest-
ant Churches in Chicago. In the spring of 1875,
he accepted a call to Andover, where he is at present
located.

Rev. Erl. Carlsson has not only labored most effi-
ciently as Pastor, but has taken a prominent part in
the general affairs of the Swedish Lutheran Church
of this country. For many years he has been the
President of the Swedish Lutheran Illinois Confer-
ence, and at present is the President of the Scandi-
navian Evangelical Lutheran Augustana Synod of
North America. When the Rev. Carlsson arrived in
Chicago there were only two Swedish Lutheran pas-
tors and six Swedish Lutheran congregations in
this country, but now the Synod of which he is
President numbers 214 ministers, and 460 congrega-
tions, with a membership of 102,413, and now ex-
tends in territory from the Atlantic to the Pacific

slope. Mr. Carlsson is also the Chairman of the
Board of Missions of this Synod, and also Chairman
of the Board of Directors of the Augustana College
and Theological Seminary at Rock Island. He is
also connected with many other boards and impor-
tant committees. He is a thoroughly competent
man, eminently capable of taking charge of the ex-
tensive religious and educational affairs with which
he has been connected. He has always taken the
deepest interest and a most prominent part in the
education of the Swedes, and in making them true
Christians and good American citizens.

It is with pleasure that we present in this Album
the portrait of a man so widely as well as so inti-
mately connected with that large and respectable
elem-ent, the Swedes, which we find in this county.
His influence, however, is by no means confined by
the boundaries of Henry County, nor by the. bor-
ders of Illinois even, but is largely exerted, and al-
ways for good, in every Swedish colony or settlement
in the country.

£ enry Sand, of the township of Loraine, is a
citizen of the United States by adoption, as
he was born in Hesse Darmstadt, in Ger-
many. His birth is dated Jan. 30, 1823, and
from the age of six to that of 14 he was a pupil
in the schools of his native land according to
He then entered upon an apprenticeship to
learn the trade of a shoemaker, and after acquiring a
complete knowledge of the business he worked as a
journeyman indifferent cities in Germany until 1848,
when he took a final leave of the land of his birth.
He crossed the ocean in a sailing vessel, and after a
passage of five weeks landed at the port of New
York. He remained in that city and was employed
at his trade there one year. In 1849 he went to the
city of Pittsburg and operated thei£ as a shoemaker
two months. He went thence to Cincinnati, where
he remained a short time, and went next to St. Louis.
He was a resident there until 1852, and in that year
he came to Henry County. The town of Loraine
was not then named, but was designated by the nu-
meral " 18." Mr. Sand bought a claim on section
22 and built a log house on it. It should have been
previously mentioned that he removed with his
family from St. Louis on the river route to Rock

law.

ci)

i)5«S®«fr-

-4*t^

zJ&k 6V^ltoH B^t^ — •&&&

HENRY COUNTY.

Island, and he and his wife and child walked to
Henry County. They were in possession of 25 cents
in money. The wife spaded a place for a garden
spot, and the husband found employ at his trade and
as a farm assistant until they were able to make a
little start, arid they kept their claim until the spring
of 18153, when it was sold for $50. Mr. Sand then
entered another of 40 acres on section n in the
same township. He built a log house 18x20 feet
square and broke ten acres of land. He continued
to operate as a farmer and shoemaker there seven
years, and then sold out and returned to the city of
St. Louis. He continued a resident of that place
four years, and returned to Henry County. He set-
tled on the west half of the southwest quarter of sec-
tion 10 in Loraine Township, and his family were
the occupants of that place until 1872, when Mr.
Sand again sold out and bought the farm on section
14, where they have since resided without intermis-
sion. The farm of 120 acres is a fine one, and is all
under excellent improvements, with fences and build-
ings of good type. Mr. Sand also owns r6o acres on
section 13 in Loraine Township.

He was united in marriage to Margaretta Todt, in
St. Louis, in 185 1. She is a native of Prussia, and
came to America in 1848. The children now in-
cluded in the family are: Eveline, Herman, Bar-
ney, Minnie, Margaret, Henry, Albert, Fred and
Willie. ■

f oseph. Watson, engaged as a general farm-
[plijg- er on section 13 of Western Township, was
SP^ born in Bucks Co., Pa., Sept. 26, 1830, his
parents being Miles and Nancy (Kelly) Wat-
son, and natives of the same State' as their
son. The parents died in their native State
some years ago, and were prominent and respectable
people in the community in which they resided.

Joseph Watson was about 23 years of age when
his father died, and previous to this period he had
learned the trade and occupation of his father, — that
of a wheelwright. He was married in his native
county to Miss Nancy McAwish, a native of Ireland,
who came to America when a young girl and settled
in Bucks Co., Pa. Mr. and Mrs. Watson have had
their home brightened and blessed with the birth of
three children, one of whom is deceased. Henry,

Robert (deceased), and Maria, being the names of
the children.

Mr. Watson worked at his occupation and the car-
penter's trade in his life-time, and after marriage fol-
lowed the latter a short time. In 1882 they came to
Illinois, and here Mr. W. purchased 80 acres, of land,
located in Western Township. Mr. Watson has en-
tered vigorously and energetically in its cultivation
and improvement, and, besides this land, rents a
large farm, which he operates. Politically, he is a
Republican.

~~i-..:=^sgp8=

■ » yw»

illiam Haxby, a resident of Annawan
Township, who is located on section 22,
came to Henry County in 1855. He is
considered one of the representative agri-
culturists of the township in which he .
has been a useful and honored citizen since
he connected his fortunes with those of its inhabit-
ants.

He was born in Scott Co., 111., April, 1835. He
was the assistant of his father on the farm during
his minority, and he obtained the advantages of the
district school in the vicinity of the home of his
boyhood. After reaching his majority he remained
at home until he was 30 years of age, and acted in
the same capacity on the family homestead as in
his youth. He has made farming the pursuit of his
life.

March r5, r87o, he was married to Eveline Mc-
Gee. She was born Jan. it, 1851, in Peoria Co.,
Ill, and is the mother of six children. Their births
occurred in the order in which they are given be-
low: Rachel A. was born Jan. 7, 1872; Ella H.,
March 8, 1874; Lida M., March 20, 1876; Ethel
May, July 18, 1878; William L., April 17, 1881;
Robert L., Sept. 17, 1883.

' Mr. Haxby is the son of George Haxby, who was
born in Yorkshire, England, in 1795. The latter
came from his native land to America and settled in
Henry County. His wife was, before her marriage,
Miss Rachel Hodson. The names of their children
were as follows : Mary, Ann, Elizabeth, Jane, Mar-
garet, Rachel and John. The mother of Mrs.
Haxby, Mrs. McGee, was born in Champaign Co.,'
Ohio, Jan. 14, 1826. John McGee, the husband and

5*§§<f-

■**€»* Q^3D H M H&A^

HENRY COUNTY.

7i3

father was born July 25, 1824. Before her marriage
the former was Miss Mary A. Hargadine. Their mar-
riage took place June 4, 1-845, ln Ohio. Their children
were named Maria L., Sarah C, Chloe E. and
Charles C.

Mr. McGee died Sept. 28, i860. The father of
Mr. Haxby died Aug. 14, 1876.

The farm of Mr. Haxby contains 240 acres, all of
it being under culture. The buildings on the place
are of good type, and in every way well calculated
for the purpose for which they are designed. The
stock of which he is the owner is of good grades
and the horses on the farm are half-blooded English
Draft breed. Mr. Haxby is the owner of one thor-
oughbred English horse whose weight is 1 ,800 pounds.
He is a beautiful bay in color, and is nine years old.
Mr. Haxby is a Republican in political opinion.

p 1

* 3

fie

;.udson Richard Taylor, a citizen of Hanna
Township, was born May 12, 1832, in
White Co., 111., the son of Ephraim
M. and Sarah (nee Hatsell) Taylor. His
father was a native of Virginia, and entered
the military service of the United States dur-
ing the Civil War, acting at first as an independent
ranger, and afterwards enlisting as a soldier in the
regular service. The mother was born in North Caro-
lina. The parents lived a number of years in White
County, and there their lives terminated.

Mr. Taylor was but a child when he became an
orphan by the deaths of his father and mother, and
in 1844 he came to Henry County. Soon after he
embraced an opportunity to enter upon an appren-
ticeship to acquire a knowledge of the trade of a
carpenter and builder in Rock Island County, and he
went there for that purpose. He pursued that busi-
ness until 1855 'n Rock Island County, and in that
year he embarked in mercantile relations at Colona.
He operated there one year in the first enterprise of
the kind that was established in that place. With a
single exception, he erected the first four frame houses
at Colona, and while he was in business there, asso-
ciated with his brother, J. W. Taylor, and J. J.
Baum, he built a saw-mill at that place. In 1857 he
sold his interests in Colona and removed to Hamp-
ton. He there engaged in the business of supplying
the river boats with coal for a few months, after which

he assumed the charge of the farm of his father-in-
law in the same township. He was interested in
farming until 1865. In January of that year he en-
listed in the Ninth 111. Vol. Cav. and accompanied
the regiment to Eastport, Tenn., and thence to Cor-
inth, Selma, Montgomery and Gainesville, and to
different portions of the South. He remained with
the command until November of the same year in
which he enlisted, when the regiment was mustered
out, and he returned to Hampton Township. He
continued to reside there until 1867, when he bought
the farm he now owns and on which he has since
devoted himself to the vigorous prosecution of his
agricultural interests. It was situated in township
17, now called Hanna Township. He has since pur-
chased land adjoining which belongs to the township
of Edford, lying on section 8, the whole tract includ-
ing 280 acres, all of which is under advanced culti-
vation. Mr. Taylor is interested in raising stock, and
is the owner of a dairy.

Mr. Taylor was joined in marriage in August,
1855, to Mary A. Porter. She was born in Washing-
ton Co., Ind., and is the daughter of William and
Martha (Giles) Porter. The parents were born re-
spectively in Virginia and North Carolina, and they
settled in the county of Rock Island in 1833, a period
which was included in the days of first things in that
county. The six children of Mr. and Mrs. Taylor
are named William H., George H., Frederick L.,
Mary Ida, John J. and Daniel A.

■<&-

-£— —!&*—

on. Matthew B. Potter, farmer of Henry
T County, and the son of David and Elizabeth
(Cosner) Potter, was born in Coshocton Co.,
Ohio, Dec. 16, 182 1. His parents were natives
of the Keystone State and Virginia respectively,
were married and settled in Coshocton Co.,
Ohio, and afterward removed to Knox Co., Ohio. In
the fall of 1838 Mr. David Potter, the father of Mat-
thew, again removed, this time coming to Henry
County, this State, settling in what is now Wethers-
field Township, where they remained until their
death, the mother's occurring in February, 1850, and
the father's, Oct. 8, i860.

Matthew B. Potter, when quite young, accom-
panied his parents to Knox Co., Ohio, and later to

■eA^niK

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HENRY COUNTY.

Henry County. He attended the common schools
during the winter seasons until he attained the age
of 1 6 years, and also attended about three months
while in Henry County, and then engaged in agricul-
tural pursuits, remaining under the influence of his
parents most of the time until he was 25 years old.
. Soon afterward, in company with his brother, J. P.,
they bought a tract of land in Kewanee Township,
which is a part of the site now occupied by the vil-
lage of Kewanee. They afterward traded this valu-
able tract of land for 200 acres of prairie and 20
acres of timber land. They next purchased 80 acres
and divided, Mr. Potter having 125 acres, with the
buildings which were on the place, for his share. He
still retains the original 125 acres, all of which are
tillable.

Mr. Potter was married in Union Grove, near Mor-
rison, Whiteside County, this State, Oct. 20, 1847,
to Abigail Young, daughter of Daniel B. and Betsey
(Jackson) Young, natives of New Jersey. They
emigrated to Whiteside County in 1837, and settled
in Union Grove Township, where Mrs. Young died.
He survives, and of their union 12 children were
born : Emily, Abigail (our subject's wife), Charity A.,
Harriet, Jacob C, Lucy, Triphena, Nelson, Jackson,
John, Sylvia, and one deceased. All but the young-
est child lived to man's estate. Mrs. Potter was
born in Knox County, Ohio, April 14, 1827, and she
has become the mother of five children, namely:
James W., Lucy C, Matthew H, Carrie E. and
David L. James W. is engaged as bank clerk in
Kansas City, Mo.; Lucy C. died when 2% years
old ; Matthew H. resides in Morrison, 111. ; Carrie
E. is the wife of Charles Otis and resides in Kansas,
and David L. resides with his father on the farm.
During the life-time of Mrs. Abigail Potter, she and
her husband brought up an orphan girl, Mary Sum-
mers, who married William H. Stockton, and is now
living in Colorado.

Mr. Potter was elected Sheriff for the first time in
August, 1848, when he served two years, and was
then re-elected in 1852, and served again for one
term. He was elected Judge of Henry County in
November, 1857, and served until the fall of i860,
when he resigned. He held the office of Justice of
the Peace two years, and was one of the first Super-
visors of Wethersfield Township. He has served his
time in that capacity for many years, now occupying
that position, having served continuously since 1880.

He was one of the Commissioners appointed to or-
ganize the county into townships, and has been
Chairman of the Board of- Supervisors one year —
1883. In politics Mr. Potter is identified with the
Democratic party. Socially, he is a member of the
Masonic fraternity.

Mr. Potter was instrumental in raising a company
for the army. It was Co. F, 124th 111. Vol. Inf., and
he was commissioned Captain of the company, and
served with it until August, 1862, being mustered
into the service the following September, and re-
signed on account Of ill-health, after the surrender
of Vicksburg, in August, 1863. He had returned to
his home but two weeks when his wife died, her
death occurring Aug. 28, 1863. His second mar-
riage took place in Galva, this State, on the 8th of
June, 1864, the lady being Mrs, Elizabeth, daughter
of Solomon and Margaret (Hume) Shoup, natives of
Pennsylvania. Of this second union, five children
were born, viz., Ann, John, Helen, Harry and Eliza- ( ),
beth. Mrs. Potter was born in Cuba, Fulton Co., 111., %
Sept. 14, 1839. fe

illiam M. Repine, publisher of the Wood-
hull Gazette, was born in Indiana Co., Pa.,
in the year 1865. He removed with his
parents to Rock Island, 111., in 1877, where
he officiated as news-boy for about 18
' months ; then he went to Reynolds, 111., where
he worked on a farm and went to school for about a
year and a half. He removed to Millersburg, 111.,
where he worked again on the farm _and for some
time in a job printing office.

Wm. M. Repine reached Woodhull, 111., in 1883,
where he acted in the role of "devil," foreman, and
sometimes editor-in-chief of the Dispatch, until he
started a paper of his own. He was-selected, dur-
ing the Presidential campaign of 1884, by the Pro-
hibitionists of the Twenty-first Senatorial District, as
their candidate for the Legislature, and received
about 700 votes.

Mr. Repine is a young man of considerable ability,
praise-deserving firmness, and a general favorite of
the young people in the town where he resides. He
is a member of the Methodist Episcopal Church,
and occasionally delivers temperance lectures within

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HENRY COUNTY.

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715

a radius of 30 miles. He has staying qualities
about him which plainly indicate that he has come
to Woodhull to stay. He is quite an expert printer,
and the Gazette is one of the tastiest, neatest and
newsiest papers in the county.

ames M. Wiley, the subject of this sketch,
one of the founders of Galva and a resi-
dent of that village, was born Jan. 23,
1816, near Saxton's River, Vt. Having been
left an orphan at the age of eight years, with
little means for his support, he was compelled
to earn his living by manual labor. He worked in-
dustriously upon a farm, attending school during the
winter months, until he arrived at the age of 16.
During these years, he developed a faculty for trad-
ing, and the pay for farm labor being small, he com-
mencedtraveling through that and adjoining States,
selling various lines of goods, both at retail and at
auction, and met with more than ordinary success.

April 25, 1838, he left his native State and started
for the then far West, full of high hopes and ambi-
tions, chief of which was to assume the dignity of
land-holder. He, with other young companions,
crossed the Green Mountains to Schenectady, thence
up the New York & Erie Canal to Buffalo, from there
by lake to Cleveland, Ohio ; and then, attempting to
go down the Ohio Canal to Portsmouth, after 50
miles' travel, encountered a break, and were com-
pelled to go by wagon to Steubenville, and from
there down the Ohio River, thence up the Missis-
sippi and Illinois Rivers to what was then the village
of Peoria, reaching that point on May 15, one month
from starting. The following morning Mr. Wiley
started for Brimfield by the first stage coach that
had ever left Peoria for the Mississippi River, arriv-
ing at his destination, where he joined three brothers
and two sisters who had preceded him one year.
Brimfield at that time was a village of six log houses
and one log store, where everything could be pro-
cured to satisfy the simple wants of the hardy pio-
neer. The town was situated in the midst of a
most beautiful and fertile prairie, ready cleared by
nature's hand to receive the plow. Mr. Wiley was
charmed with the location and the country surround-
ing, and here saw a large field open for his enter-

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prise and energy. He purchased an interest in land
bought of the Government the year previous by his
brother, John F. Wiley, and at once commenced to
make permanent improvements upon this farm ; and
this first purchase of land was his home for more
than 30 years, and which, on moving to Galva, he
sold at $100 per acre. He not only followed the
occupation of farming but was also engaged in buy-
ing and selling lands, and has at times owned thou-
sands of acres, upon which he put improvements, and
disposed*bf it to settlers on liberal terms, thus en-
couraging those looking for homes to remain. He
also dealt largely in wool, which he shipped to Ver-
mont, receiving in return woolen goods, which he
disposed of to the merchants of Peoria and surround-
ing towns.

When the Chicago, Burlington & Quincy Railroad
was projected through Henry County, a new field of
enterprise opened to him, which, with his character-
istic energy, he entered. He at once secured 1,500
acres of land along the line of the proposed route,
subject to entry by land warrants ; also, in connec-
tion with his cousin, the Hon. Wm. L. Wiley, he se-
cured a large tract of land and projected and laid
out on a liberal scale, the village of Galva, dedicat-
ing to the town two large public parks, which are
to-day among the finest in the State. They also ,,
donated spacious grounds for churches and schools, , N
paying liberally toward their erection and support.
They built the first school-house in the village and
hired and paid the first teacher. They built the first
hotel, at an expense of $16,000, now known as the
Baker House, and are certainly entitled to be known
as the originators of Galva.

Mr. Wiley did by far the largest real-estate busi-
ness in Galva and vicinity, buying and selling large
tracts weekly, encouraging emigration to this point
by liberal means, and to-day has the proud satisfac-
tion of seeing the fruits of his labor in the beautiful
farms and substantial houses of the surrounding
country.

The subject of this sketch now owns 1 ,000 acres
of land, much of which is underlaid with a seemingly
exhaustless amount of coal, which is being success-,
fully mined. He also owns a great number of houses «§*
in the village and is considered one of the wealthiest, (j^
most influential and liberal citizens of the town, ^^
both in Church and society. He has been a prom-
inent member of the Congregational Church since ^/

<&>»*

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HENRY COUNTY.

ts organization, and its great success as a society is
due largely to his liberality and active labor in its
behalf. In politics he is a staunch Republican, with
strong prohibition tendencies.

James M. Wiley is a son of Jonathan and Han-
nah (Martin) Wiley. His father was born in 1774,
in Petersburg, N. H., and died in January, 1825, in
Rockingham, Vt. He was a farmer by occupation
and passed a. quiet and peaceful life on his farm un-
til the time of his death. His mother was born in
Wilton, N. H., in 1772, and died in March, 1825, in
Rockingham, Vt.

James M. Wiley was first married to Margaret
Miles, in Brimfield, Peoria Co., 111., Aug. 10, 1843.
She was born in Sharon, Conn., Aug. 10, 1825, and
emigrated with her parents, Eri and Maria Miles, to
Peoria County in i84r. She died at Brimfield, April
9, 1 860, aged 34 years and seven months. She was
highly esteemed for her devout Christian character,
and the memory of her many virtues lives in the
hearts of those who knew her. She bore her hus-
band, Mr. Wiley of this sketch, five children, — Ellen
A., William L., Mary C, Everett C. and Carrie I.
Of these, Ellen A. became the wife of Hon W. E.
Phelps; she is at present residing in Elmwood, Peoria
County, and has borne her husband four children, —
William J., Margaret W. , Violet and James W.
William Lorenzo was formerly a lumber merchant in
Galva and now has a stock farm in Monona Co.,
Iowa; he was united in marriage with Flora D.
Wiley, daughter of D. L. Wiley, and she has borne
him four children. — Mary B., Everett D., Estella
and Fred L. Mary C. Wiley married George W.
Moubray, a resident of Galva, and two children
have been born to them, — Flora L. and Margaret
W. Everett C. Wiley is a resident of Kearney, Neb. ;
he married Lucella Vandervort, and of their union
two children have been born, — James A. and Kath-
rena B. Carrie I. Wiley resides at home with her
parents.

Mr. Wiley's second wife was Mary M. Brooks'
daughter of Cyrus and Emily Brooks, of Brimfield.
She was born in Chester, Vt., April 4, 1834, and
died in Brimfield, Peoria County, this State, Jan. 9,
18,67. She was educated at Knox College, after
which she followed teaching, and soon became
known as one of the first educators of the State.
When a model school was determined upon as an
annex to the Normal University, she was invited

through the advice of the President, Gen. Hovey, to
take charge of it, and after three years of successful
labor, she resigned her position to become the wife
of the subject of this sketch, Mr. Wiley. Mr. and
Mrs. Wiley were the parents of two children, — Kath-
rina M. and George P., both of whom reside at
home.

Mr. Wiley's present wife was Miss Lizzie Yocum.
She was born in Jeromeville, Ohio, in 1837, and
came with her parents, Charles and Mary Yocum,
to Peoria County, in 1838. She was, for a number
of years before her marriage, a successful teacher in
the schools of Peoria County. She was a class-
mate and intimate friend of Mary Brooks, mentioned
above in this sketch. She is a woman of excellent
qualities of head and heart, and is ever ready to
work and give to all appeals of deserving charity.
She is also a member of the Congregational Church,
and the influence of her presence and work has
aided largely in making a success of the various
branches of this society.

asper Acker-man, farmer, section 9, Alba
Township, is a native of Prussia, having
been born in that country April 25, 1833. '
He came to the United States in 1859, land-
ing at New Orleans, after being on the water
12 weeks. Soon after landing at the Gulf
city, he came to St. Louis, which required 12 days of
his time. He remained at the latter city only a few
hours, when he took the train for LaSalle Co., 111.,
arriving there in safety, and at once engaged to work
for his brother on the farm, and followed that occu-
pation for 1 8 months. He then left the farm and
went to Ottawa, and was there engaged at various
occupations for four years, the principal part of his
work being that of making tallow candles. At the
expiration of four years, he bought the business and
continued the same with signal success for seven
years.

In 187 1, Mr. Ackerman sold his business at Otta-
wa, and came to Henry County, where he purchased
160 acres of land, located on section 9, Alba Town-
ship, and at once entered vigorously and energetic-
ally upon the task of its cultivation ■. and improve-
ment, and has followed that occupation until the
present time. By economy and energetic labor,.

®>

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HENRY COUNTY.

717

coupled with the active co-operation of his wife and
children, he has added to his original purchase of
land until he is at present the proprietor of 730
acres.

Mr. Ackerman was united in marriage to Miss
Johanna Bodecker, on Dec. 8, 1862. She is a native
of Hanover, Prussia, and has borne her husband
seven children. The living are : Annie C, George
C, Ernest B. and Casper A., and the deceased are
Anna, who died in infancy; Henry C. and Henry
(second).

Mr. Ackerman, in addition to the cultivation of
his land, devotes a considerable part of his time to
the raising of Holstein and Short-horn cattle and
Chester White hogs. As an agriculturist he is re-
garded as one of the foremost in the township, and
likewise one of the respected and honored citizens
of Henry County.

•>«aae7Si@*<— m

|3}—>*S&S03w>*

ohn Mock is a prominent farmer of Henry
County, on section 31, Munson Township.
The great-grandfather of the Mock family,
which is also connected with Col. A. R. Mock,
of Cambridge, came from Germany. The son
of the grandfather, Devault Mock, lived in
Roan, now Davis Co., N. C. He died in Mocksville,
that county. He was married to Phebe Clinard,
who died in Ohio, leaving five children, — Catherine,
John, Mary, Daniel and Phebe.

The children above referred to moved to Greene
Co., Ohio, with their families about 1807. Daniel
was in the War of 18 12, and was married to Ruth
Lindsey, a native of Botetourt, Roanoke Co., Va.
They removed to Randolph Co., Ind., in 1824, and
there died, leaving nine children, namely : John,
Efnsley, Jeremiah L., Polly, Martha A., Daniel,
William, Phebe and Maria B. Daniel, the father
of the children just named, was married the second
time, to Nancy Lindsey, and of their union three
children were born, namely : Elizabeth, Henry and
Eli. Of the 12 children born of the two marriages
of Daniel Mock, John Mock, who is the subject of
this biographical notice, came to this county in 1855
and located at Cambridge.

John Mock was married in Randolph Co., Ind., to

Elizabeth McCann, who died in 1846, aged 33 years,
leaving her husband six children, of whom Mrs.
Ruth Wilt and Col. A. R. Mock survive. The pres-
ent wife of the subject of this notice, whose maiden
name was Rebecca Watson, is the mother of four
living children, namely: Francis M., Mrs. Eliza
A. Atwater, Arabella, Annette and Enos W., who
died when 20 years of age. 1

Mr. Mock was a member of the defunct Whig
party during its day, but at the birth of the grand
old Republican party joined its ranks and has ever
since continued to cast his vote with it. He is the
proprietor of 1 17 acres of good farm land in Munson
and Cambridge Townships, and has passed the ma-
jor portion of his life in the occupation of an agricul-
turist.

arnhart Kramer, a farmer on section
19, Alba Township, was born in Saxe
Coburg, Germany, June 19, 1826. He is
the son of Christian Kramer, and remained
in his native country until the year 1852.
He sailed in that year for the American con-
tinent, and landed at New York the 4th of Novem-
ber. He did not stay there very long, but made his
way with haste to Chicago, remained two weeks, and
thence to La Salle Co., 111. He then obtained em-
ployment on the Illinois Central Railroad, in the vi-
cinity of Bloomington, and passed six months in the
same capacity. He then went to the city of St.
Louis, and there he worked in a brick-yard for a
period of 15 months. He came thence to Marshall
County, and moved to Bureau County in 1857. In
1870 he bought 80 acres of land in Henry County,
on which he has since operated in his own behalf.
His marriage to Eve Lippert occurred Aug. 9,
1855. Their children were born as follows : Barney,
July 28, 1856; Maria, Oct. 25, 1858; Frank, Dec.
18, i860; Stephen, June 7, 1863 ; Mary, March 29,
1867; Stephen died Nov. 15, 1865. Mrs. Kramer
was born Dec. 22, 1822, in Bavaria, Germany.

Mr. Kramer was a War Democrat, and belonged
to the Jacksonian School. In religious belief, he is
a Lutheran. Mrs. Kramer is a Catholic.

(!)

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j^e — @?*<>iraii.&^9 — ^w^-

HENRY COUNTY.

' - o»o *

eorge C. Howlette, practicing physician at
Atkinson Village, was born July 28, 1858,
in Hartford, Conn., and is the son of Ed-
ward D. Howlette, also a native of that State.
The father married a Miss Charlotte Brewer,
who was a native of Connecticut, and the pa-
rents are both living. George C. attended the dis-
trict schools of his native county, and assisted his
father in the maintenance of the family until he at-
tained the age of 15 years. When about 18 or 19
years old he read medicine with Dr. Case, of Hart-
ford, Conn., some six months, when he came to
Plymouth, Ind., and was at that place about one
year. During his stay at the latter place, he read
medicine under Dr. E. W. Veits, after which he went
to Chicago and attended lectures at the Homeopathic
( ) College, and after following the curriculum of that in-
stitution for three years, graduated therefrom at the
head of his class. After receiving his diploma he as-
sociated himself with Dr. Hoppin, of Geneseo, this
county. In r88o, December of that year, he re-
moved to Annawan and there followed the practice
of his profession for three years, working up a lu-
crative and successful practice. At the expiration of
the time stated, he removed to Kewanee and there
followed his profession for about one year, when, in
1884, he moved to the village of Atkinson and has
since continued in practice at that place.

Dr. Howlette was united in marriage with Miss
Sadie A. Smith, who was born in r86o, in this State,
and who bore her husband one daughter, the date of
her birth being July 27, 1884. The Doctor is a Re-
publican in politics, a successful physician and re-
spected and honored citizen of the county.

kenry Bass, a successful farmer and respect-
J ed citizen of Atkinson Township, owning
1 60 acres of good farm land, located on
section 14, where he resides, was born in Con-
necticut, Nov. 24, 18T7, in Windham County.
He has made agriculture the vocation of his
Remaining with his parents upon the farm and
assisting in the labors thereon, until 21 years of age,

he then set forth to fight life's battles alone. When
35 years old, he came to this State, in 1853, and set-
tled in Bureau County, where lie purchased 200
acres of land, and afterwards added to it three acres
of timber. On this land he located, and for 18
months was engaged in its cultivation, at which time
he removed to Henry County, and has since resided
here.

Mr. Bass formed a matrimonial alliance with Miss
Mary Crandall, March 9, 1854. She was a native
of Connecticut, being born in that State Feb. 15,
1825. After living together for 2r years as man and"
wife, Mrs. Bass was called to the land beyond, being
at her demise 48 years, 1 r months and eight days
old, and leaving to the care of her husband four
children, namely : Arvina, born Nov. 20, 1858 ; Le-
ander, July 20, 1861 ; Amanda, March 22, 1863, and
Orin, Oct. 15, 1864.

Mr. Bass was a second time married March 2,
1876, to Mary Innis, who was born in June, 1836, in
County Down, Ireland. She emigrated to the
United States in 1865. Of the latter union there is
no issue.

Mr. Bass has a fine farm of 160 acres, located on
sections 14 and 15, Atkinson Township, on which he
has a fair residence and a good barn, and is meeting
with success in his chosen profession.

He and his wife are members of the Methodist
Episcopal Church.

In politics, he is a believer in and a supporter of
the principles of the Republican party.

ellington P. Baker, a prosperous and
successful farmer, owning 240 acres of
good land, located on section 34, Alba
!> Township, where he resides, is a native of
'"i Maine, having been born in that State March
ir, 1841. Mr. Baker remained with his pat-
ents in his native State, assisting in the labors of the
farm, and receiving a primary education at the com-
mon schools, until the breaking out of the late Civil
War, when, sympathizing with the cause of the Union,
he enlisted in Co. H, rst Maine Vol. Inf., Sept.
27, 1861, and was mustered in at Augusta. He was
first ordered to Washington City, and from there
went to Shenandoah Valley, and took part in Ba-
ker's Retreat across the Potomac. He was sent

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HENRY COUNTY.

719

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around to Manassas Junction and Warrenton, and
there he spent the summer. He remained in the
service four years, and was mustered out Aug. 15, '65.

Mr. Baker formed a matrimonial alliance with Miss
H. S. Graves, Oct. 26, 1868. She was a native of
Maine, having been born in that State March 18,
1848, and bore her husband eight children, namely:
Emma H., Eugene G^ Melvin W., Gracie D., Mat-
tie H., Willie, and Frank and' Fred, twins. The lat-
ter two were born July 21, 1S83. Mr. Baker has a
fine farm of 240 acres, located on section 34, Alba
Township, on which he resides, and is actively and
energetically engaged in the vocation of an agricult-
urist. He has a good dwelling on his farm, 28 x 40
feet in dimensions, and two-story in height. In ad-
dition to the cultivation of his land, he is engaged to
some extent in the raising of Short-horn cattle, and
also Norman horses, and is meeting with success in
this department of his vocation.

Socially, he is a member of the G. A. R., and he
and his wife belong to the Congregational Church.
In politics he votes with the Republican party, and
as an agriculturist ranks among the foremost of Alba
Township.

ton. Jonas W. Olson, lawyer, Galva, was
born July 7, 1843, in Soderala Socken,
Helsingland, Sweden, and is the son of
Rev. Olof Olson, who settled in Weller Town-
ship as early as 1845, and was the gentleman
that came one year prior to the time that the
Swedish Colony came.

Our subject was sick at the time his father sailed
from Sweden, and was left in the care of his grand-
mother and an aunt. One year later, however,
when only three years of age, he was brought to
America by his relatives and with the colony. His life
so unfortunate at this tender age, was only beginning
to enter the terrible darkness of the sorrows soon to
befall him. On the day before he arrived at the colony,
his mother died. She was accompanied to her eter-
nal home by his brother Olof and sister Beatrice,
and shortly after his arrival his father died. He was
thus left an orphan, and was taken away from the
colony by an aunt, Christine W. P. Skoglund, who
married Peter Dahlgren, who went to Galesburg af-
ter a short time and subsequently moved upon a
farm about five miles southeast of Victoria, Knox
County. Mr. Dahlgren was killed in a sand-bank
south of Galva, and our subject continued to reside
with his aunt until he was 15 years of age, at which
time he was apprenticed to Ira C. Reed, of La Fay-
ette, Stark County, to learn the shoemakers' trade,
to whom he was bound by written articles of appren-
ticeship to work for two years for only $25 per year

and his board, but Mr. Reed very kindly and gener-
ously paid him twice the amount agreed upon. He
served his two years, and continued one year longer,
making a little money, when he came to Galva,
where for a time he attended the public schools.
Here misfortune overtook him again, for he soon
took sick, his money ran out, and he was obliged to
leave school; he then went to work for Milton Ne-
gus, at his trade, which he followed for a short time
only. During this period of his life he was ambi-
tious to enter the legal profession, and his mornings
and evenings while he was working at his trade were
spent in reading law books. He subsequently read
law with Hon. John I. Bennett, one of the Masters
in Chancery of Chicago. Mr. Olson was admitted
to the Bar in 1859, and has since followed his pro-
fession, with good success.

Mr. Olson was elected by the Republican party to
the House of Representatives, in the fall of 1870,
and served one term, that Legislature also hav-
ing an extra session on account of the Chicago
fire. He took an active part in that body, and was
a member of several committees. He was the
author of the law giving to laborers, who work for
railroad contractors and sub-contractors, a lien on all
the property of such railroad to secure their wages.
Mr. Olson was the first Scandinavian ever admitted
to the Bar of the State of Illinois, and the first Swede
elected to the Legislature. He has been Town Col-
lector for seven years, and Police Magistrate for eight
years, declining re-election. He is also a member of
the Board of Education. Since 1872, Mr. Olson has
been identified with the Democratic party, and while
a majority of his fellow-countrymen were Republi-
cans, no man is more admired by the Scandinavian
element than he. His l^rge influence is due to his
strict integrity, good moral life, his pleasing and cor-
dial address and obliging manners.

Among other misfortunes that have befallen Mr.
Olson is that of having been burned out Tour times,
twice totally losing house and home and twice par-
tially. When living near Victoria he walked over
two miles on crutches through the mud, without
sidewalks, to attend the Center Prairie School. He
saved some of his tools from the fire the first time
he was burned out, when he again worked at his
trade four weeks. Mr. Olson has worked his 'way
with an iron will, and by his own unaided efforts
from the dependency of a crippled orphan, without
means, to a place of honorable influence and esteem
among his fellow men. As we have stated, he was
left a hopeless cripple at the age of three years, and
a poor orphan ; but notwithstanding these afflictions,
and seemingly unsurmountable obstacles, he has, by
reason of his native talent, energy and industry, be-
come a representative man, even among the best
native American citizens in the community in which
he lives. He is a man whose favorable reputation
extends to almost every Swedish community in the

720

HENRY COUNTY.

State, and to whom his people of the entire State
point with pride, as a man who, notwithstanding the
misfortunes of his early youth, was one of the first
Swedes admitted to the Bar as an attorney-at-law,
and the first Scandinavian Representative elected to
the Legislature. He is also one of the best Scandi-
navian speakers in the State of Illinois.

Mr. Olson was married Nov. 18, 1869, to Miss
Carrie Matteson, a daughter of Anson Matteson, and
a lady of estimable worth, a nativeof Ugglebo, Gefle-
borgs Lan, Sweden. She was born June 5, 1848,
and is the mother of three children, viz. : Mary Au-
rora, born. Sept. n, 1870, Maud V., born Nov. 10,
1876, and Mabel W., born Oct. 24, 1880.

Politically, he was a Republican until the slavery
question, which called that party into existence, had
become permanently settled by amendments to the
Constitution and those amendments ratified by the
Democratic party.

He claims that the Republican party was organ-
ized for the sole purpose of opposing the extension
of slavery and that men who differed on every other
question became what was called Republicans, sim-
ply because they agreed on the slavery question ;
that a tool made for a special purpose is unfitted for
general use ; so a party organized for a special pur-
pose has outlived its usefulness when that purpose
has been accomplished, and that it is illogical and
absurd to claim that those who laid aside difference
of opinion on other questions because they agreed
upon the slavery question should continue the un-
natural union now as slaves to a party name after
the question which caused them to unite and was
represented by that name, had ceased to exist;
that' the Republican party now is only held to-
gether by the " cohesive power of public plunder "
and controlled by Federal appointees who have
grown rich in its service, and chartered corporations
and monopolies which it has created ; and that it is
totally unlike what it was when it came into power
first, from the people, and that on living questions he
believes in those ancient principles of the Democratic
party, — "The greatest good lo the greatest number,
equal rights and exact justice to all and special privi-
leges to none." He claims that the safety and per-
petuity of a free government demands that the in-
telligent voter shall adhere to a political party only
when it represents his opinions on living questions.

Mr. Olson is in the fullest sense of the word es-
sentially a self-made man. He is emphatically one
of those men of whom it is said " the American peo-
ple delight to honor." While he is a foreigner by
birth, he is educated really as an American. He is
and always has been thoroughly identified with the
institutions of his adopted country. His sad afflic-
tions and bereavements during his infancy were so
much heavier and more severe than most are called
upon to endure that they can'hardly be fully realized

or appreciated by those more fortunate, while his de-
veloping youth and increasing manhood were re-
spectively types of moral courage and indomitable
perseverance, which must culminate in their just re-
ward. While his past life has been unusually
clouded by adversity, it has been said that " behind
the darkest cloud there is always a silver lining;"
and the author ventures the prediction that a man*
with such a biography will be called higher, and that
very materially increased honors' are in , store for
him. We will close the sketch by saying that we
consider Mr. Olson an honor both to the Scandina-
vian race and the land of his adoption. We take,
pleasure in presenting the portrait of Mr. Olson in
connection with this sketch.

«wa&27©v§@*,~

ffl— w@g*swrcrcrai.

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[. ichard W. Batton, a farmer residing on
section 18, Annawan Township, was born
in Madison Co., Va\, July 8, 1829. When
six years old his parents moved to Preble Co.,
Ohio, where Richard W. remained until 1854,
when he came to Illinois with his wife. Pre-
vious to coming to this State Mr. Batton formed a
matrimonial alliance, Jan. 1, 1852, with Miss Mary
Jane Hiliman, the ceremony being performed by the
Rev. Henry Serfis, of the United Brethren Church.
Mrs. Batton was born Jan. 31, 1834, and bore her
husband ten children, namely: Mary E , born in
Ohio, Dec. 2r, 1852 ; Eli D., Oct. 13, 1855 ; Lucy I.,
Sept. 27, 1857 ; an infant son , born March 1,1862,
who died one day after birth ; Lucy Ida, born Sept.1
23, 1864; Ulysses Grant, Jan. 19, 1865 ; Edith May,
Aug. 29, 1866; James E., Dec. 31, 1867 ; Elpha E.,
Nov. 19, 1870; and Lottie L-rA-ug. 27,1877. Five
of the above named children are deceased, namely:
Lucy I. (first) April 14, 1862; Edith May, Oct. 31,
1879; Lottie L., Aug. n, 1880; and Ulysses Grant,
Feb. n, 1881.

Mr. Batton is the proprietor of 300 acres of good
farm land, all of which with the exception of ten
acres, which is timber, is under an advanced state
of cultivation. He has a good residence on his
farm, 32 x 42 feet in dimensions, two storjes, with a
good cellar; also a barn 32x50 feet, with 14 feet
posts. His outbuildings are good and substantial,
and his stock is of the best quality, graded, the hogs
being of the Poland China. His farm presents a
fine appearance, and his residence is surrounded by
a nice grove of trees, and the place is indicative of p ^
that energy and perseverance of which its proprietor
is possessed. Religiously, he and his wife are mem-
bers of the United Brethren Church, and in politics,

HENRY

COUNTY.

\--%*A

721

i>
f

Mr. Batton is identified with the Republican party.

The father of Mr. Batton, Eli Batton, was a native
of East Virginia, in which State he was born in
1801. It was in that State that he was united in
marriage to Miss Hettie Willhite, Dec. 25, 1827, in
Madison County, that State. She was born April 3,
1808, and bore her husband 13 children, namely:
The first an infant, who is deceased ; then Richard,
William A., Manda, Louisa, John H., Janie, James,
Mary, Sarah E., Gilbert, Emeline and Webster. He
and his wife art Old School Baptists, and he always
casts his vote with the Republican party.

-o$o"

udge J. P. Hand, residing at Cambridge,

this county, was born Nov. 10, 1850, in

Hanna Township. His father, Henry

IS Hand, was born June 20, 18 17, in New York

il city. He removed to Ohio with his parents in
1840, and came to Henry County, settling in
Hanna Township, on Rock River.

The second wife of Henry Hand, Mary H. Hanna,
daughter of John F. Hanna, was born May 22, 1829,
in White Co., this State, and died Jan. 9, 1881. She
came here with her parents in the fall of 1835, and
of her marriage to Mr. Hand two children were
born — John P., the subject of this biographical
notice, and Henry F. Hand.

Judge Hand received his primary education in
this county, and supplemented the same by a course
of study at the Rock River Seminary, at Mt. Morris,
111. After this he attended the Iowa State Uni-
versity, at Iowa City, graduating therefrom with
honors in the class of 1875. In November of the
same year he located in Cambridge, where he formed
a partnership with Colonel A. R. Mock, which lasted
until June 1, 1885, when Mr. Hand was elected
Judge of the County Court, which office he at pres-
ent fills. The Judge has always taken an active
interest in pol'tical matters, and is identified with
the Republican party. In 1880 he was a member of
the National Convention which nominated James A.
Garfield for President of the United States. He
was Chairman of the Henry County Republican
Central Committee from 1878 to 1884. Socially,
Judge Hand is a member of the A. F. & A. M., and
the A. O. U. W., and is regarded as an upright and
capable Judge, well posted in the jurisprudence of

the land, and an honored and respected citizen of
Henry County.

Judge Hand was united in marriage in Ogle County,
Oct. 26, 187 1, to Miss Libbie Brayton, who was born
Feb. 12, 1849, in Mt. Morris, this State. She is a
daughter of Frederick B. and Charlotte W. (Wheeler)
Brayton, natives of New York, and has borne her
husband one child — Frederick H. Hand, who was
born April 27, 1874.

^O00€

-s^ — e^M

"^ndrew Johnson, proprietor of 120 acres of
\f land in Lynn Township, and residing upon
section 4, where he is engaged in the vo-
cation of an agriculturist, is a native of Swe-
den, having been born in that country March
18, 1840. His parents both died in Sweden.
Andrew Johnson lived at home until 15 years of age,
when he set forth to earn his own living and fight the
battles of life single-handed and alone. In 1868, he
set sail for this, the land of possibilities, and on ar-
riving at an Eastern seaport came almost immedi-
ately to this county, where he worked at different
occupations until 1872. During that year he pur-
chased 80 acres of land and subsequently increased
the same by an additional purchase of 40 acres more,
the latter being small timber. On purchasing his
land, in 1872, he located thereon with his family and
ever since has followed the vocation of an agricultur-
ist, meeting with success.

Feb. 10, r874, Mr. Johnson was united in marriage
with Miss Christina Johnson, in Rock Island city.
She was born in Sweden and came to the United
States in 1873, and has borne her husband four chil-
dren,— Minnie, Elmer, Eddie and Gilbert. Mr. and
Mrs. Johnson are members of the Swedish Lutheran
Church at Orion, and in politics Mr. Johnson votes
with the Republican party.

illiam B. Tee, engaged in the mill, eleva-
tor and grain business at Cambridge, was
born Feb 17, 1829, on the Isle of Wight,
y? England, and is a son of John and Mary
(Hayles) Tee, natives of England, the father
of Hampshire and the mother of the Isle of
Wight. The father emigrated to this country
with his family and died here.

— 4*t^£

%-§ ^@$z-

HENRY COUNTY.

William B. Tee emigrated to this country in the
fall of 1853, and settled in Rochester, N. Y., where
he followed the occupation of a miller, having learned
that trade in his native country. After two and a
half years, in which he was engaged in the milling
business at Rochester, he came to Galesburg, Knox
Co., this State, and there followed the same occupa-
tion for two years longer. At the expiration of this
time he came to Geneseo, this county, and followed
the same business until 1874, when he left that
place and came to Cambridge. On arriving at the
latter place he erected a mill and has since continu-
ed to operate the same in partnership with different
parties. At present J. VV. Stewart is his partner and
in addition to their milling business they are engaged
in the grain and elevator business, the latter being
run with the same power with which the mill is run,
and in the different departments of their occupation
are meeting with financial success.

Mr. Tee was united in marriage on the Isle of
Wight with Miss Caroline King, a native of that
place. She is the mother of seven children, living,
namely: Carrie, Jessie, William, Fannie, Albert,
Frank and Fred. The deceased are Charlie and
Hugh.

|| eter Knudde, engaged in the flour, feed and
saloon business, at Annawan, this county,

flSP^ was k°m "m Holland, April 5, 1842. His
mj father, Carolus Knudde, was born in 1799, in
|{f- the province of Zeeland, Holland. He mar-
' ried Miss Joanna S. Temmerman in 1833.
She was a native of that country, and was born there
in 1806. The parents had five children, — Charles
J., Peter J., Cornelian, Carolina and Amelia. The
father died in his native country when the subject of
this notice was 24 years of age. Of the five children
born to the parents, Peter, Cornelia and Amelia are
living at Annawan.

Peter Knudde was united in marriage with Miss
Emilie Verbeeke, who was born April 26, 1855, and
has borne him two children, — Mary C, born July
18, 1877, and Florence, born May 26, 1879.

Mr. Knudde is at present engaged in the flour and
feed business at Annawan, and in addition thereto is
running a saloon. His place of business is located

on the corner of Main and State Streets, and the
building is 34 x 56 feet in dimensions, two-story, and
he is meeting with success in the different depart-
ments of his vocation.

The mother of our subject is yet living in her na-
tive country, and has attained the venerable age of
80 years. Mr. and Mrs. Knudde are members of
the Catholic Church. Politically, Mr. Knudde votes
with the Democratic party.

ohn - E. Odeman, residing at the vil-
lage of Annawan, where he is engaged in
the blacksmith business, is a native" of -
Sweden. He was born in the latter country,
Oct. 6, 1854. His father, Emanuel Hanson. '
was born July 15, 1812, and died Oct. 13,
1884. He married Miss Lovisa Peterson, Nov. 17,
1843. She was born April 10, 1817, and died April
27, 1882. Of their union, eight children have been
born, as follows: Ingo Lissa, who died Jan. 15,'
1844; Emma L., born Dec, 6, 1844; John Aaron,
born Oct. 23, 1847, and died April 28, 1848; John
Aaron (second), born July 31, 1849, and died Oct.
19, 1854; Johanna L., born Oct. 22, 1851; died
Oct. 8, 1854; Ida A., born Jan. n, 1857, died Sept. '
27, 1857; A. P., born March 8, 1859, died April 4,
1864.

John E. Odeman is the only surviving member of
his father's family. He learned his trade in Gutten-
burg, Germany, after serving an apprenticeship of
five years. He emigrated to the United States, land-
ing at New York city. From that place he went to
Connecticut, where he remained some three months,
and then came to Annawan, and e.igaged in working
as a "jour" at his trade. In June, 1884, he bought
the building owned by his employer and at present
is running the business himself. He has his shop
full of good machinery, a ten-horse-power engine,
good wood planer, iron and wood lathes, and in the
prosecution of his businesses meeting with that suc-
cess which energy and perseverance are always sure
to bring. He is one of the leading business men of
the village, a good citizen, always willing to aid in
any enterprise calculated to benefit the community
in which he resides, and his constantly increasing
trade, is attributable to his fair and honest dealings
with his fellowmen.

*. m

■^r oa&ii n®u b^a^-

HENRY COUNTY.

S3
E3

(!)

723

In religious matters, he is a member of the Luther-
an Church, and in politics a Republican. Socially,
he is a member of the A. F. & A. M., Lodge No.
334, at Annawan, and at present is Tyler of that
lodge. Mr. Odeman is also engaged in repairing all
kinds of farm machinery, such as threshers, reapers,
plows, harvesters, and in fact anything and every-
thing pertaining to machinery.

ames P. Blakely, a successful and ener-
getic farmer, residing upon section 32,
w*r Western Township, was born in Allegheny

County, Pa., Dec. 15, 1819. His father was a
jC bricklayer and plasterer by trade, and was born

on the Emeral Isle. He was married in that
country to Isabella Patterson, and after their mar-
riage they immediately set sail for this the land of
possibilities, arriving here "Safely and settling in
Pittsburg, from which place they removed to Alle-
gheny County, Pa. At the latter place, the father
continued to reside engaged in working at his trade
until his death, which event took place about 1864.
The mother afterwards came to this State and resided
with her son, the subject of this notice, until her de-
mise, which took place about 1870.

James P. Blakely was the elder of the children
of his parents' family, and continued to reside with
them until his marriage, in the meantime attending
the common schools and learning the trade of a
cooper. He was first united in marriage July 14,
1848, to Miss Rebecca Crouse, in his native county
and State. She was born and reared in Washington
County, Pa., and there resided until her marriage.
After their marriage, in the spring of 1857, they
started for this State, and on arriving here, located
in Western Township, Henry County, where Mr.
Blakely rented a farm and for five years was engaged
in farming in that way. The crops yielded well and
he was compelled to haul his corn to Rock Island
city, and at that time sold the same for the munifi-
cent price of ten cents a bushel, and could only
make one load a day, the entire load amounting to
about $5. Even at this small price for his produce
he saved money ; and, although the butter was not
spread upon his bread as thick as it is to-day, he re-
alizes that by his economy at that time he succeeded

in procuring 80 acres of land which to-day consti-
tutes the fine farm upon which he resides. His
eaily experience in this county was similar to that
of many other pioneer who had nothing, and whose
support and future prosperity depended eptirely up-
on his own labor. He has since made this his home,
and by the same economy, energy and perseverance
which prompted him so manfully to stick to the
country in the beginning, he has succeeded in add-
ing to his original purchase 147 acres, making a
grand total of 227 acres of land, all of which is uu-
der an advanced state of cultivation.

Some years after moving into the county, Nov. ig,
1874, his wife died, leaving him the care of five chil-
dren, one having preceded her to the land of the
hereafter. The living are Samuel D., who is mar-
ried and engaged in farming in Iowa ; Anna became
the wife of John Bradham, and resides with her hus-
band in Shelby County, Iowa ; Jane and James P.
Jr., are also residents of Iowa, and Philip R. resides
at home.

Mr. B. was the second time married in Dallas
County, Iowa, Sept. 21, 1875, to Mrs. Margaret R.
Farren, nee Ewing, who was born in Washington Co.,
Pa., Aug. 3r, 1834, and was a daughter of James
and Elizabeth Ewing, natives of Pennsylvania.
Her father died when Mrs. Blakely was only six
years of age, and she afterwards lived with her
mother until she came to this State, and two years
later was married to David M. Farren, who died
May 27, 1869, in De Soto, Iowa, to which State they
had moved after their marriage. By her first mar-
riage Mrs: Blakely had six children, all living and
named Andrew B., William M., Mary, Artie M.,
Joseph E. and John G.

Mr. and Mrs. Blakely, religiously, are members of
the Presbyterian Church.

In politics, Mr. Blakely is a believer in and a
supporter of the principles of the Republican party.

-J-

#■*

-5-

y
&

)ilton F. Edwards, general farmer, resid- y

ing on section r, Andover Township, was

born in Moline, Rock Island County, this - ?

State, March 3, 1858, his parents being frj

',? George H. and Maria M. (Waterman) Edwards, f^

natives of Vermont and New York respectively
The parents came to Moline previous to their mar-

-^g^ @5A^DH®HI1<£A^-

HENRY COUNTY.

^f*§^

riage, and after that event settled in Western Town-
ship, this county, and resided there until 1875, when
they came to Moline, where they are at present re-
siding, retired from the active labors of life.

Milton F. Edwards continued to reside on the pa-
rental homestead, attending the district schools and
assisting his father in the maintenance of the family
and developing into manhood. He learnt the trade
of a tinner, and followed the same for five years,
after which one of the most important events of his
life took place, namely, his marriage. This took
place at the residence of the bride's uncle, in West-
ern Township, this county, Oct. 4, 1873, the bride
being Miss Mary, the accomplished daughter of Al-
bert and Mary E. (Glenn) Harper, both of whom
were natives of Ohio. They came to this State be-
fore their marriage, and after that event settled in
Rock Island city. The mother afterward died in
Coal Valley Township, Rock Island County, in 1868.
Mrs. Edwards was 18 months old at the date of her
mother's death, after which event she lived with her
grandmother, Mrs. Julia Glenn, until she attained
the age of ten years, at which time she became an
inmate of her uncle's residence, William A. Stearns,
and there lived until her marriage to Mr. Edwards.
She has borne her husband one child— Milton F.,
born Aug. 1, 1884.

After their marriage Mr. and Mrs. Edwards moved
to Andover Township, this county, and purchased 80
acres of land on which they located and entered
upon the labors of improving and cultivating the
same, determined to make it a permanent home for
themselves and their children, and where at present
they are residing. The farm is well improved and
handsomely arranged, and the land is under an ad-
vanced state of cultivation.

Mr. Edwards is at present School Director of his
township, and in politics is a stanch and active work-
ing Republican. 1

ohn Larson, one of the large land-owners
of Lynn Township, and a general farmer
and stock-raiser, residing on section 18 of
the township named, was born in Central
Sweden March 1, 1845.^ His father was a na-
tive of the same country, and there married to
Miss Anna Coleon, also a native of that country.

^€»£ — &MM>

Mrs. Larson was second in order of birth of his
parents' children, five in number, and was seven
years old when his parents emigrated to the United
States, they locating in Lynn Township, this county,
on 80 acres of unimproved land, where the father
lived and labored until the time of his death, Feb.
12, 1884. His mother is yet living on the old home-
stead in Lynn Township, aged 71 years. John Lar-
son lived with his parents on the old homestead in
Lynn Township, assisting in the labors on the farm,
and attending the common school until his marriage.
That event occurred in Moline, Rock Island County,
March 11, 1874, to Miss Hannah Peterson. She
was born in Sweden, and came to this country when
a young lady of 23 years of age, and resided at Mo-
line until her marriage. Her parents were Peter and
Carrie (Johnson) Peterson, and came to America in
1884, andat present reside with their daughter, Mrs.
Larson of this notice, aged 63 and 59 years, respect-
ively.

Mr. and Mrs. Larson are the parents of five chil-
dren : Mary A., FredW., Dora A., Hilda S. and
John. After marriage Mr. and Mrs. Larson settled
on a farm on section 17, Lynn Township, consisting
of 132 acres, which Mr. Larson had purchased some
years prior to his marriage. By the active prosecu-
tion of his vocation, strict economy and energy, he
has succeeded by adding to his original purchase un-
til at prrsent he is the proprietor of 390 acres of
land on sections r8 and 17, Lynn Township, all
of which is under an advanced state of cultivation.
He has made a success of his vocation in life, and
the same is attributable to his energy and persever-
ance. In politics he votes with the Republican
party. "

*— «- *

l^amuel A. Lewis, farmer, residence on sec-
L tion 20, Cornwall Township, was born in
this county in 1852. He is the son of
John and Mary Lewis, natives of Ohio. The
gentleman whose name heads this sketch re-
sided with his parents, assisting on the farm
and attending the common schools until he attained
his majority. He then left home, and went forth to
fight the battles of life, single-handed and alone, and.
has occupied his time until the present in the voca-
tion of farming.

m<^s — ^^^

-vCfc — ^v<^nn^nnf^^-

HENRY COUNTY.

725 <--.

Mr. Lewis was united in marriage with Miss Susan
Rogers, a native of Virginia, Rev. Totman officiating,
and they are the parents of one child — Cora Belle,
who was born in 1878. Mr. Lewis is at present
working 540 acres of land, which belongs to his
father, and as an agriculturist is meeting with suc-
cess. In his religious views he is liberal, and his
politics coincide with the principles of the Green-
back party.

ames Johnston, an energetic and successful
farmer of Cambridge Township, residing
and owning 1 60 acres- on section 36, this
township, was born Sept. 27, 1828, in Gallia Co.,
Ohio. His ancestors on his father's side were
of Scotch descent, and on his mother's side of
New England stock. The grandfather of the
subject of this notice, James Johnston, was born on
the River Tweed, Edinburgh, Scotland. He was
married in that country, and became the father of
seven children born there. About 1820, he and his
wife came to this country, and settled with their chil-
dren in Gallia Co., Ohio, where the grandparents
died. Of their children, Andrew Johnston, the
father of the subject of this notice, was 25 years of
age when he landed upon the free soil of the United
States. He was married in Ohio, to Olive Weed, a
native of Chautauqua Co., N. Y. Both parents of
our subject died in Gallia Co., Ohio. They reared
eight children to the age of maturity, namely : Eliza-
beth, James, William, Andrew, Olive, wife of J. W.
Glassburn, of Tampico, Whiteside County, Jennette
and Samuel.

James Johnston received such an education as
was to be acquired of the schools of the day and
locality in which he lived and spent his early life in
his native county. He came to Illinois, in October,
1853, and settled in Knox County, where he was en-
gaged in farming until 1876, when he moved into
Cambridge Township, this county, and continued to
remain here. He owns a good farm of 160 acres
of land on section 26, and is actively and energeti-
cally engaged in the task of its improvement, meet-
ing with success in his chosen vocation.

Mr. Johnston was married in Ohio, Oct. 18, 1849,
to Miss Abigail Powell. She was born April, 1828,

in Steuben Co., N. Y., and has borne her husband
nine children — Almira E., Samuel T., both of whom
died of scarlet fever shortly after they came to
Knox County ; Charles L., who was killed at Altona,
Knox County, by the railroad cars, aged 29 years;
Mary A. is the wife of Alex. Julien ; Andrew P. died
when about 27 years old ; Daniel J. ; Kellum E.
died aged 4 years; William S. and Fred A. reside
at home.

Mr. and Mrs. Johnston are consistent members
of the Methodist Episcopal Church. While a resi-
dent of Knox County, Mr. Johnson filled several
important offices, among which were Supervisor for
six years. He has also been Assessor of Cambridge
Township two years. Since the demise of the old
Whig party, and since Fremont ran for the Presi-
dency, in 1856, Mr. Johnston has cast his vote with
the Republican party. He has been one of the
Directors of the Cambridge Library Association, and
takes an active interest in any enterprise that is
calculated to benefit the community in which he
resides.

yman J. Wilkinson, an influential citizen
of Munson Township, was born in Tioga
County, Pa., Aug. 17, 1833, and was the
second son of George and Julia (Manton) Wil-
kinson, natives of Rhode Island and, on the
father's side, of English descent. The latter
removed to Illinois at an early day, with an emigrant
wagon and a span of horses, cooking and camping
out by the way. Mr. W. had previously visited this
State and made a claim at Four-Mile Grove, in La-
Salle County. There he built a log house and cov-
ered the roof with clapboards which he rived him-
self. This farm he sold in 1840, and he moved to
Troy Grove, lived there two years and then moved
to Concord Township, Bureau County, where he had
purchased a tract of land, erected a house and im-
proved the place, residing there until 1874, when he
came to this county, settling in Munson Township
and where he finally died. Mrs. W. is still living,
making her home with her children.

Mr. Lyman J. Wilkinson, whose name heads this
sketch, was reared to manhood mainly in Bureau
County, at farm life and with the usual attendance at
the public schools. He was united in the bonds of

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matrimony on the 31st of March, T853, to Miss Em-
eline Stevens, a daughter of Thomas and Elizabeth
(Smith) Stevens, the parents being both natives of
New Hampshire. Mrs. W. was born near Canter-
bury, that State. In his youth and early manhood
Mr. Wilkinson learned the trade of carpenter and
joiner, and he settled in Tiskilwa, that county, where
he followed his trade until r862. In August of the
latter year he enlisted for his country's salvation in
Co. E, 93d 111. Vol. Inf., as First Lieutenant, and he
served faithfully until August, 1863, when he was
honorably discharged on account of disability. He
participated in the battles of Champion Hill, Jack-
son, Miss., siege and capture of Vicksburg and in
numerous smaller engagements.

On the closing of his military service he returned'
to Tiskilwa, residing there until 1872, serving two
years and three months as Superintendent of the Bu-
reau County Infirmary. In 1872 he was engaged as
Superintendent of the Infirmary of this county, since
which time he has been a resident here and-in charge
of that institution, where he has always given the
best of satisfaction in the discharge of his public
duties.

Mr. Wilkinson has three children living, namely:
George T., Willis L. and Burt H. George T. mar-
ried Jennie Goshorn, of Geneseo, Oct. 23, 1856.

In his political views he was formerly a Democrat,
but is now a Republican.

9OO0-C . i»-

Ijermann Hirsehberger, engaged in the
\ hardware business at Annawan, this county,
was born in Brunswick, Germany, Aug. 22,
1839. He emigrated to this, the land of possi-
bilities, when he was 15 years old, landing at
New York city in July, 1854. From the latter
place he removed to Milwaukee, Wis., where, for
three years, he was engaged in gardening. At the
expiration of this time he went to Kewaunee Co.,
Wis., and was there engaged in a saw-mill.

Remaining in the latter State until May, 1861,
Mr. Hirsehberger came to Annawan, Henry County,
where he learned the tinsmith's trade, and at which
he worked until Aug. 12, 1862. At this period in
his life's history he enlisted in the war for the Union,
joining Co. A, 112th 111. Vol. Inf.. and was mustered
into the service at Peoria, 111,, Sept. 27, 1862, under

Col. T. J. Henderson. The regiment proceeded to
Lexington, Ky. At Danville, in 1863, he was taken
prisoner while on picket duty, but in a few days was
paroled, and was at Columbus, Ohio, and at St.
Louis, Mo., until September of that year, when he
was exchanged, and ordered to Knoxville, Tenn.,
where he was assigned to the 23d Army Corps under
Gen. Scofield. He was all through the East Ten-
nessee and Georgia campaign, and joined Sherman at
Goldsboro, N. C. He was never wounded in battle,
and was mustered out June 20, 1865, at Greensboro,
N. C, receiving his final discharge at Chicago, July
7, 1865.

The marriage of Mr. Hirsehberger to Miss Kate
Seyller took place Sept. 16, 1862. She was born in
Alsace, Germany, March 10, 1845, and of their union
six children have been born, namely: Josephus O.,
Emma K, Eleanora, Charlie, Kate and Clara. Mr.
Herschberger is at present is at present engaged in
the hardware business at Annawan, and keeps a
general stock of stoves, tinware, etc., and is doing a
good and increasing business. He has a good, plain
business house, 64 x 22 feet in dimensions, two
stories high, and another building 16 x 24 feet. So-
cially, he is a member of the G. A. R., Post 290, at
Annawan, and at present is Quartermaster-Sergeant
of that Order. In politics, he affiliates with the Re-
publican party.

ycurgus Cole. One of the prominent
young farmers of Annawan Township, re-
siding on section 33, is Lycurgus Cole. He
has long been identified with the history of
"Jk Henry County, but has laid the foundation for
an excellent record in the future, and gives
promise of being at no distant day one of the leading
and representative men of his community.

He was born in Jefferson Co., Ohio, July 14, 1856.
He remained with his parents, working on the farm
and attending the district schools, until 1876. Dur-
ing the latter year Mr. Cole came to this State and
located in Stark County, where for two years he
worked out by the month. He then rented a farm
of 142 acres of Mrs. Barbara McClelland, of Stark
County, and for four years occupied his time«in its
cultivation. In March, 1 884, he came to Annawan-

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Township and bought 240 acres of improved land,
on which he located with his family and entered
vigorously and energetically upon the task of its cul-
tivation and improvement, determining to make it a
permanent home for himself and family. He has a
splendid farm, with a good two-story residence, 36
by 48 feet in dimensions, and a good cellar. He
has a fine grove of timber in his front yard and on
his place there are two barns, one 48 x 48 feet, and
the other 32 x 60 feet in dimensions.

Mr. Cole formed a matrimonial alliance, Dec. 24,
1881, with Miss Mary Cole, the ceremony being per-
formed by Rev. Keene, of the Methodist Episcopal
Church of Kewanee. Miss Cole was born Nov. 8,
1861, in Stark Co., 111., and is the daughter of Joshua
Cole, born in 1837, in Athens Co., Ohio, and who
married Miss Susan Habbockin i860. Mrs. Joshua
Cole was born in 1838, and bore her husband eight
children, namely : Joseph, Mary (the wife of the
subject of this notice), Elton, Martha, William, Wes-
ley, Otis and Ernest.

The father of the subject of this sketch, William
Cole, was born in Ohio in 1822, and married Miss
Achsah Cole, in 1845. She was born in 1823, and
bore her husband eight children, whose names are :
Alexander, Izina, Byron, Lycurgus, Nesbit, Viola,
Delmer and Etta. The venerable couple are still
residents of Ohio, and the father yet takes pleasure
in casting his vote, as he has done for years, with
the Republican party.

+ -«- *

apt. Sullivan Howard, a pioneer, in fact,
the founder, or more nearly so than any
other one man, of the village of Kewanee,
was born at Temple, Hillsboro' Co., N. H.;
June 30, 1806. From the old farm Sullivan
\ Howard at the age of about 18 went to An-
dover, Mass., where he learned to be a " house-
wright." When nearly 21 years of age, he went to
Boston and from there to Mason village, where he
resided until the spring of 1836, and in the fall fol-
lowing landed at Wethersfield, Henry County, as a
stockholder of the Wethersfield Colony. In 1844-5
Capt. Howard, as contractor, erected Henry County's
first court house, and in 1854, when this village was
to be laid out, he and Henry G. Little, Nelson Lay
and Ralph Tenney, in company, purchased the

nothwest quarter of section 33, township 15 north,
range 5 east, from Dwight Needham, who traded for
the land, having John Potter deed to those gentle^
men as a company, and hereon they proceeded to
lay out the town of Kewanee as it now stands.

So soon as the town was started, Capt. Howard
entered into the lumber business, and in 1856, tak-
ing Mr. N. Lay into partnership, engaged also in the
grain business, a traffic he followed up to 1863, Mr.
Lay entering probably in i860. Since 1863 he has
dealt in stock, looking after his farming interests,
etc., up to 1882, when he disposed of his last farm
and retired from active business.

tavid B. Barge, a settler of Phoenix Town-

11 ship of 1847, and at present one of the

rSj!*-3 successful farmers as well as large land
Mfi< owners of that township, was born in Arm-
ffi strong Co., Pa., May 3, 1827. He is a son of
John and Jane (Elliott) Barge, natives of Penn-
sylvania. When Mr. Barge, of this sketch, was
seven years of age, his parents moved to Ohio, and
stopped for a while in Richland County for two
years, when they removed to Wayne County, that
State. In the latter county, David attended the
common schools, worked on the farm and developed
into manhood.

In 1847, Mr. Barge left the parental household
and went forth to do for himself. He started for
Wisconsin via the Lakes, but the boat could not land
in that State, on account of lack of steam, and
landed at Chicago. From that city, Mr. Barge came
by canal to La Salle, and then took a stage to Prince-
ton, from which latter place he came on foot to this
county. On arriving here he engaged in threshing
and followed that occupation until late in the fall of
that year, when he came to Grant Co., Wis., for the
purpose of mining, but on reaching there could not
procure a job at that work and engaged in chopping
cord-wood, and continued at that work during the
winter. On the 4th of March following, he started
for Illinois via stage to Galena, then on foot to Al-
bany, from which place he took a stage for Geneseo,
but on account of bad roads was compelled to foot it
the greater part of the way. On arriving there he
purchased six land warrants, and in May following
went to Dixon on foot and entered 1 60 acres of land

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HENRY COUNTY.

on section 28, Phoenix Township. He was a single
man at that time and continued to work in the neigh-
borhood for two years.

He made his first improvements upon his land in
1850, at which time he erected a plank house 16 x
20 feet in dimensions and one-story. Since that time
he has erected a fine frame house on his place, to-
gether with a good barn, and by energetic labor and
economy has added to his landed interests in Phenix
Township until he is at present the proprietor of 540
acres of good land, all of which with the exception of
20 acres of timber is under an advanced state of cul-
tivation. Coming to this county with nothing but
strong arms and a determination to get on in the
world, and acquiring the splendid property that he
owns to-day through his own exertions, he certainly
deserves great credit.

Mr. Barge was united in marriage, April 6, 1851,
with Eliza M. Aldrich, daughter of C. C. and Sophia
Aldrich, pioneers of this county. Mrs. Barge was
born in Pickaway Co., Ohio, and has borne her hus-
band two children, — Alvin W. and Alice C. Alvin
is married and resides in Phenix Township, and is
the father of two children. Alice is the wife of
Thomas Lauderbaugh, and resides with him in Phe-
nix Township.

KXDOfc

. ohn P. Foster, a farmer residing upon sec-
tion 5, Cornwall Township, is a son of
Thomas .Foster, a native of Harrison Co.,
Ky. The father came to Sangamon County,
this State, in the fall of 1832, and was there en-
gaged in agricultural pursuits until his death,
which occurred two years later, in 1834, of cholera.

John P. Foster was born May n, 1815, in Ken- -
tucky, and came with his father in 1833 to Sanga-
mon County, this State. His mother died in Ken-
tucky when he, John, was quite small. Her parents
were Christopher and Mary Musselman. Mr. Foster
of this| notice was united in marriage with Miss Har-
riet Browning, Jan. 25, T844, Rev. Philip Hanna of-
ficiating. Joshua Browning, her father, was a native
of Georgia, having been born in that State April 25,
1805, and died Dec. 14, 1851, in this county. He
was one of the first settlers of Henry County and en-
dured all the privations incident to the settlement of
a new country. His marriage to Miss Fannie Hall
took place in November, 1839. She was born March
18, 1811.

Mr. and Mrs. Foster are the parencs of nine chil-
dren, their record being as follows: Julia E., born
Nov. 23, 1844; Henry, Sept. 6, 1846; Roena, Aug.
15, 1848 ; Franklin, Jan. 18, 185 1 ; Mary F., Oct. 9,
1853; William P., Qct. 4,1857; Leona, Sept. 5,
i860 ; John, May 16, 1863; and Nellie R., Dec. 9,
1865.

Mr. Foster has resided ori section 5, Cornwall
Township, for the last 20 years. His farm of 120
acres located thereon is well improved, with a good
residence, 26x52 feet, with an addition, and in the
vocation of his life he is meeting with that success
which energy and perseverence always bring. In
politics he is a believer in and a supporter of the
principles of the Republican party.

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INTRODUCTORY. M

HAT is history ? A simple
^ enough question to ask,
and one that all men with-
out a thought suppose
even the smallest school
children fully understand. A
historian commences the in-
vestigation of a country for the
purpose of writing its history, and what
does' he find ? A vast aggregation, perhaps,
of people, moving along the great highway
of life, a fixed and strong government of
law and police power, social and community
life, vast public and private institutions of
schools, of medicine, law and theology, great
cathedrals, churches and public buildings,
and hovels and fine residences and great old baronial
castles ; vast industries upon the farms, in the fac-
tories and everywhere. Railroads, hospitals for the
sick and deceased, penal institutions; the flaming
forges and the flying spindles ; happiness and joy,
pain and suffering; bubbling laughter and heart-
breaking sobs, and thus the active, busy world is like
a vast bedlam of confused roaring — the eternal strug-
gle between life and death. These are some of the
superficies that every great community of people
present to the most casual looker-on. But beneath
all this is the deep and more subtle cause — the
silent thoughts of men that have been the real power
in molding and fashioning this wonderful and com-
plex problem of aggregated human life. And to the

philosophic historian there lies still beneath this
mental power of man in this human-building, the yet
more powerful and equal subtile forces of nature, of
soil, climate and atmosphere that enter so largely
into giving definite shapes and fixed laws to all these
wonders that grow into our civilization. A large
growth of civilized people, the cause and the effects,
is the most intricate subject of philosophic study in
the world. They are all a development and growth,
exactly as is everything in this world, or in the uni-
verse. The acorn falling into its proper soil, and then
sprouting into life and watered by the rains and
shaped by the winds, grows to the great oak. But
how many conditions are in that acorn upon which it
depends before making the great tree ? and exactly as
those conditions — those resistless, physical laws — are
completely filled, just in that ratio is the life and
growth and greatness of the tree assured. And so it
is of every people in the world's history. The physical
laws about them, their environment, is the destiny
that shapes their ends. It is not the peculiar religion
that they start in the race with that controls their
destiny, but it is their physical surroundings, their
soil, climate and the amount of dampness in the air
that fashions even their minds, their religion, their
schools and their highest social and civil life. In
everything in the mental and physical world there is
cause and effect — nothing more and nothing less.
Hence, a people, in their good and bad, their
wisdom and ignorance, their degree of civilization
and their brutish barbarism, are but results flowing

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HENRY COUNTY.

from antecedent causes; and to understand these
causes, to partially see and comprehend and explain
them is genuine history. This accounts for the physi-
cal and the mental growth, existence and powers of
men's minds and bodies.

Says a great historian and philosopher (and any
true history of a people is the highest type of philos-
ophy) : " Genuine history is brought into existence
only when the historian begins to unravel, across the
lapse of time, the living man, toiling, impassioned,
entrenched in his customs, with his voice and fea-
tures/his gestures and dress, distinct and complete as
he from whom we have just partedon the street." The
history of a people who have passed away is the ef-
fort to make the past the present; to revivify the
dead and present every phase of actual life as it
once existed, with all its bad and good, its blessings
and its sufferings, the home life and on the public
highways, in the streets and the fields — men and
women privately, collectively and publicly, at work
and at play, socially and morally, in love and anger,
at prayer and at war, approaching the good and re-
lapsing to man's worst estate. The fullest details of
What and How, and then the still greater question of
Why, are some of the difficult problems that present
themselves to the real historian. He well under-
stands that the law, social life, religion and the
schools are simply results of causes going before ;
they are products that result from causes that
are forever working like the law of gravitation which
cannot change, cannot be controlled, but which 'en-
ables us to walk upright, to build tall houses, to exist

in short. Newton's falling apple and the consequent
slight knowledge of the law of gravitation were a won-
derful revelation to the world, and we are yet ignor-
ant of what law it was that placed the apple where it
could fall. We can only infer that every natural
great law of matter is, like electricity, composed of a
positive and negative inherent force, and it is perhaps
these two wonderful qualities of matter that produce
every form and quality of life.

The fundamental facts of all real history are the
easiest to trace in the annals of a pioneer people.
Cause and effect here present themselves in their
simplest forms. Hence, of all books that come from
the press, the history of these nation-builders is the
most easily instructed, and possessed of the deepest
interest ; and if it was all written as it deserves lo be,
it will furnish every fireside in the county for the
young and the old, and for the generations yet un-
born, the most enduring pleasure and the most profit-
able instruction.

For such a purpose is this book written. And if
any reader rises from the perusal of these pages, and
can lay his hand upon his heart and say that he has
gathered no pleasure nor profit therefrom, tnat his
time and his money have been wasted; that Jie. has
had no pleasure, no quickening of thought, no sooth-
ing, broadening suggestions to the mind, no extension
and strengthening of the views of the great highway
of human life, then the writer of these lines would
exclaim in humility and shame that what he sup-
posed was the very best of his life and work is after
all but a miserable delusion and a sham.

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HERE is incontestible evi-
dence that different races
of men, each distinct from
the others, have been here,
strutted their brief hour
upon the world's great
stage and passed away. How
many distinct races preceded the
coming of the red man, we cannot
tell. We find the remains of their
monuments, their great cities, their
battle-grounds, mounds and occa-
sional fossil remains, and from
these busy archeologists are gaining
many facts of historical interest.
Those who were here and built
great walled cities are designated
as one of these races, the cliff-dwellers as another,
and the mound-builders as yet another race. And
still there is a supposition that there were distinct
races of mound-builders from the distinct varieties
of these curious human monuments that are found.
The crumbled walls, fallen columns, the debris of
pyramids and great temples and possibly palaces,
that cumber the ground in profusion, in plaGes, for a
mile in circumference, gives evidence which cannot
be mistaken, of great and splendid cities, " whose
lights are fled, whose garlands were dead " ages be-
fore were laid the first foundation stones of Baalbec
or Memphis.

But others, and with possibly better resources, hold
that the mounds are the oldest obtainable records of
extinct nations, and therefore these remarkable antiq-

uities are intensely interesting. Within the limits of
the United States are the great majority of them,
and so varied and widely scattered are they over the
continent that ihey may well be considered of chief
interest to the students of history.

These mounds and other works of the mound-
builders consist of remains of what were appar-
ently towns, altars, temples, pleasure grounds, forts,
possibly buried mounds, idols, battle-fields, etc. And
they enable us to tell something of the lives and
habits of a people, every vestige of whose physical
forms have long since dissolved into their original ele-
ments.

Indians.

HE world's greatest races of wild savages
were found upon this continent. Fierce
and powerful tribes were in possession of
all this country when the white man came.
The New World was a land of wonders to the
peoples of the East, and the supreme obstacle
to the first waves of civilized men in gaining a foot-
hold in this land, was the half-naked savages that
roamed all over the country, as migratory as the
buffalo, and whose only industry was warfare and the
extermination of neighboring tribes.

There is no chapter in history that equals in un-
qualified horrors the first hundred years that tell of
the struggle for existence of civilized man for a per-
manent foothold upon this fair land. There was

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HENRY COUNTY.

death in its multiple forms from diseases, their own
inexperience of the strange new world, the isolation
and lonely despair of the oppressive solitudes, the
dangerous wild beasts, where the thrilling human
cry of the soft-footed panther oft wake in terror the
sleep of the cradle ; the reptiles, spotted with deadly
beauty, noiselessly gliding in their mission of death
upon their victims, and in bewildering. and exuber-
ance of vegetable growth often that appalled man's
efforts to overcome them. But far beyond and
above all these combined obstacles were the Indians.

The Sacs and Foxes and the Winnebagoes dwelt in
this portion of Illinois, coming, it seems^ after the
destruction of the Iroquois. The French had pos-
sessed the country, and held sway over it by right
of discovery a hundred years, without serious con-
tention, before it passed to the hands of the Ameri-
cans. At the conclusion of the Revolution, when
Washington was President, and the present race of
men were commencing that flow of immigration that
has never ceased, the Indians of the Mississppi Val-
ley^'confederated together, and determined to contest
the right of the " while dogs "to come among them.
They asserted that the Ohio River was the extreme
northwestern boundary line, and that all the North-
west to the Pacific Ocean was granted to them "as
long as Water runs and grass groWs." First Pontiac,
then' Tecumseh, and last Black Hawk, in 1832, were
the respective leaders in these wars to- drive back
the hated white man. The defeat of Black Hawk at
Bad Axe, in 1832, was the last of the Indian strug-
gle, east of the Mississippi, that has come in_the
form of war.

One of the noted characters among the Indians of
that day was White Cloud, the prophet of- the Win-
nebagoiS, who lived at what is now Prophetstown,
Whiteside County. His portrait is given on page
656.

Political Descent.

F the question was put to any teachers'
institute, What is the genealogy of the
county in which the meeting is held? how
often could it be at all correctly answered.
The titles to all our farms and lands are de-
rived from the Government, and the knowledge
how the title came to the Government is merely

completing the "abstract," — an evidence of title that
every prudent land-buyer fortifies his title to his
lands with.

What is now Henry County was once New France,
and was one of the French colonies or provinces.
France gained her title by right of discovery and
possession. More than 200 years ago Marquette and
then La Salle had navigated. the waters of the Illinois
River, and a fort had been established on Starved
Rock.

From 1732 to 1759 we were under the control, or
rather belonged to, the Company of the Indies. M.
Penier was Governor-General, and M. D'Artaguette
was Local Governor of Illinois. This brave and
chivalrous man was killed in the Chickasaw War,
where he had been called to assist the people of
Louisiana. Illinois at this time was a part of Louisi-
ana and a province of Canada. The Company of
the Indies failing, the French Government again as-
sumed the control and title to the country.

When the Canadas were ceded to Great Britain,
in 1776, by the '' Quebec Bill," then all this portion
of the Upper Mississippi Valley became a British
province, and was placed under the care and gov-
ernment of Canada. Had any of us been pioneers
here then we would have been Canadians. ' The
treaty of Paris was in 1763. 'Thomas Gage was
Commander-in-chief of the British troops in North
America; he issued a proclamation in 1764, permit-
ting the Catholics in Illinois to exercise their worship
in the same manner the Catholics did~ in Canada,
and to " travel wherever they pleased,even to go to
New Orleans."

In Oct., 1778, the House of Burgesses of Virginia
created the caunty of Illinois, and appointed John
Tod, of Kentucky, Civil Governor or Commander,
and authorized " all the civil .officers, to which the
inhabitants had been accustomed," to be chosen by
a majority of the citizens. Then all this county
was a province and belonged to Virginia.. And
John Tod established the first civil government in
this valley.

Kaskaskia was settled by the French as early as
1707.

In 1788 Gov. St. Clair was made Governor of- the
entire Northwest-Territory, and the seat of govern-
ment for this vast wild was Marietta, Ohio; The
territory was at that time divided into three counr
ties; Hamilton, now Ohio; Knox, now Indiana, and

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HENRY COUNTY.

7*5

St. Clair, now Illinois. Hence, the student of Illi-
nois history will know that St. Clair County was
formed in 1788; is the mother county of all the
counties in the State, and is the starting point in
tracing the county's genealogy in the long line of
carving the many counties out of the one.

The next change was that, . what is now Illinois
became a part of Indiana, and the capital was at
Vincennes. This condition of affairs contisued until
1809, when a territorial separation was effected, and
the Illinois Territory was divided into two counties —
Randolph and St. Clair. And for two years what is
now Henry County was a part of St. Clair County.
On the 14th of September, 181 2, Madison County
was formed, and then the young and old swains of
Henry County, had there been any here, would
have had to go to Edwardsville to get their marriage
license. Unless they had adopted the soldiers' plan
in the early day and married a squaw. In that case
no license was required. The wife was purchased,
a pony or two, according to the quality, being the
usual price.

Jan. 4, 1817, Bond County was organized, and
then this was Bond County.

March 22, 18 19, Clark County was created; and so
little was known of this part of the world that the act
creating Clark County fixed the northern line as "ex-
tending to the Canada line."

Jan. 3:, 1821, Pike county was formed. Then
had the reader or any other white man been here he
would have been of the order of Pikes.

Jan. 28, 1823, Fulton County came into existence,
and then we would have been Fultonians if anything.

Jan. 13, 1825, Knox County was organized, and
this then included Henry County. The same act,
it seems, created Henry County, so far as to give it a
name.

The law at that time required there should be 350
inhabitants in the territory before a new county
could be organized. The Legislature often created
a county, and provided it should be organized and
become in fact a county when the proper population
had become residents of the county territory.

In an act of the Legislature " forming new coun-
ties out of__the counties of Pike and Fulton, and at-
tached portions thereof," approved Jan. 13, 1825,
section 6 creates Henry County by defining the
boundaries.

By an act approved Jan. i5_, i83i,"To establish
the county seat of Knox County and for other pur-
poses," the boundaries of Henry County were re-
established and the county attached to Knox County
for judicial purposes, until organized.

It was enacted by the Legislature Jan. 5, 1835, in
section 3 of said act, that the boundary lines of
Henry County are defined as follows : '' Beginning '
at the southeast corner of township 14 north, in
range 5 east of the fourth principal meridian ; thence
north between range 5 and 6 cast, to the middle of
the channel of Rock River ; thence down along the
middle channel of said river, with the meanders
thereof, until it intersects the fourth principal merid-
ian; thence south with the said meridian line to
the southwest corner of township r4 north, in range
'1 east; thence due east on the line between town-
ships 13 and 14 north, to the place of beginning."

These boundary lines made Rock River the entire
north and northwest boundary line of the county,
and included nearly one-half of the territory of what
is now Whiteside County.

By an act approved March 2, 1837, Henry County
was organized and the proper Commissioners ap-
pointed to locate the county seat, and to do and
perform such acts as were necessary to enable the
county to assume its position as an organized
county.

The Pioneers.

ifeh&sej

%&*&

HE thrilling story of the pioneers of the
Upper Mississippi Valley, involving the
proud results that we all are now enjoying,
is easily touched into romance by the glowing
imagination, to be proudly repeated by every
generation of the English-speaking race, will
live and breath and burn, in legend and in song.
In its greatest incident it is a story of achievement
unparelleled in the annals of the world for the maj-
esty of its purpose and the poverty of its means,
the weakness of the beginning and the grandeur of
the result. Contemplating the unnoted coming of
the first sparse wandering nomads of the wilds and
the dreary wastes — the peaceful exiles in life — the
adventurous voyagers, piloted on their way by the

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HENRY COUNTY.

north star, the first frail settlements — yet the shred
of the most intense and tenacious life, fringing the
dark edge of outer civilization, harassed by Indians,
beset by beasts, by disease, by exposure, by death in
every form, beyond civilization and succor, beyond
the knowledge or interest of civilized communities, a
thin thread of the old settlements, yet what incalcu-
lable destinies hung upon their lives and the success
of their heroic labors. Contemplating this spectacle
our hearts break into the language of the proud
prophecy accomplished : " The desert shall rejoice
and bloom as the rose." "A little one shall become
a thousand and a small one a strong nation."

Amidst these abounding joys of wealth and happy
content, we are surrounded to-day by other tradi-
tions and solicited by other memories. But under
these radiant heavens and these surpassing beauties,
our hearts go backward to a winter day. The roaring
cities sink to a silent wilderness — the rumbling high-
ways of steam and fire into the thread-like Indian
trails, the busy throngs to the silent, grave-faced
lone hunter and trapper. The contrast is complete.

The great region of the Northwest lay in primeval
wilderness awaiting the creative touch that should
lift it into amazing and rejoicing life and in fulfill-
ment of the aspirations of Jefferson in the Ordinance
of 1787, that consecrated' to freedom all this part of
the world. The blood of the pioneer flows with
energizing power in the veins of every State and his
undaunted spirit animates the whole continent.
Did they know, think you, what a destiny they bore
in their silent and heroic bosoms ! Perchance not. ;
and it is possible they builded wiser than they knew,
but their imperishable crown of glory is here, the
fruit is rejoicing in the distant and glorious summer,
where they alone planted and watered.

An instance of early social life was related to us
by Mrs. William Miller, of Geneseo, is a valuable
index to the social life of the first beaux and belles
of Henry County. She says among her early recol-
lections, when the earliest settlements were still new,
that she was at Mr. R. R. Stewart's house one day,
and, as a child, had gone with the girls to the creek,
where they were to do the family washing. When
the work was well under way, one of the girl's broth-
ers came running from the house to the creek to tell
the young ladies there were some gentlemen at the
house and they must go home at once. The -girls

knew they had to go,- and yet they were in their
wash-day clothes, probably, no, of course, barefoot ;
there was but one room to the house, and their
clothes were in the " loft," and this was reached by
cleats fastened to the logs on the inside of the
house. What were they to do ? The girls were terri-
bly distressed, but what could they do? It was soon
settled ; they made their brother go to the house,
clamber into the garret, get their clothes, and they
made their toilet in the thicket, and in due time ap-
peared at the house, where awaited, one of them at
least, her future husband.

The seaside belles of to-day would regard this in-
cident as horrible; and yet at that day and time it
was what would easily and naturally happen, even
in the proudest first family of the county. The
young ladies in the Stewart family were much in
advance of the average girls of their time, as is evi-
denced by the fact that they we^e the first school-
teachers in the county, and were* all married to the
best of the young men, and to this day easily main-
tain their places as influential leaders in our best
social life.

Dr. Thomas Baker is universally conceded to be
the first settler in Henry County. There are none
of his family or descendants here from whom to gain
the details of his early life, except the meager details
to be found elsewhere in this work as they were
gleaned from those old settlers who knew him best.

The second family to make a permanent settle-
ment in the county was Earl P. Aldrich with his
wife and five children, in an ox wagon. Henry S.
Aldrich was born in Henry County Dec. 16, 1835,
and Mrs. Aldrich thinks he was the first white child
born in the county. (See page 305.)

There were three young men who believe they
came to the county before Aldrich 's family, namely,
Thomas and James Glenn and Anthony Hunt, who
arrived here the 13th day of May, 1835. They were
all single men, and there is a strong probability that
they were the first to arrive after Dr. Thomas Baker.

The next arrival was George Brandenburg, in the
latter part of July; then P. K. Hanna, John P.
Hanna and George Colbert.

James Glenn built the first log cabin in the county,
made the first plow arid turned the first furrow.

The population of Henry County, or what is now
the county, in the first year of its settlement con

$C33$-

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HkNRY COUNTY.

^fsisted of Dr. Thomas Baker and family, George
^Brandenburg and family, Earl P. Aldrich and family,
ig^John P. Hanna, P. K. Hanna and family, James
1 ' Glenn, Thomas Glenn and Anthony Hunt.

-»-

Firsts.

HE following is a complete list, in their
order, of the first separate acts and events
as they occurred in the history of Henry
County. They will prove a source of easy
reference and great interest to the readers, as
well as valuable in the settlement of those
vexing questions that sometimes find their way into
the legends and stories of the early settlements, and
especially as to where, how and when given events
) transpired, and who were the actors and participants
in those interesting beginnings of things :

First settler, Dr. Thomas Baker, April 8, 1835.
First white child born, Henry S. Aldrich, Dec. 16,

||l835-

ra First white female child, Hattie Hanna, now Mrs.

■ttOdell.

First cabin put up, James Glenn, May, 1835.

First tavern, kept by Geo. Brandenburg.

First town laid out, Dayton.

First Postmaster, Geo. Brandenburg, Dayton.

First election, Dayton, June 9, 1837.

First County Commissioners' Court, P. K. Hanna,
Thomas Pillsbury and Jno. Browning.

First Sheriff, Robert McCullough.

First Coroner, R. R. Stewart.

First Recorder, Joshua Harper.

First Surveyor, Arba M. Seymour.

First term of the County Commissioners' Court, in
Dayton.

First County and Circuit Clerk, James M. Allan.

First Treasurer, Charles Atkinson.

First license granted by the Court, to John P.
Hanna and George Taylor.

First school, taught by Narcissa Stewart.

First chartered ferry, at Cleveland.

First newspaper, started by I. S. Hyatt.

First plow in county, made by James Glenn.

First furrow plowed, in 1835.

First School Commissioner, James M. Allan.

First census, 1840, by Arba M. Seymour.

First charity subject upon the county, John Thom-
as, 1840.

First Doctor, Thomas Baker.

First wedding, J. P. Dodge and Samantha Col-
bert, Feb. 7, 1836.

First lawyer, Samuel P. Brainard.

First term of the Circuit Court, at Richmond, 1839.

First case in Circuit Court, Job Searls vs. Moses
T. Stimpson.

First criminal indicted, John Porter.

First dairy, 1837, by Cromwell K. Bartlett.

First land purchase, by William Paddelford.

First frame building, 1836, in Cleveland, by At-
kinson & Wells.

First temperance society, organized in Geneseo,
1836.

First wagon road petitioned for by the people,
Andover to Geneseo.

First land entry of the Government, by Giles Will-
iams, which was the north half of section 34, town-
ship 18 north and 2 east, now Hanna Township.

First wheat planted, by Washburne, 1835.

First mill, at Andover, built in the winter of 1836-7.

First militia officer elected, James M. Allan, Ma-
jor, 1837.

First Member of Congress, John S. Stewart.

First member of the State General Assembly^
Joshua Harper.

the first attempt at fruit-tree growing here is told
of fully elsewhere. The trees were seedlings, and the
first crop of apples ever gathered in the county con-
sisted of 36 specimens, and even then this was a
marked event among the people.

About the first grafted apples raised in this por-
tion of Illinois were the Milam, under the name of
Winter Pearmain. These were not really grafted
trees, but had been propagated from the suckers.

The winter of 1855-6 was noted for the wholesale
destruction of fruit-trees. It was estimated that one-
half of the bearing apple-trees were destroyed or
rendered worthless. This for some years greatly
discouraged tree-planting, especially fruit-trees. All
the orchards in the county have been planted since.

Lewis Hurd and Miss Caroline W. Little were
married by Rev. Ithamar Pillsbury, Aug. 22, 1837.
This it appears by the records was the first marriage
in the county. Possibly, there may have been an
earlier marriage ; but if so it was while this was still

«5
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tin jsritY county

Knox County. The next wedding was the festive
Rev. Ithamar himself with Miss Caroline E. Miller,
of Andover, December 18. This knot was tied by
Rev. Enoch Meade. The next was W. B. Goss, of
Jo Daviess County, and Ellen Baldwin, of Cleveland,
by the above Rev. Ithamar.

There were five weddings in the county in the
year 1838. In the year 1839 there were six. " It is
not good for man to be alone;" but a more impera-
tive order just then prevailed here : It is good to
people this rich waste.

James M.Allen and Susannah D. Stewart were
married by Rev. James Wilcox, March 6, 1839. In
1840 there were ten couple spliced for life. (Di-
vorces not yet fashionable.) In this year Morristown
had her first wedding, Mahlon Lloyd and Miss Ame-
lia L. Davenport, December 30. In 1841 there were
twenty-two marriages. Tis year James Knox, after-
wards in Congress, was married to Miss P. H. Blish,
January 20. In 1842, 23 marriages; 1843, 15; 1844,
18 r 1845, 21; 1846, 25; 1847, 23; and 1851, 63.

The first election in Henry County was held June
19, 1837, to elect a Sheriff, Coroner, Surveyor, Rec-
order and^three County Commissioners. The Judges
were John P. Hanna, Charles Atkinson and Roderick
R. Stewart.. Clerks, — James M. Allan and Arba M.
Seymour. Ithamar Pillsbury, Philip K. Hanna and
Joshua Browning were elected County Commission-
ers. Rufus Hubbard had 21 votes for Commission-
er. Joshua Harper was elected Recorder, receiving
24 votes ; Thomas R. Saunders got 22 votes and
Eben Townsend had n votes. For Surveyor Arba
M. Seymour received the full vote cast — 58 votes.
For Sheriff Robert McCullough was elected, getting
31 votes, to Stephen Marshall 24 votes, and for Cor-
oner R. R. Stewart got 58 votes.

=31 — ■&&■*

A Sad Life.

WAY back in 1848, Mr. and Mrs. Pollock,
f of New York, made the acquaintance of
";22* " some of the leaders in the Swedish Church
that was founded by " Prophet " Eric Jansen,
from which came the Bishop Hill Colony.
Pollock and wife were refined and educated
people and had been accustomed to the comforts and
social life of what may be termed the well-to-do peo-

ple of New York. Mrs. Pollock was, it seems, of a
strong religious turn of mind, and she listened to the
new faith, shed tears over the persecution of Jansen
and Olsen in Sweden ; and the cruel story made her
a believer, and not only aroused her deep sympathy
for the cause, but awoke within her a religious en-
thusiasm that was strong and unconquerable. She
induced her husband to come West, and they located
among the Swedes of Bishop Hill Colony. Mr. Pol-
lock was a man of fine accomplishments and he
opened a school for the Colony, and taught school
and suffered and died. Mrs. Pollock then took up
the work where her husband had stopped and for
some time was the school-teacher of the Swedes.
She married one of the wealthiest men and leaders
in the Colony, named Gabrielson. This man had
brought a considerable fortune to this country, and
had purchased vast bodies of the Colonists' lands and
had in many ways advanced about all his fortune in
behalf of his poorer Church friends. Gabrielson died
in a few years after his marriage and the Church
leaders wound up the estate, and the widow and child
in some way came out of the ordeal penniless. But
her devotion to her Church and its members remained
unshaken. In a few years she was married to Eric
Jansen, the " Prophet " and head of the Church, and
here were new fields of usefulness opened to her to
minister to the Church and the Colonists.

In 1850 " Prophet " Jansen was murdered in the
town of Cambridge, and again this good woman of
Christian charity was a widow and penniless. Old
age and infirmities were coming swiftly upon her;
her heroic struggles grew more and more feeble and
for the past six or eight years she has been an inmate
of the county poor-house.

This simple and brief statement is one of the most
pathetic stories we remember ever to have met in
real, every-day Christian life. When she cast her
fortunes, her life, her everything with the Church and
Colony, the people were in poverty, ignorance, squal-
or and want. Her money, life, work and suffering
with these people, instructing them, guiding them and
more than dividing with them, her presence among
them was truly that of a ministering angel. These
good, Christian people are now rich in this world's
goods ; their broad and fertile acres smile their bless-
ings upon them and theirs, and they may well and
fervently thank God for his loving beneficence
through this devoted and self-sacrificing woman.

6V4«HH<

-"f^§*f

HENR Y CO UNTY.

Doctors.

jSll^OCTORS wure a necessity before lawyers

»SA in the pioneer settlements. Pills and po-
tions, " hot water and bleeding," boneset
tea, and dogwood, wild cherry and aloes bit-
ters, were the charms that soothed the ancient
stomachs and exorcised away the demon ma-
laria, and sod-corn juice was essential in every well
conducted pioneer cabin against snake-bites. The
old-fashioned ague — no, s-h-a-k-e-s ! the kind when
they got under-hold of a fellow and proceeded to
shake him up in a style that would have made a sad
wreck of a full set of false teeth upon the instant —
these and snake -bites, milk-sick and spring fevers
lay in wait, lurked in the tall grass and swamps,
seeking whom they might make a rattle-trap of.

The medicine man of the Indians had not folded
his brush tent and stole away when Dr. Thomas
Baker, the first settler in the county, came. The
first fellow upon the ground, and not a soul to dose
but himself! It is not to be wondered at that for
him life was rather shortened up at both ends !

As already intimated, the first settler was the first
physician. He was rather corpulent, and supposed
by all envious people to have been slightly lazy. It
is said that, especially in very warm weather, it actu-
ally grated on his tender feelings to see any one at
work. In a few cases he has warmly remonstrated
with parties he found working away on a hot day.
The Doctor died in the county, resulting from in-
juries received by a horse kicking him, and his family
and descendants have all long since disappeared
from the county.

Dr. Maxwell was the next in order. He located
on Rock River, Phenix Township. He died in 1844.
In 1838 Dr. King settled in the same neighborhood,
on Rock River. Said to have been a fine-looking
man, but there were evil stories told of him, and in
about a year he left the county. In 1839 Dr. Enos
Pomeroy located in Geneseo. In 1845 Dr. S. T.
Hume located in Geneseo.

The first call to which the last named responded

was a surgical case about five miles east of Cam-
bridge. He attended the call, and when he started
to return it was dark. The path was very indistinct,
and very difficult to follow. Coming to " Uncle Billy
Martin's " house, he applied to stay all night. He
was asked who he was. " Dr. Hume, of Geneseo."
" No such Doctor there. You're a horse-thief, sir,
and git ! " He got to the path, and finally reached
the house of James S. Hamilton and called to the
occupants. Here he met the same reception, only a
little more vinegary than at the first house, and he
resumed his devious and difficult way. He next
reached Mr. Southard's and called to the occupants,
and again was asked, " Who are you? " and answered
again, " Dr. Hume, a physician of Geneseo." "Git
out! No such Doctor there. I guess you are after
my horses." Mrs. S. had heard the Doctor's an-
swer, and here interfered and told her husband that
she had heard there was a new Doctor in Geneseo.
He was finally permitted to enter the house ; a light
was struck, and the Doctor closely inspected by the
whole family, and his honest face and manner soon
made him the welcome guest, and the best the place
afforded was gladly placed before him.

All the pith there is in this story is the fact that it
is a demonstration that the horse-thief was plying his
industry here at rather an early day, — and that at
the time when the loss of a horse was regarded as
about the greatest calamity that could befall a farm-
er. There are probably more horses stolen now-days
than there were then, but the loss now is not so in-
curable a calamity as it was then.

About 1840 Dr. George Shipman settled in An-
dover (Homeopathist), and built the house after-
wards owned by Mr. Ayers, on the south side of the
square. He soon left and went to Chicago to live.

Wethersfield had no resident physician for several
years after its settlement, and during this time the
most of the practice was by Dr. Thomas Hall, of
Stark County. He was an Englishman, and
judged by his patrons to be a man of vast medical
lore.

Dr. Hickman was the first to settle in Wethers-
field. He was soon in a good practice. He nearly
perished on the prairie one night in the winter of
1848-9. His feet were badly frozen, and he lost
part of one of them. He left the county.

at »

&<m%w>*§ — :s^^

HENRY

COUNTY.

•$$&£

^S extraordinary as it may now sound to this

M'i generation, who know that Henry County

remained wholly unoccupied and unknown

to white man until 1832, and was first settled

in 1835, and the county organized in 1837, yet

it is a fact that as far back as October 28,

18 1 7, William Barrows patented by military war-
ran tthe southeast of section 5, Weller Township.
This patent was signed by James Monroe, Presi-
dent, and this then being Madison County, it was re-
corded at the county seat, Edwardsville, Dec. 28,

1818. The year of the last date Barrows sold to
William Hobby, consideration $160. William Ste-
phenson, of Boston, Suffolk Co., took the acknowl-
edgment of the deed.

On January 4, 1818, the United States issued a
patent to Uriah Lockett, for the southwest of section
1, in Weller Township, and Feb. 2, 1819, Lockett
sold to H. Stewart. The parties were of Williamson

County, Tennessee. The consideration given was
$250. Geo. Hulin, " Chairman and Presiding Mag
istrate of the Court of Common Pleas," Tennessee,
took the acknowledgment of the deed.

Nov. 22, 1820, John Greenup, of Geauga County,
Ohio, sold to W. Skinner, of the same place, the
southeast of section 4, Weller Township. Considera-
tion, $200.

S. Staples, by warrant for services in the war of
1812-15, entered S. E. qr. of sec. 6, Weller Town-
ship, and the records of Madison show that Staples
on Nov. 22, 1819, sold the same to J. Rundlett. '
Price, $200. Staples acknowledged the deed*
before James Ladd, Notary, of Rockingham, N. H.

October 15., 18 r 8, James McCartnee patented
southwest section 5, Weller Township. He sold, in
1818, to M. F. Maher. Consideration, 'jjioo. The
deed is acknowledged in Baltimore.

June 20, 1820, J. Van Ransalear sold to J. R.
Van Ransalear, of Utica, N. Y.; southwest section
8, Weller Township, and the record says "36 quarter ^ '
sections in other counties," for the sum of $2,000. /?■

July 30, 1819, R. Cushman patented southwest JE
section 8, Weller Township. He sold to J. Van £8

Ransalear.

HENRY COUNTY.

-w^vg

731-4

T the time Henry County was
created, the financial and
official head of -the county
was the County Commission-
ers'Court. On the 27 th of
June of that year this Court
met at Dayton and transacted
the first official business of the
county. Allan was appointed
Clerk ; Atkinson, Treasurer-
Clerks and Treasurers were ap-
pointed— the Circuit Clerks by
the Judge of the Circuit, and the
County Clerks and Treasurers by
the County Commissioners until
these officrs were made elective by act of the Leg-
islature, February, 1837. In the next August elec-
tion after the passage of the act, the people elected
James M. Allan Clerk, and Charley Atkinson Treas-
urer. The Clerk gave bond, with Robert McCul-
lough and John P. Hanna as sureties.

The first official order of the Court was one au-
thorizing Charles Atkinson, John P. Hanna and
George Tyler to keep a ferry on Rock River at
Cleveland, and they "ordered that the tax on the
above mentioned ferry be fixed at one dollar and
fifty cents." The rate of tax was fixed at one-half
of one per cent, on " pleasure carriages," horses, cat-
tle, hogs, sheep, wagons and watches. Nothing else
was taxed, except a road tax of one dollar and twen-
ty cents on each quarter section of land ; and every
man of lawful age was required to work five days
on the public roads. George Brandenburg paid five
dollars for the first license to sell goods, and soon

£139$*

■a^y o/^iranr^g — ^^^-

afterwards a similar license was granted George Ty-
ler. These two men carried on business in the same
place.

The second day of the Court the county was di-
vided into five road districts, as follows : First in-
cluded towns 16, 17 and 18 north, and 1 and 2 east ;
second, 14, 15 north, 2 and 3 east ; third, 14, 15 west,
4 and 5 east : fourth, 16 and 17 north. The Super-
visor of first was John P. Hanna; second, Albert
Jagger; third, John F. Willard ; fourth, John C.
Ward; fifth, Neely Withrow. There were then only
about one hundred voters in all the county, and here H^
was quite a big undertaking for those men to build ^
the bridges and make the roads passable. ( y

The first road ordered surveyed and laid out in
the county was from Andover to Geneseo, thence to
the Rock River road at or near Joshua Browning's.
C. K. Bartlett, A. M. Seymour and Joshua Brown-
ing were appointed viewers, and the conditions
were the road was to be " laid without costs to the
county." What would an Illinois Legislature think
of such public economy as this? This economical
order in reference to roads was kept up till 1838,
when a road was ordered located from Andover
Mills in the direction of Peoria, at the expense of
the county. The first appropriation for bridges was
$50, to apply in part upon a bridge across Green River,
on the road via Cleveland and Dayton to Andover.
The second bridge appropriation was $10 for a
bridge on Camp Creek on the road from Andover to
Cleveland.

The justices' districts and election precincts were
the same as the road districts. In 1838 the place of
holding elections in the first district was named "as

— 4^^>|i

HENRY COUNTY.

»(@>B

the town of Dayton " — that means Brandenburg's
house ; in the second district " the Company house ;"
in the third, Henry G. Little's house; fourth, John
C. Ward's ; and fifth at Joshua Browning's.

The County Commissioners' Court ordered that
until the county seat should be permanently
located, the Courts should be held in the town of
Dayton.

The first merchant's license was granted to George
Tyler, " to keep a store in Cleveland," for which he
paid five dollars.

These pioneers were evidently a somewhat martial
people. An election for " Major " was held at Day-
ton, Aug. 12, 1837. Fifteen votes were cast, — eleven
for James M. Allan and four for George Branden-
burg. When this great military question was thus
settled, the good people of the county had but little
occasion to further fear the invasions of the murder-
ous,and scalping Indians.

At the September term of the County Court, the
County Surveyor was instructed to run out the line
between Rock Island and Henry Counties. A man
had frozen to death about or near the line, and as he
was a total stranger and had some money and no
heirs, Rock Island claimed the " stiff" and money.
Henry County suspected this to be a fraud : hence
the survey. Sure enough, the cadaver really be-
longed to Henry, and the county sued Rock Island,
but never got either the money or the dead man.

A permit was granted Charles Oakley by tile Cir-
cuit Court, in 1837, to build a dam on the Green
River, on the east half of the northeast quarter of
section 12, township 17 north, 1 east, known as
Green River Mills. The second permit was to
Ithamar Pillsbury, to build a dam across Edwards
River, on the northwest corner of section 18, town-
ship 14 north, 3 east. Here was soon after erected
a saw-mill.

No Circuit Court was held in Henry "County until
the spring of 1838.

Cleveland was laid out, in April, 1836, by C. At-
kinson and J. D. Tabor, on section 31, on the banks
of Rock River. The first houses built in Cleveland
were George Taylor's and C. Atkinson's ; the carpen-
ters doing the work on the buildings were Thomas
Glenn and George Brandenburg.

At the March term, 1838, James M. Allan was
appointed School Commissioner for the County, and

Luke C. Sheldon, Joshua Harper and George Bran-
denburg were appointed trustees of school lands in
township 17, range 1 east; and Roderick R. Stewart,
Elisha Cone and John C. Ward were appointed for
township 17, range 3 east; James S. Miller, Asa
Wisher and Albert Jagger for township 15, range 2
east ; Joseph GoodrichL Sullivan Howard and Robert
Coultas for township 15, range 5 east; and Henry
G. Little, J. F. Williams and Sylvester Blish for
township 14, range 5 east.

At the June term, 1838, James M. Allan was ap-
pointed " County Treasurer pro tern until the August
election."

'' Ordered, That the County Clerk be allowed the
sum of ten dollars for his services for the year past;
also ten dollars for attending to the military lands ;
also five dollars for stationery." It is explained in
the order that the salary of $20 is in addition " to'
what has already been paid him by the day through
mistake."

At the August election, 1838, Marcus B. Osborn,
John P. Hanna and Sylvester Blish were elected
County Commissioners.

April 1, 1839, Milo M. Pollock, Edgar Jacks, John
H. Wells, William H. Hubbard and William Mc-
Henry were appointed Assessors, and James D. Ta-
bor was appointed Collector.'

Marcus B. Osborn was appointed agent to receive
from the State the money appropriated to the county '
by the Legislature of 1838-9. This was the noted
"hush money" that was given to counties that did
not get any of the railroads that were then so grandly
voted by the State to build. It was the noted Legis-
lature of "internal improvement " celebrity, when
Illinois was struck with a craze that at that time
looked as though the young State was irreparably
ruined.

James M. Allan resigned as School Commissioner
in 1839, and Judge Joseph Tillson was appointed to
the place.

In 1840 James D. Tabor was appointed Collector
of Taxes; Arba M. Seymour was appointed to take
the census of the cOunty in 1840.

August, 1840, John Carson was elected one of the
County Commissioners, in place of Sylvester Blish,
whose term expired.

John Thomas was supported by the, county as
early as 1840. Probably the first county charge;

•^G* — S*$IW®I1I15>'V9- ^e»^

--«$«&£*

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4?@aX<l

HENRY COUNTY.

August, 1 841, William Ayers and George McHenry
were elected County Commissioners, Osborn and
Carson retiring. In 1842 James D. Tabor was again
Collector, and Joseph Tillson was appointed As-
sessor. Charles C. Blish was Surveyor, John C.
Ward, Treasurer.

In 1842 Francis Loomis was elected County Com-
missioner.

June 7, 1843, the County Court met for the first
time at the new county-seat, and made the following
order: " Pursuant to adjournment the Court met
this day at Sugar Tree Grove, and in consequence
of the inclemency of the weather it is ordered that
the Court adjourn till to-morrow morning." The
next day the weather was no better, and the same
order was again made. But the next day (June 9)
the weather had improved, and the Court met and
went to work to lay off into town lots the town and
name it Cambridge.

In 1843 Luke C. Sheldon was elected one of the
Commissioners, Marcus B. Osborn, Collector. James
M. Allan again elected County Clerk. Alfred W.
Perry was Deputy Sheriff in 1843.

August, 1844, Amos B. Cole was elected County
Commissioner.

Lewis M. Webber was County Collector and
Sheriff.

Francis Loomis was re-elected Commissioner in
1845, and L. M. Webber, Sheriff.

In 1846 a tax of thirty cents on the $roo was laid
for county purposes.

Elisha Calkins and William Ayers were Commis-
sioners in 1847. James Bernard, Probate Justice.

In 1849 Henry Sleight was County Probate Jus-
tice.

By act of the General Assembly of 1850. the
County Commissioner's Court was abolished and in
lieu thereof the County Court, consisting of a County
Judge and two Associate County Judges, was estab-
lished.

At the March term of the County Court in 1857
Justus F. Dresser was Sheriff.

Samuel P. Brainard was elected County Clerk in
August, 1847.

William H. Blish was elected County Treasurer,
Lewis M. Webber re-elected Sheriff, and Champlin
Lester elected School Commissioner.
August, 1848, William Miller and Stephen Palmer

were elected Commissioners, and Matthew B. Potter
was Collector and Sheriff.

The Probate Court met August 17, 1849, James
M. Allan, Judge; M. B. Potter, Sheriff; and Samuel
P. Brainard, Clerk. E. Otis was Deputy Clerk. In
1850, H. G. Reynolds was Deputy Counf.y Clerk,
William Miller and John Piatt Associate Justices,
Henry G. Griffin School Commissioner, W. H. Blish,
Treasurer. At the February term, 185 1, Joseph
Tillson, Judge ; Thomas F. Davenport, Clerk ; and
Henry G. Little, Sheriff. December term, 1853,
Stephen Palmer was County Judge. September
term, 1854, Stephen Palmer, County Judge; John
Piatt and Robt. Getty, County Justices; M. B. Pot-
ter, Sheriff; Daniel Bonar, Clerk. At the December
term, this year, T. F. Davenport, Sheriff.

At a special term of the County Court, March 17,
1856, the county, through its agent, contracted to the
Winnebago Swamp Land Company the swamp lands
belonging to the county. The company agreed to
drain the lands at once " as far as the same may be
practical," and to pay the county $70,000 in ten
years, five per cent, interest.

Dec. \, 1856, Justus F. Dresser gave bonds for
the faithful discharge of "the duties of Collector of
Taxes for the year 1856."

■ — yJN' y-^Sv

County Seats.

,OUNTY legal affairs were by law, at one
time and another, transacted at five differ-
ent places in the county. First at Day-
ton, then Richmond, Geneseo, Morristown
and Cambridge. The county seat proper
was " located " three times ; twice by Com-
missioners and once by the Legislature; the third
and last time on a petition of a majority of the
people.

Under the act of the Legislature the Commission-
ers to locate the county seat were sworn into office
Oct. 3, 1837, by William McMurtry, of Henderson,
Knox County, a Justice of the Peace. This man
was afterward Lieutenant Governor of the State.

Andover had just sprung into vigorous existence,
under the auspices of New York capitalists, and was
a prominent candidate. Geneseo, with more justice
probably in her claim, was also pushing her rights.

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■>4K 6\&M®M&**& — >4^r

HENRY COUNTY.

-«4$^f(

Morristown put in a vigorous claim also, backed with

her great wealth. A little place on Spring Creek,
iknown as " Ford Town," also bravely put in its

shovel, and the chronicler of the day says that in
^addition to the above, — " and James M. Allan was

there."

RICHMOND.

It seems that Mr. Allan as early as 1836 saw that
there would be in the near future need for a town or
location for a county seat, and his idea was that some
eligible spot would be near the geographical center of
he county. He mounted his horse and rode until
he found an established corner in Sugar Tree Grove,
and from that point, guided by a pocket compass,
rode due north, counting the steps of his horse, till
he reached, as he supposed, section 17, township 16
north, 3 east, about five miles from where he started,
and this led him into a rise in the middle of a beau-

\\ )tiful prairie as may be found anywhere. He had
;»made no error in his measurement, and he afterwards

(^entered the southeast quarter of section 17, and

^staked out a town, and named it Richmond, and the

J§Jtown was henceforth a standing candidate for county

JEJseat.

^J The law organizing the county required the Com-
ymissioners to meet at the house of Dr. Baker, and

u ) proceed to select a site. Another requirement was
that, pari passu, they should select Government
land.

The Commissioners met as required, and there was
a large delegation from Andover. At Brandenburg's
they met Major Allan, and proceeded to Geneseo ;
then the cavalcade rode out in the bald prairie to Al-
lantown — Richmond, and upon the highest ground
they halted and surveyed the wide landscape o'er.
Not a house nor a tree was within miles of the group
of town-hunters, but there was a wide and extended
view, and the rich rolling prairies lay spreading its
broad acres at their feet. The county map was un-
rolled before them, and this was unquestionably
nearly in the center.

Mr. Allan prevailed. His offer rather overwhelmed
other bidders. He made a deed to the county for
120 acres of his quarter section, and reserved only
40 acres for himself. The entire tract was laid out in
lots 4x8 rods — streets six rods wide. Each party
had a public square. " Three choice lots " were do-
nated to George Harris upon condition that he would

build a public house of entertainment " by the first
of next June." This house was soon up and the
town started on its brilliant and brief career.
A sale of lots was advertised in the Peoria, Galena,
Chicago and Canton papers " to come off the first
Wednesday in June." In the interval choice lots
were ordered sold at private sale for $50, second
choice for $25, one-third cash. Proposals were pub-
lished for building a court-house, 18x24 feet, story
and a half high; and at the December term, 1837,
the clerk was ordered to let the work to the lowest
bidder. George Harris secured the contract for the
building, and so he' pushed the work on his own
house and the court-house towards completion the
next year. His public house mentioned above was
36 X40 feet, two stories. So far, this was by far the
most extensive and pretentious building ever erected
in the county.

At the June term, 1838, the Court pledged the
faith of the county that all purchase money paid for
lots should be returned in the event the county seat
was removed from Richmond. This was official no-
tice that it would possibly soon move.

At the August election, 1838, the new County
Commissioners elected were Marcus B. Osborn, Syl-
vester Blish and John P. Hjtnna, and by act of the
Legislature of the preceding winterlthe new Commis-
sioners had to draw lots. In the drawing, Osborn re-
tained his office three years, Blish two and Hanna
one.

.At a special term, October, 1838, George Branden-
burg was allowed $12 for "furnishing a court-room
one term." At the December term, of this year, it
was ordered that at the general elections all voters
should vote at the county seat. - Probably the cause
of this action was that at the election in 1837 there
were just seven votes cast in Richmond. This act
was repealed the same year, and people did not have
all to go to the county seat to vote. At this time
the Court informed the members of the Legislature-
that the county of Henry was seriously suffering, be-
cause there had been no session of the Circuit Court
in the county. This appeal to the Legislature did
bring the Circuit Court, as the next spring term con-
vened there. There were, notwithstanding the long
delay of the Court's coming, only ten eases on the
docket at this first term.

One was a criminal case — counterfeiting. This

mm^s-

HENRY COUNTY.

735

criminal had to be guarded day and night. This
suggested the necessity to the County Court to ordei
published proposals for building a jail. On the ist
of January, 1839, a contract was made with George
Harris to build a jail, to be completed by the next
September.

The first Circuit Court was in April, 1839. Thomas
Ford, afterwards Governor, was the presiding Judge ;
James M. Allan, Clerk. The only ciiminal, a coun-
terfeiter, took a change of venue to Ogle County.
Soon after the Court adjourned another prisoner was
run in, and the two were being guarded at Harris'
house. The house took fire, and when discovered
the flames were beyond control ; and as the Court-
house was close by it too was burned to the ground.
In the excitement, the two prisoners went to the
wood-pile and relieved themselves of their shackles,
and then went to work with a might and main to put
out the fire, and, failing in this, removing property
and saving it. The counterfeiter, Porter, was a small
man, and he saw clothes hanging on the wall ; he at-
tempted to take them down, but was not tall enough,
except by tearing them, so he rushed back and got a
stool to stand on ; but when he retured the clothes
were in a blaze. He looked for something else to
save, and noticed a small stand and carried that to
a place of safety. There was a drawer in this stand,
and in the drawer was an indictment on which a
jury afterwards sent Porter to the penitentiary.

Harris had not completed the Court-house when
it burned, and he wanted pay for his work. He and
the Court could not agree; so, finally the matter was
submitted to a vote of the people, and he was paid
$30 in addition to what he had received, and the
contracts were canceled. This last mentioned elec-
tion was on July, 9, 1839.

But to return to the subject. The fire had swept
from the earth the entire city of Richmond — except
a straw covered stable. All was gone, and appear-
ances indicated had gone away to stay. Every one
in the county was agreed that new county buildings
should be speedily erected; but just where they
should be put up was another and more serious
question. The old bidders for the county seat, with
new friends, enlisted in hot haste and again entered
the field, proclaiming the superior merits of the goods
and wares they had to offer the county.

Meetings were called and the war of words and

quiet investigation went on. At a meeting in a school-
house at Rock River, it was " resolved," in italics
and big caps, "that we are in favor of removing the
county seat from its present location." Then a
petition was circulated, addressed to the County
Court, praying for a call of a convention of the peo-
ple to take action on this momentous question.

The last resolution in the series passed by this
meeting was as follows :

" It is further resolved at this meeting, by an
unanimous vote, that we concur with a majority of
the legal voters of the county (when they shall be
taken), for the re-location of the coumy seat of said
county. And we further disapprove of the minority
remonstrating against any location that may be made
by the majority." This was signed by George Col-
bert, Chairman, and George Tyler, Secretary, and
dated June 1, 1839.

About the same time a meeting was held at An-
dover, which petitioned the Court to call a conven-
tion of the people, " to take the sense of the county '
on several topics of importance, among which are: '
ist. The Revenue law. 2d. The Internal Improve- {
merit of the State. 3d. Adjusting the accounts of 1
G. W. Harris. 4th.' The removal of the county seat. !
On the last named subject we suggest the following
consideratins in favor of a removal, ist. There have
been strong objections from the first, to the present
location, that it is remote from timber; that it is des-
titute of water power ; of facilities for steam power ;
that it is not on the direct route of travel; * * *
the difficulty of obtaining suitable persons to hold
office at the town of Richmond." This last propo-
sition will sound strange to readers of the present )
day and age. " Difficulty of obtaining suitable per- 1
sons to hold office !" Think of it, reader! when for
every office now, from Path Master to President,
there are clamorous applicants by the hundreds,
sometimes by the thousands, for every place there is
to fill!

This memorial was signed by 15 citizens. Among
those 15 were William Ayers, Joseph Tillson and I.
Pillsbury.

The court yielded to these petitions of the people,,
and at the June term, 1839, ordered a convention to
meet at Geneseo, " to compare views and consult on '
such matters of immediate importance to the county^
as may be then and there proposed."

^^ ' q/>$hii®iiii$\c) ^e^

^&k (S^WMlli^d-

HENRY COUNTY.

4&&&

The convention met at Geneseo on July 9, and
the next day the County Court met at the same
place. These proceedings were had in Geneseo be-
cause there was nothing left in Richmond but the
stable, and the population of the " fallen Babylon "
were housed in said stable. In this stable the
County Court held one meeting and then took up its
bed and walked over the land of Nod — Geneseo,
and held its sessions here, waiting the settlement of
the great questions before the people. It remained
there only a short time, until the question of removal
of the county. seat was again strongly agitated, and
steps accordingly taken toward changing its location.

At the December term, 1839, the Court petitioned
the Legislature to legalize its acts in holding sessions
at Geneseo, that officers of the county might be
permitted to hold their offices at their respective
homes.

MORRISTOWN.

At the session of the Legislature, 1839, an act was
passed re-locating the county seat; and Alexander
Turnbull, of Warren County, W. W. Conway, Rock
Island, and Harmon Brown, Knox County, were ap-
pointed Commissioners to locate and name the new
county town.

The earnest competitors now for the county
capital were Geneseo and Morristown. The former
apparently had every advantage, and this fact, prob-
ably, made the people of that place over-confident.
At any rate, when the Commissioners to locate met
and opened the bids there was practically no contest
at all. Morristown carried off the prize easily. Her
bid was overwhelming, compared with Geneseo's.
Geneseo, it is said, offered the county a fair and
liberal portion of the town, while Morristown, or
Charles Oakley and Joshua Harper, offered an entire
quarter-section for town lots and $1,000 in cash.
This settled the matter at once, and Morristown be-
came the seat of justice for Henry County. Gene-
seo was seriously disappointed; it was a blow
under the belt. For some years her people con-
tended they had really made the most liberal offer,
while her enemies said the big end of her liberality
was only manifested after the question had been set-
tled. Then another wheel within this wheel was a
statement made current that one of the Commission-
ers to locate, Turnbull, had been a candidate for the

Legislature and Geneseo had voted against him, and,
therefore, he was " fernenst " her.

Among the provisions for the new county seat,
Morristown, was one that a public house should be
built out of the fund ; and that within a certain time
(one year) each of the colonists should erect a house
upon his land. A good-sized building was erected
out of the general fund, and three or four dwelling
houses were erected by different parties. The town
plat was one mile square. In the center was a pub-
lic square, 440 feet each way. Lots, 45 feet front
and 135 to 240 deep.

Thus, under promising prospects, was started the
new town. It was thought the county-seat question
had been about permanently settled, and a permanent
population was expected to flow into the place. Mr.
Crocker had entered Crocker's Grove (sometimes
called Brown's), as well as a large tract adjoining.
He had intended making an extensive farm and ex-
pected wide range for years for his catde. He re-
gretted that Morristown had been located so near
him, as it would cramp his grazing range.

The above named public house and three or four
dwellings constituted the point of greatness and
growth at which the embryo city of the plains
seemed to halt in its strides to greatness. Murmurs
at the place began to be heard ; the good people
complained that the selection was bad, very incon-
venient and not in the center of the county. In short,
the most " knowinsomest " old settlers soon saw the
the question of a new county seat would have to be
all fought over again. The terms of the Circuit
Court were held in Geneseo after the burning of
Richmond, until the fall of 1841-. The first Circuit
Court held in Morristown was in May, 1842, and the
last in May, 1844.

The public house in Morristown was duly con-
veyed to the county and a contract for improving it
was made with David Gove and Nathaniel Walters,
for which work an order was issued to them for the
sum of $70. June 28, 1841,^ contract was made
with Thomas W. Carey and George Brandenburg for
the erection of a " commodious court-house, f 8 by
24 feet, one and a half stories high," and also fdr
building a jail. Brandenburg arid Carey rented' the
public house for a term of two years, to pay $100
rent, and to "furnish suitable court-room for the use
of all courts in the county." The court-house was

-£^HOT&A^ — :s^L

*f—

■ev^iwsiiiifc*® — 3«ter

4*§^

HENRY COUNTY.

built, and this was the building that, being trans-
ported finally to Cambridge on wagons, gave the
county seat the reputation of being on wheels.

As said, the dissatisfaction with Morristown con-
tinued to grow. The people were determined to re-
locate the county seat, and they were determined no
longer to trust "commissioners to locate." They
had many reasons for mistrusting commissioners.
Sinister influences too often were the weightier con-
siderations, and for such good reasons the people,
when they determined to found a new county-town, at
the same time determined to fix that location them-
selves.

The people of Morristown themselves soon were
free to admit that their place was not suitably lo-
cated. Joshua Harper, one of the proprietors of the
place, was a candidate for the Legislature in 1842,
and he distinctly pledged the people that, if elcted,
and a majority of the people so petitioned, he would
vote to send the county seat to any p'oint they
wished, " even into the Winnebago swamps." He
was elected, and was fathful to his promise.

CAMBRIDGE.

Cambridge, Geneseo and Sugar Tree Grove were
the rival points for the new seat of justice. Some
maneuvering was attempted to get it located on sec-
tion 7, 15-3. This land was owned by Ithamar
Pillsbury, of Andover. Joseph Tillson, called gen-
erally "' Judge "Tillson, was the powerful champion
of Sugar-Tree Grove. He was, as said elsewhere, an
early settler, and always an active man, and one of
much weight and influence in county matters.
Probably the gratitude of the good people of Cam-
bridge will some day erect a suitable tablet to the
memory of "Judge" Tillson in the Court- House
Square. Petitions to locate at Sugar-Tree Grove
were circulated. Col. Wells, of Wethersfield, drew
a petition and circulated it in his town ; John
Kilvington pressed the petition upon the attention of
the people of Wethersfield and about Barren Grove.
The activity of 'Judge " Tillson and his friends se-
cured a majority in the county to sign the petition to
locate the county seat at or near Sugar-Tree Grove,
the present site of Cambridge. Geneseo remonstrat-
ed vigorously, and started for a signature and petition
for the appointment again of "commissioners to lo-
cate." It was said that James M. Allan was the
chief instigator in this movement of Geneseo.

To people wha have come into the county or
grown up since this exciting county seat controversy
raged so intensely, the story of the " fine work "done,
the shrewd schemes put upon foot by the leaders on
both sides of the question, sound strangely indeed.
But we must remember that in those days a part of
the great importance that attached to the question was
the fact that then the county seat alone was the one
point where the important leading town of the coun-
ty was to be; men then supposed, as there were no
great river town to be made in the county, that the
county seat alone could induce people to build a city.
The day of railroads was not then : it is now, and to-
day there are several towns and cities in the county
that have distanced Cambridge, the present county
seat, " in climbing that ruggtd hill where fame's fair
temple shines afar."

When a majority of the people had signed the pe-
tition to make Cambridge the county seat, the peti-
tion was forwarded to Col. Buford, of Rock Island,
who then represented this district in the Senate. He
introduced a bill at once to re-locate the county
seat of Henry County. It was passed by the Senate
and went to the House, where Joshua Harper was
the member from this county. The bill passed the
House and became a law Feb. 21, 1843. The loca-
tion, as fixed by the bill, was on the northwest quar-
ter and southwest quarter of section 7, township 115,
3 east, 40 acres from each quarter-section. The
bill provided courts should be held at Morristown
until suitable buildings could be provided in Cam-
bridge. The bill also provided for the re-conveyance
by the county of all property deeded in Morristown.
See history of Cambridge.

— f-

-5-

Officials.

'AMES D. TABOR was elected first Sher-
iff. His first term ended 1840. He was
again elected, but the Governor refused to
commission him, as his books were not straight.
A new election was ordered, and Tabor was
again elected, and by some hook or crook got
his commission this time. He was again elected in
1842, and at the end of his term ran away and left
his securities and many others in the lurch.

tf »

-zt&s; ^V^MOTf^^

HENRY COUNTY.

In 1838 the Legislature enacted that the County
Commissioners should by lot determine their respect-
ive terms of office. Osborn drew the long term,
and Hanna the short. Hanna was re-elected in

i839-

1840, John Carson was elected Commissioner.
August, 1841, William Ayers, beating the old Com-
missioner, Osborn, one vote. It was Andover vs.
Geneseo.

1841, September, George McHenry was elected to
fill the vacancy caused by the death of Carson, when
the following named gentlemen were elected: 1842,
Francis Loomis; 1843, Luke- C. Sheldon; 1844,
Amos B. Cole ; 1845, Francis Loomis; 1846, Elisha
F. Calkins; 1847, William Ayers; 1848, William
Miller and Stephen Palmer; Calkins having removed
from the county.

In 1849, under the new Constitution, a County
Judge (also Probate Judge) and two Associates,
styled County Justices, were elected, to-wit: J. M.
Allan, Judge ; William Miller and John Piatt, Asso-
ciates.

In 1850 Allan was elected to the Legislature, a,nd
a special election for Judge resulted in the election
of Joseph Tillson.

1853, Stephen Palmer was elected Judge, and
Robert Getty and John Piatt, Associates.

In 1857 the township organization system was
adopted in the county, and the Board of Supervi-
sors succeeded the old County Commissioners'
Court.

1857, M. B. Potter was elected County Judge.

1844, Lewis M. Webber succeeded Tabor as Sher-
iff. He was re-elected by a majority of one vote.
Webber went to Rock Island and followed merchan-
dising.

M. B. Potter succeeded Webber in 1848. The law
prohibiting a Sheriff serving two terms in succession
then went into effect. Henry G. Little was elected
in 1850. Potter again in 1852. T. F. Daven-
port in 1854. J. F. Dresser in 1856. P. H. Sniff
in 1858.

James M. Allan is a native of Tennessee ; reared
in Alabama. His father was a Presbyterian minis-
ter. The Major came to Illinois in 1835, and to
Henry County in 1836. A large man physically and
mentally, and a man of big heart, naturally full of
goodness and charity. He was appointed Circuit

Clerk in 1837, by Judge Dan Stone, and re-appoint-
ed by Thomas Ford. He filled the office until the
election of Samuel P. Brainard, in 1848.

At the election, 1839, by a very clever trick George
Tyler beat Major Allan twelve votes for County
Clerk. Tyler never qualified, and at the special
election ordered, Allan received fifty -seven votes of
the sixty-three votes cast in the county. He was
his own successor in this office until 1849, when he
became County Judge. And this last office he re-
signed the next year, having been elected a member
of'the General Assembly. It is told of the Judge
that one year the County Assessor and Collector
having absconded, he voluntarily assessed the county
and then in due time proceeded to collect the taxes"
he had assessed. He assumed the office, and every-
body was glad that he did and thanked him for it,
which goes to show that the disease of "pap-suck-
ing" did not rage so fiercely among the good people
of Henry County as it has of late years in the na-
tion.

In 1838 Judge Allan was appointed School Com-
missioner, and July following Treasurer pro tern.
In short the entire round of places of honor and
trust were freely accorded to him by the people of
the county. He won the respect and confidence of
all who knew him. He never betrayed or neglected
a trust. He was of Southern blood, and he and his
remarkable brother, William T., left the South and
came to Illinois to escape the ownership of slaves
they had inherited, and that by the laws of the State
they could not liberate. William T. Allan was the
forerunner and the peer of Owen Lovejoy in North-
ern Illinois. In freeing the land, in liberating the
white man from the curse of African slavery, in
striking the shackles from the slaves, he went forth
like Peter the Hermit — eloquent, brave, sincere and
unconquerable; defying the hooting mobs, and
proclaiming the new religion of "free speech, free
press and free man."

Major James M. Allan retired mostly from public,
political or official life in 1852, and in 1858, in com-
pany with Atkinson (now of Moline), Edwards and
others, organized the Winnebago Swamp Land Com-
pany, and purchased 50,000 acres of the swamp
lands of Henry County. This wa's a vast, and at
that day, a daring enterprise, and has resulted in
draining and making splendid farms of what

•s

A§&®fa

■^C^ — §^ratlf!>A£-

HENRY

COUNTY.

739

many years were regarded as the uninhabitable por-
tions of the county.

An early settler who had known Allen long and
well thus sums up his leading characteristics :
" Allan, though brave as any man, large and of tre-
mendous physical force, was never a burly bragga-
docio, but always polite, social and affable — kind
and generous to all mankind, and in his intercourse
with crowds of men diffident. He had a strong
sense of duty, as well as a strong perception in
which way lay his and the public's interest. When
there was an imperative necessity he could make a
speech to a crowd to a good purpose, or button-hole
a voter and make a little speech to him alone, un-
equaled by any other man in the county. He is
the Pater patrice of Henry County. He lobbied
through the Legislamre the act organizing the county,
filled nearly every office at different times ; stood by
as a keen-eyed sentinel ever ready to protect the
rights and integrity of the county, and he success-
fully attended the session of the Legislature and
thwarted the movement of Gen. Henderson, who was
then a resident of Stark County, in his scheme of de-
taching a portion of this county and adding it to the
domain of Stark County."

The imperishable finger-marks of Major Allan are
everywhere in the county. They will be his endur-
ing monument for many and many long years after
he has gone the way of all the earth.

In 1862 Holmes O. Sleight was elected County
Treasurer, and was re-elected in 1864.

Judge George E. Wait was elected County Judge
in i86r, and at the expiration of his term Julius S.
Hinman was elected his successor, which office he
continuously held by re-election until his death, in
the spring of 1885. The vacancy caused by the
death of Judge Hinman was supplied by an election
in May, 1885, when the present County Judge, John
P. Hand, was elected.

The present (1885) county officials are : John P.
Hand, County Judge.

F. G. Welton, County Clerk; W. L. Dalrymple,
Deputy County Clerk.

County Treasurer, J. C. Hoflund ; Deputy, Esq.
Neely.

County School Commissioner, E. C. Rosseter.

County Surveyor, Orson Jones.

Sheriff, B. F. Goodell; Deputies, G. McClung,
Isaac Cook and E. C. Williams.

Coroner, Frank McArthur.

Master in Chancery, W. H. Shepard.

The Circuit Judges of this Judicial Circuit are : G
W. Pleasants, of Rock Island ; A. A. Smith, of Gales-
burg; and John J. Glenn, of Monmouth.

Circuit Clerk, L. H. Patten. His efficient deputy
since the year 1869 is Anna Boyd.

>g&g—

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-«t^^c©vB

r=x

HEN the county was organ-
ized it was the Sixth Judicial
Circuit. The first term of
Court was held at Richmond,
April i, 1839. Thomas Ford
was the presiding Judge; Nor-
man H. Purple, State's Attor-
ney; James M. Allan, Clerk;
James D. Tabor, Sheriff. No
Grand Jury appeared, and the
Sheriff was ordered to summon
23 qualified persons as a Grand
Jury, and the same number as
petit jurors. Judge Dan Stone's
commission to James M. Allan, as
Clerk, bears date Aug. 17, 1837.
Governor Joseph Duncan issued
Sheriff Tabor's commission. The
first case on the docket was Arthur
Thornton and Job Searl vs. Moses
F. Stemson. Judgment by con-
fession in the sum of $400. The
first case on the People's docket
was against Charles Atkinson, for-
feiture of recognizance as witness.

There were nine cases on the docket at this term
of the Court. The only criminal case was the Peo-
ple vs. John Porter, counterfeiting. Venue changed
to Ogle County. This Court convened on the 1st
and adjourned " until Court in course " on the 2d
of April.

The second term of the Court was at Richmond,
commencing October 7, 1839. Thomas Ford, Judge;

N. H. Purple, State's Attorney ; Allan, Clerk; Tabor,
Sheriff. Milo M. Pollock was appointed Foreman of
the Grand Jury. Jury empanelled, and Court ad-
journed for the day.

The first jury trial was The People vs. Hiram
Pearce — disturbing the peace. The jurors were :
Elias Walters, William Hite, James Withrow, Wil-
liam Walters, Charles W. Davenport, Luke C. Shel-
den, William Ayers, Edward A. Mix, Jesse Woolsey,
William Woolsey, David Potter and Joshua Dodge.
Verdict guilty, and fined $25.

Attorneys at this Court were Peters, Drury, Wells
and Purple The Court finished all business in two
days and adjourned.

The next term, April 6, 1840, the same officers as
the preceding Court. Among the attorneys present
was Mr. Harvey. Court adjourned on the 8th.

The next Court was begun May 17, 18-41. Thomas
C. Browne, Judge; Hall, State's Attorney. Browne
renewed James M. Allan's commission as Clerk.
Knowlton, Knox, Manning and Southwick were of
the attorneys at this Conrt. Adjourned May 18.

Circuit, Court, Sept. 27, 184T, begun and held at
Geneseo. Browne, Judge; Kellogg, State's Attorney,
pro tern. No jurors were summoned to this Court.
The Sheriff was ordered to summon 23 grand and 23
petit jurors.

May 10, 1842, the next term convened at Morris-
town. Same officers as preceding term. Another
term in Morristown, Sept. 26, 1842. Same officers.
Then May 15, 1843, at same place. Joseph H.
Wells, State's Attorney; Allan, Clerk, and- Tabor,
Sheriff. Again, there was a term in September fol-

*®r qaw mn&*&

£«§i*t«

HENRY COUNTY.

v&:2

741

«!

i
I

lowing. Next in May, 1844. Same officers. In
September another Court, and Lewis M. Webber,
Sheriff.

At May term, 1845, J. L. Loop was State's Attor-
ney.

At September term, 1845, T. J. Turner was State's
attorney.

1846, May term, Thomas J. Turner, State's Attor-
ney.

1846, September term, H. B. Stillman, State's At-
torney, pro tern.

1847, April term, H. B. Stillman, State's Attorney ;
September term, same officers.

1848, April term, same officers; September term,
same officers, except Samuel P. Brainard, Clerk.

1849, May term, Benj. R. Shelden, Judge; Henry
B. Stillman, State's Attorney; Matthew B. Potter,
Sheriff, and Samuel P. Brainard, Clerk ; September
term, same officers.

Brainard made H. G. Reynolds Deputy Clerk.

The November term, r85o, of the Circuit Court,
Judge William Kellogg presided, Harmon G. Rey-
nolds, State's Attorney, Ben Graham, Clerk, and M.
B. Potter, Sheriff.

October term, 1851, Ira O.Wilkinson Judge, Henry
H. Stillman, State's Attorney, Ben Graham, Clerk,
Henry G. Little, Sheriff.

October term, T852 : M. Shallenbarger was State's
Attorney, and Sylvester Blish, Master in Chancery.
During his term the office became vacant by his
death, and James M. Allan was appointed to fill the
vacancy, by Judge Kellogg. At this term of the
Court William H. Brainardjentered upon the duties
of Circuit Clerk.

October term, 1853, Wilkinson, Judge, William T.
Miller, State's Attorney, Potter, Sheriff, Brainard,
Clerk.

September, 1855, J. W. Drury, Judge, T. F. Dav-
enport, Sheriff.

April term, 1856, William L. Dalrymple was Cir-
cuit Clerk.

April term, 1857, J. Wilson Drury Judge, Justus
F. Dresser, Sheriff, John C. Hawley, State's Attorney,
Thomas Wiley, Jr., Clerk.

By act of the Legislature the terms of holding the
Conrts in this, the 6th Judicial Circuit, was changed,
and the Courts in Henry County were changed to the
first Monday of March and the first Monday of Oc-
tober, of each year.

October term, 1857, officers were: Drury, Judge,
Wiley/Clerk, Dresser, Sheriff, J. B. Hawley, State's
Attorney.

At the March term, 1859, the Judge failed to come,
and there was no Court for this term. Judge Drury
appointed a special term to convene April, 1859. At
this term of the Court Purnel H. Sniff appeared as
Sheriff.

At the April term, i860, John H. Howe, presiding
Judge, Wiley, Clerk, Sniff, Sheriff, J. B. Hawley,
State's Attorney.

March term, 1861, J. H. Howe, Judge, Amos
Gould, Clerk, Adam K. Henny, Sheriff, Hiram Biger
low, State's Attorney, Amos Gould appointed J. A.
Nye, Deputy.

October term, 1862, William W. Heaton, Judge,
Levi North, State's Attorney.

March term, 1862, Wilkinson, Judge, Hiram Bige-
low, State's Attorney.

March term, 1863, John B. Hagin, Sheriff.

March term, 1864, same.

At the March term, 1865, William W. Otis, Sheriff,
Charles C. Wilson State's Attorney.

October term, 1867, George W. Pleasants, Judge,
C. C. Wilson, State's Attorney, George W. Sroufe,
Sheriff, Amos Gould, Clerk.

October term, 1868, Anthony R. Mock, State's At-
torney.

February term, 1869, Andrew G. Warner, Sheriff,
Thomas J. Atwater, Clerk.

Thomas J. Atwater, Circuit Clerk, died in Febru-
ary, 1872, and at the February term of the Court of
that year Judge Pleasants appointed Lewis H. Pat-
ten to fill the vacancy. Mr. Patten has continued to
hold the office by electiou since, and is the present
Circuit Clerk.

John B. Hagin was Sheriff at the February term
of the Court, 187 1.

February term, 1873, Thomas E. Milchrist, State's
Attorney, Peter Johnson, Sheriff.

February term, 1875, William J. Vannice, Sheriff.

February term, 1878, John J. Glenn, presiding
Judge.

October, 1878, Arthur A. Smith, Judge.

February, 1879, Judge Glenn, presiding.

At February term, 1S81, Benj. H. Goodell, Sheriff.

There was no change until the February term,
1883, when A. A. Smith was the presiding Judge.
He again presided at the October term, 1883. Judge

*)»

<&*4immw>>L*B — :s^-

^V^tm^DD^^er- — 3^^-

HENRY COUNTY.

(

Glenn at the February term, 1884, Judge Pleasants
at the October term, 1884. At the special March
term, 1885, Judge Smith presided. At the June
session Judge Glenn presided.

Bench and Bar.

HE coming of Judges and lawyers was like
an after-thojght to the stern and silent
pioneers, and yet in one sense there was
here half a century agp what might have been
termed a pioneer Bench and Bar. These have
been styled the " Circuit Riders," from the fact
that in those days the Court circuits were boundless
in extent and the lawyers were few, and twice a year
Court and lawyers would travel on horseback from
county to county, holding the short terms of Court in
each, and dealing out the homoeopathic doses of jus-
tice that the wants of a simple people demanded.

Court day then was an event all over the county.
The coming into the county-seat (generally Sunday
afternoon) of the Judges and lawyers was a tremen-
dous occasion, to which the people looked with an
interest only now exceeded by the boys on circus
day. The two transcendent days of interest were
the August election and Court days. To the com-
mon rustic mind there was something awe-inspiring
in the approach and in the presence of the Judge
and lawyers.

Beyond all question the oldest licensed lawyer
now in the County is Major James M. Allan, now a
quiet farmer in Loraine Township.

The first lawyer to " stick stakes " was in the year
1845. Practically there was no " first," or, possibly,
they were twins. At all events, two brothers, so far
as is now known, came here about the time indicated
above, and concluded to try their luck among the
people of Henry County, William H. and Samuel P.
Brainard. The last named soon found a more con-
genial and better paying business than the practice
before the Courts by getting himself elected Clerk of
the Circuit Court, and this was so small in the way of
fees that soon after he had to secure the office of
County Clerk, in the hope that the two together
would buy ample fall pumpkins to winter on. He

:<5

■ft

evidently found himself a bloated office-holder, but in
the other emoluments of life was in the happy state
of preparation for a position as the " skeleton man " <
in the first circus that might come along. 1849, the
day of the California '49-ers, found him thus gyrating (
between the glimmering pumpkin pile and the evan*
escent emoluments of his two offices, and His reduced
system succumbed to an attack of " gold fever," and he
struck out " across lots " to California. He appointed
a deputy, gave him all the fees of both offices,
" throwed " in the remaining small supply of " grub " '
on hand and to the vision of his constituents he van- ,
ished, in 1850.

His brother, William H., was some time after
elected Circuit Clerk, and he profited by his brother's
experience and did not join the two clerkships to-
gether ; but he joined to his first office the position of
County School Commissioner, and was lucky enough
to have the selling and transferring of most of the
school lands, and from these he reaped a golden har-
vest.

In coming along the dead level of this vale, of '
tears, there tumbled into Henry County about the ;
year 1848, Jerome B, Carpenter, who swung his '
shingle to the quiet breezes as an " attorney and :
counsellor at law,"— fees reasonable " except where v/
services furnished." The very few years spent here ^ .
were by far the most successful and respectable of ( y
his life thus far, for it is a fact that this legal lumin-
ary rolled about in the shadow and in sunshine, and
it did sometimes look as though his " shiner " had got
tangled behind the thick clouds and could hardly get
out by the tallest kind of scratching. He left the
county after three years and went to Chicago, thence '
to Texas, thence most probably to the . j

Hon. John Buckles, who first located in Cam-
bridge, may well be classed as among the first of the
real lawyers to come to this county as a permanent
home for the practice of an honorable profession — a
profession that sheds only luster upon those who can
aid in shedding additional luster in return upon the
ancient wig and woolsack. He came from Indiana (
to Henry County in the early '50's, and at once en-
tered vigorously and successfully upon the practice,
and from the first compelled a recognition of his
eminent abilities. His greatest strength was probably
as a trial lawyer, and especially in the cross>exam- <
ination of witnesses. Here his legal acumen, his
ready wit as keen as a Damascus blade, his thor-

^ ^^^

HENRY COUNTY.

<m£m\lM

743

ough knowledge of human nature, his grasp of truth
in a mountain of stuff and rubbish, were all at full
play in an instant ; and woe be to the witness who
had to pass through his hands after an attempt to
scale the truth in his direct examination ! And such
was his power in cross-examinations that he often
by a single question broke down the force of a wit-
ness's entire testimony, even where the witness had
not tried to prevaricate.

Buckles died in 1874, his death sending a shadow
to many a heart among his wide range of acquaint-
ances, admirers and warm friends. His widow and
children are in Chicago.

William Smith, now of Topeka, Kansas, was for
some years a lawyer living in Geneseo.

Henry Cady will be remembered by some of the
people of Cambridge and Geneseo, in both of which
places he lived in the name, if not much in the style,
of a lawyer. He came to the county about i860.
We understand he has some political position in Lake
County. We don't know what it is — it may be
watching 'Lije Haines !

» One of the celebrated " so-called " lawyers that
5©? came to the surface in Henry County was Andrew
Ba Crawford, now living in Chicago, and one of the rich
of that city. He landed at an Irish hash-house in
Geneseo, in 1858, as one of the railroad roustabouts.
^J ) The gang, of which Andy was a voracious specimen,
was at that time building railroad fence through the
county. Thus he graduated as a fence-builder, and
was in Geneseo on pay-day and resigned as fence
roustabout. It was a rare instance of nerve and
courage in a man who could thus deliberately resign
a soft and lucrative position that he might have held
for life, and in cold blood face the grim realities of
becoming a lawyer, " without the benefit of clergy. "
When in search' of notes about the absent great, we
inquired where he studied law. " Never studied at
all, at any time or anywhere," was the invariable an-
swer. " How did he get license ? " " Admitted by
act of the Legislature," was the response to this in-
quiry. "What did he do when he quit railroading?"
" Nothing, except saw wood a little. "

He never did know any technical law. He was no
book-worm, and knew little of law or literature; but
as a judge of the values of property, as a buyer and
seller, he probably never had an equal in the county.
He was full of common sense, and an energy and in-

dustry that never tired. What little law he prac-
ticed was all upon his intuitive knowledge of
property and his common-sense resources, that were
nearly infinite. He made the acquaintance of the
Merriman Bros., bankers in Geneseo, soon after he
located here, and they recognized his great financial
qualifications ; and it was to this fact that he at once
took a position in monetary affairs in the county and
in a little while was recognized as a capitalist. And
when he was elected to the State Senate an ill-
natured paper in an adjoining county said he was a
reckless experiment as a politician, a lawyer without
a case, but a financier and capitalist that could get
on his money " two per cent, a minute."

How he came to be elected Senator was about as
follows : There was a convention in session in Gen-
eseo, and two candidates before it who had each
other by the hair, and each determined never to sur-
render. The convention was having a monkey -and-
parrot time of it between these two candidates, and
at just the right moment Andy Crawford was sprung
upon the exhausted body and nominated. This was
in 1870, and he was elected to the Senate for the
short term.

He made a first-rate member of the Assembly ;
had probably as much influence in it as any member
of the Legislature. He made no pretentions to
being a speaker, but he was what is always better in
the end in a body of that kind, he was a worker ;
and this and his good judgment made him an effect-
ive and valuable Senator.

Serving out his term with credit, he came back to
Henry County, and satisfied that he had all he
wanted of politics, he closed up his affairs here and
in 1872 went to Chicago, where he has since re-
sided and where the opportunities for exercising his
great financial talents have found full and active
play.

Since in Chicago he has accumulated a great for-
tune, and has owned or controlled and managed one
of the important railroads entering the city.

This is a rough blocking of a sketch of [certainly
no common man. Nominally a lawyer and a politi-
cian, in reality a Napoleon in finance ; and while it
is true a financier is working always and wholly for
self, yet there are periods in the development of
young communities when the daring and brain of a
great man in financial affairs is a public good. He

s^ o;*®mn<>*r§ — ^^^

744

HENRY COUNTY.

stirs the sluggish waters and brings health and
growth where otherwise would be only stagnation
and death.

Andrew Crawford will be long and not unkindly
remembered by the good people of Henry County,
especially his many old friends and acquaintances of
Geneseo.

A quarter of a century ago came Lawyer N. C.
Bates. He was a fair lawyer and had a fair success
here, but with that restless Western spirit that at
one time or another has moved our people from ocean
to ocean, he took Greeley's advice and " went West,"'
locating in. Newton, Iowa, where he attained some
eminence in his profession and died a few years ago.

S. Allen Grunder was here about 1870. Didn't
ever astonish himself by extraordinary success. He,
too, went West, and is probably still growing up with
the country.

Whitfield Sandford was one of the early lawyers.
He remained here until 1872, when he removed to
Wahoo, Nebraska, where he now resides. He came
to this county from Mansfield, Ohio, and resided at
Geneseo. He was financially quite successful, and
soon gave more attention to his rapidly increasing
property than to the law practice. He started life as
a harness-maker. He was a Republican and a mem-
ber of the Congregational Church.

The Bar of Geneseo is the largest in the county,
consisting of the following: Judge George E. Wait
(see page 329), Major E. C. Moderwell (see page
244), E( C. Graves (see page 309), G. W. Shaw, F.
H. McArthur, Charles Dunham and G. H. Smith.

In Cambridge are Lawyers Shepard & Marston
— William H. Shepard (see page 352) and Ira D.
Marston (see page 664),— A. R. Mock (see page 279)
and Judge John P. Hand.

In Galva are Thomas E. Milchrist, State's Attor-
ney (see page 385), Hiram Bigelow (see page 706)
and Jonas W. Olson. The latter studied in Galva
with John I. Bennett, now of Chicago, who at one
time was in partnership in Galva with Albert
H. Veeder. Jonas W. Olson has a most interesting
history, for which the reader is referred elsewhere.

In Orion are located Lawyers Charles W. McGov-
ern and William M. Smith.

In Kewanee is the now oldest lawyer in the
county, Levi North. (See page 593.) For some
years he has mostly retired from active practice.
This place was the home of Judge J. H. Howe.
Away back in 1862, M. L. Easton, of Ohio, was in
the practice here. He left in 1862. At one time
Lucius D. Bishop, of Ohio, was here a short time.
He removed to Stark County, thence to Washington
City, where he died. O.-B. Ayres, now of Knoxville,
Iowa, was also a resident lawyer. Charles H. Reed,
who became the noted Chicago prosecuting attorney,
was here and studied law with Howe & Reed.
William C. Little, now of Wichita, studied with
Judge Howe. Albums Vance read law with Charles
K. Ladd. He is now in Osceola, Neb., and ex-
Governor of Nebraska. George Lay was admitted in
Cambridge and located in Kewanee. E. S. Martin
also read with C. K. Ladd and was admitted in 1878.
He went to Highmore, Dak., and is now Clerk of the
United States District Court.

The present Bar of Kewanee is Levi North, A.
W. Wood, C. C. Wilson (see cage 668), Charles K.
Ladd, James K. Blish (see page 687) and F. S. Ros-
seter (see page 596).

For very full and complete biographies of every
leading attorney now in the county the reader is re-
ferred to the biographical department in this book.

«&

§§\m^k

^^■- — ^T^ran*^^-

6v4?H!l&llll&^ — 3^€^c-

-^^c@vS|

HENRY COUNTY.

745

;=»••■ t^ggA3ji^

■#*^

•o^o..

HE great influx of immigrants
that began in 1852, which
was the commencement of
the-era of railroads in Illinois
and the unexampled pros-
perity of the State, made the
times ripe for the coming of the
first newspaper and the printer
with his modest little hand-press.
The province of the newspaper
is to guide and teach men the
truth, — point out the way that is
safe for them to go. Are we not
then justified in the assertion that
;)} the first coming of the dingy little
country newspaper to a new com-
munity is an event to be noted and
commented upon? And is not its
growth and spread and its well
marked influences fit subjects of
eager investigation? The publishers
of this book would here render to
the newspaper men of Henry Coun-
ty a world of thanks as a mild ex-
pression of their obligations for many and valued
kind favors received at their hands — favors bestowed
in that ready manner that could not come from any
but the most disinterested and kindly friendships,

and therefore will long be remembered and warmly
cherished.

The Henry County Gazette.

HE first number of the first paper issued in
Henry County was published Feb. 13, 1853-
— The Henry County Gazette, J. W. Eystra,
editor. It was a modest little five-column
folio, and showed rather a bad distribution,
both of ink and subs. It excited some curi-
osity with its first issue, but its support over the
county was indifferent enough to discourage Eystra,
and in the course of a few months the publisher was
wholly ready to sell to the first bidder. He was
compelled by want of funds to issue only when it
was absolutely necessary to fulfill the law in the
matter of the few legal ads. that were required to be
published. Before the first volume was thus irregu-
larly completed the publication was discontinued.
About this time Kewanee was commencing its big
boom, and its want was an organ. The enterprising
citizens clubbed together and purchased the outfit of
the Gazette and took it to Kewanee and started the
Henry County Dial, with Mr. Hyatt as editor and
general proprietor. Hyatt, it seems, was a restless,
odd kind of a man, and he filled up his life with
changes and varieties of many kinds. After re-
maining in Kewanee a few months he pulled out and

>%&*$*

^>»^ — &&M&W&4& — ^^^ «$«!§*

746

HENRY COUNTY.

went over to Geneseo, and started th'e Geneseo Re-
public. He bobbed around here among papers and
business men, then left the county and tried Rock
Island a while, and then returned to his old loves in
Henry County. After a few years, marked mostly
by failures, he left the county and he and his
brother [invented celluloid, went East and handled
their patent and manufactured the goods, and got
rich. We note this exceptional case among the for-
tunes of printers with the greater pleasure because of
the rarity and novelty of Hyatt's varied failures and
successes.

In the course of time the Henry County Gazette
office materials, especially the old hand-press, has
traveled to nearly every newspaper point in the
county.

The Gazette arrived in Kewanee Aug. r5, 1855,
and its coming was a great event in the young town.
If there had been a brass band in the place it would
no doubt have been called out to escort the great
arrival to its new home.

^oooe

Geneseo Republic.

HE first paper in Geneseo was established
in T855 by Col. James Bowie and was
Democratic in politics, very modest in its
editorials and still more so in its lists of sub-
scribers. The fact was, the paper was not
more than fairly launched upon the troubled
waters when the politics of the county became in-
tensely anti-Democratic and Democracy went into a
quick decline — largely moribund, and has so re-
mained ever since save the galvanic jerks that may
be noticed around the postoffices since the late na-
tional triumph of the Democratic party in the Presi-
dential election.

The next paper, and now the oldest paper in the
county, was the Geneseo Republic, started, as stated,
by I. S. Hyatt, the first issue of which was June r,
1856. Mr. Hyatt became a bankrupt in 1858, and
the property passed into the hands of assignees,
James M. Allan and O. A. Turner, who continued the
publication until the sale of the property by order of
the court, when it passed into the hands of Merritt
Munson, who was one of the able and active men

who pushed vigorously and well any enterprise he
undertook. He conducted the paper until Dec. 28,
T858, when he sold to Geo. H. Lewis & Co. The
new firm pushed the fortunes of the paper until
June, 1862, when George A. Hobbs became theown-
er. Hobbs and his partners submerged their Inde-
pendent'into the Republic, and moved along in good
style.

Nov. 27, 1863, Adam Lieberknecht purchased, of
iJames M. Hosford,its founder, the " Union Advocate,
established Oct. 1, r86r, a Republican organ," and
in a short time the Republic and Advocate were con-
solidated, with the "stipulation that the Republic
should be conducted as a Republican organ, or-, in
other words, the Advocate gave up its name but pre-
served its party principles ; and this, it seems, per-
manently settled the politics of the old, reliable Re-
public, as it has remained unflinchingly Republican
in politics from that day to this. In June, 1877, Mr.
Lieberknecht, by purchase, became the sole proprie-
tor, and as such is successfully carrying it on to
fortune and fame. There are but few rural, papers
that excel the present Geneseo Republic. Its suc-
cess from the day of Mr. Lieberknecht's .connection
with it, both financially and politically, has been
marked and uninterrupted. Mr. L. is a bonr news-
paper man. See biographical sketch on page 620.

The Chronicle.

HE next paper in age is the Chronicle, pub-
lished at present by Chapman Brothers,
Vho are about the youngest newspaper men
in the county. W. O. and J. H. Chapman are
bright and clever young men — thorough work-
men in their line, and as managers aud proprie-
tors possess all the secrets of success that opens for
them a most promising future. Their paper is sec-
ond in age and second in size of the county papers,
but it is only in these respects that the Chronicle
takes a second place among the country papers in
this portion of Illinois, The issue of the paper of
Oct. 8, r88s, is Vol. 27, No. 49, a nine-column
folio, teeming with sparkling local items, well-written,
general editorials, and, what is most delightful to a

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HENRY COUNTY.

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The history of the Chronicle claims a lineal de-
scent from the Gazette, started in 1853.

In the latter part of 1857 a stock company, com-
posed of Judge Joseph Tillson, Dr. A. A. Dunn, V.
M. Ayres and Henry W. Wells, purchased the oufit
of the Galva Watchman, which was removed to Cam-
bridge, and the first number of the Henry County
Chronicle, an eight-column folio, was soon issued,
with Dr, A. A. Dunn as editor.

In the year i860 Messrs. L. H. Patten and U. A.
Dennison leased the office, and they continued, Mr.
Dunn as editor, until 1881. In that year the latter en-
tered the army, and Mr. Patten purchased Mr. Den-
nison's interest, assuming entire editorial control,
which he held until 1866, when he was succeeded
by Messrs. Everett & Casson. The latter gentleman
conducted the paper until May 28, 1867, when it
passed into the hands of Mr. George C. Smithe.

In March, 1878, the paper was supplied with a
complete new dress and the name changed to sim-
ply the Chronicle. Mr. Smithe remained in charge of
the paper until Oct. 24, 1878, upon which date his
valedictory appeared, and Mr. C. A. Arnold, of
Bluffton, Ind., assumed editorial control. The lat-
ter remained but a short time, however, and May
22, 1879, Mr. Smithe, who had been in Colorado
during the winter, returned and re-purchased his
paper.

On April 5, 1883, Mr. P. F. Powers, of Davenport,
Iowa, who had managed the Chronicle for a few
months during the absence of Mr. Smithe in Wash-
ington, D. C, purchased an interest in the paper,
and the firm was known as Smithe & Powers'.

On Feb. 1, 1885, W. O. and J. H. Chapman pur-
chased the paper from Smithe & powers, and are
the present editors and proprietors. (See sketches.)

The Chronicle has always been Republican in
politics.

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Kewanee Courier.

HE Kewanee Courier was founded in
QMarch, 1876, by Dr. C. N. Whitney, an
old newspaper man, formsr publisher of
several papers in Minnesota and Illinois, and
at one time editor of the Quincy Daily Whig.
He now resides at Washington, D. C, hold-
prominent position under the Government.

During the year 1878 the papei was managed by a
business partner of Mr. Whitney's, E. H. Phelps,
formerly of the Wyoming Post, and now a promin-
ent real-estate and insurance agent in Kansas City.
In the fall of 1879 the paper was leased by its pres-
ent publishers, Chesley & Bio., printers from Ver-
mont State, and January 1, 1882, was purchased by
its present proprietor, T. H. Chesley. (See page
485.) It is a six-column quarto, all home print.
It is and has been a stanch Republican organ, though
never an "offensive partisan." It is a credit to the
city and worthy the liberal patronage it enjoys, both
as an advertising medium and a family newspaper.

The Independent.

HE Henry County Dial was the second
paper started in the county. We have al-
ready noticed that it was the office of the
Gazette, taken to Kewanee, where it arrived
August 15, 1855. J. H. Howe was engaged
as editor for one year. Sept 13 following the
office and material were sold to C. Bassett, a prac-
tical printer, who assumed control of the business
and mechanical management, which he retained
until June 12, 1856, when he sold the office to Mr.
Howe and to Mr. H. M. Patrick. Nov. 13 Mr.
Howe retired from the paper, transferring his interest
to Mr. Patrick, who soon afterward associated with
him Mr. Oliver White, who retired on Jan. 8, 1857.
Mr. Patrick was succeeded a few months later by
Mr. L. D. Bishop, who published the paper
some two or three years, when he was succeeded by
Mr. J. E. Wheeler, one of the original founders of
the Chicago Tribune. Mr. Wheeler, an estimable
man and able writer, published The Dial some six
or seven years, and retired in December, 1866, on
account of failing health. From the retiracy of Mr.
Wheeler, The Dial changed hands at short intervals,
passing through the hands of Oliver White, Hiram Y'
Wyatt (associated with him for a short time a Mr. \
Shurtleff) and Geo. W. Wilson, who sold it after a ^
brief proprietorship to N. W. Fuller, who changed f\/t
the name to the Kewanee Radical. Mr. Fuller be- y*!
came the owner of the paper probably early in 1869, ~J
and continued its publication until in May or June, ,»_,

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HENRY COUNTY.

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1870, when he failed, and the paper ceased to
exist.

The material of the office was purchased by C.
Bassett, and on July 1 commenced the publication
of his present paper, under the title of the Kewanee
Advertiser, but which six months later he changed to
The Independent, which he has published continu-
ously to the present time without missing a single
issue. Mr. Bassett is the oldest printer and editor
in this part of the State, having commenced his ap-
prenticeship in the town of Towanda, Pa., in March,
1833, and since March, 1840, has almost continu-
ously been connected with some paper as editor and
publisher. (See page 650.)

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The Galva Union.

HE Galva Union was founded by Benj. W.
Seaton, in [862. In 1864 he sold the- of-
fice to Eric Johnson, who ran it about six
months, and then it passed to John I. Ben-
nett. He had J. M. Edson as editor and
manager until 1867, when Seaton again en-
tered the office taking Edson's place, where' he re-
mained until the office was sold to N. W. Fuller,
who conducted its fortunes for one year, when Eric
Johnson again became the owner and proprietor.
He at once changed the name to The Republican,
but under his second management it again soon went
into a decline, and ceased to exist, leaving the am-
bitious town without a paper.

The Journal was-started in 1870, by Mr. Ward,
on the ruins of the Galva Republican, and sometimes
it flourished, and more, sometimes it didn't. It was
transferred to Mr. Young, and he finally "Greeleyed"
and "took his press and went West," settling down
among the lively and festive prairie dogs of
Kansas.

In the spring of 1868 B. W. Seaton commenced
the publication of The Prairie Chief, in Galva,
where he prospered for three months, and then
moved the concern to Toulon, Stark County, and
published the Stark County Democrat. In 1871 the
concern returned to its native county, settled in Cam-
bridge, again became The Prairie Chief, where it
and its founders are to-day, prosperous, contented, in-

dependently Democratic, and growing- in popularity
and wide-spread influenced

Mr. B. W. Seaton is the veteran newspaper man
of the county, a thorough practical printer, and a
strong and able writer. See his biography in the
biographical part of this work, page 528.

Henry County News.

HE Henry County News, of which Henry
L. Kiner (see page 257) is editor and sole
proprietor, is published at Geneseo. The
material for the office was purchased in Jan-
uary, 1874, by H. V. Fisher and H. M. Bel-
vel. Fisher is still a citizen of Geneseo, and
in the hardware business. ' Belvel wandered into Io-
wa, published several papers and finally went to sea.
Fisher & Belvel got out the first , issue on January
16, 1874. The outfit was then sold to Henry L.
Kiner. The latter sold a third interest to his broth-
er, Samuel R. Kiner, and a third interest to John
Christian, an Englishman, who had recently come
from London. Within the first yearH. L. Kiner and
Christian bought the interest of S. R. Kiner. The
firm was known as Christian & Kiner for four years.
Kiner then bought Christian's interest. The latter,
after a short time, went to Chicago, where he is now
engaged in business on West Ma'dison Street. S. R.
Kiner is in Washington, D. C, and is a clerk in- the
War Department.

The paper, which is now (1885) in its twelfth vol-
ume, has been a successful publication financially,
after the first two years, which were full of thorns
and briars. A half dozen preceding papers had ut-
terly perished from the face of the earth, taking their
departure from Geneseo. They were conducted in
the main by practical printers and experienced
writers. H. L. Kiner, who has been from the be-
ginning the leading spirit of the paper, commenced
its publication when a mere boy jof 22 years of
age. He had previously had a little experience in
writing for the press, but of the practical workings of
a newspaper office knew nothing whatever. He
didn't know which end of the types the letters were
on, or which end of the press the papers went in
but he had a large share of. self-reliance, and with

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HENRY COUNTY.

749

that element of strength, proceeded to hammer
away at the task of making for himself a destiny,
and a permanent place in newspaperdom for the
Henry County News. His failure was predicted by
everybody ; his success was believed in by nobody —
except himself. Mr. Kiner's case is one in which
the many were wrong, the one was right.

In the spring of 1883 Mr. Kiner sold the paper to
H. J. Eaton, whose previous occupation was that of
hardware merchant. Mr. Kiner went to Peoria,
and conducted the city department of the Peoria
Daily Journal until the fall of 1883, when he was
obliged to return to Geneseo, owing to the want of
success attending the administration of Mr. Eaton,
and took the paper off the latter 's hands to prevent
its suspension. Under Mr. Kiner's management the
paper at once resumed its old character and attained
its previous success. On returning to the publica-
tion of the News Mr. Kiner added largely to the
material of the office, putting in a first-class outfit
of steam machinery. It is now one of the best
equipped offices in Western Illinois.

-*«4

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The Galva Standard.

ALVA Standard was established in August,
1881, by Messrs, Frank M. Riggen and
Thomas F. McKane. In politics it is
Greenback, and it ably advocates the princi-
ples of that party. It is a 48-column, 6-page
paper. One side was printed in Chicago for
a time. Upon the 1st of November, 1881, Mr. Mc-
Kane retired from the firm, Mr. Riggen conducting
the business alone, and employing B. H. Galleher as
editor. In April, T882, E. E. Eagan was engaged as
editor, and discharged the duties of that position
until November, 1883, when T. F. McKane again
"put on the harness." February 1, 1883, McKane
purchased an interest in the paper, and since that
time has had the entire management of the office.
In August, 1883, the size of the paper was changed
to a 5-column quarto, and is now printed entirely at
home on a Henry cylinder press. The body type
used is bourgeois, brevier and minion. The office

enjoys a very fair advertising and job patronage.
The Standard office is located in the basement of
the Olson block, which was fitted up especially for it.
The personnel of the office is Riggen & McKane,
proprietors; T. F. McKane (see page 387), editor ;
Carrie West and Mattie Husted, compositors; Jay
Johnson, apprentice. May it live long and prosper
in its " Greenback " harvests.

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The Galva News.

ALVA News was established in 1879, by
Beall Brothers, Asa and Marion, of Wyo-
ming, 111. The first number was issued
from a Washington hand-press, October 18 of
'£" that year, and was a five-column quarto. The
paper was published as a five-column quarto
until March 20, 1880, when it was enlarged to a
seven-column folio, and published semi-weekly. On
Jan. 27, 1881, the paper was enlarged to a quarto or
eight-page paper, which form and size it has main-
tained ever since.

Some time during the year 1880 the subscription
list of the Woodhull Enterprise was purchased by
Beall Bros., and that paper merged into the News.
Fied. B. Beall, who had bought an interest in the
concern, sold his interest in the same March ro, 1881,
Robert H. Magner, of Woodhull, 111., and the firm to
name became Beall & Magner. This firm sold the
paper Sept. 8, 1881, to J. F. Boyd and Wade Errett,
and the paper was owned and published by Boyd &
Errett till Sept. 21, 1882, when Errett sold his inter-
est to Thomas R. Boyd. Boyd & Brother published
the paper until April 14, r883, when they sold the
office and subscription list to E. E. Fitch, for eight
years Superintendent of Galva schools, who is the
present editor and proprietor.

The politics of the News has been from the first
stalwart Republican, but it endeavors to treat its
opponents fairly and with courtesy. Since its estab-
lishment a small job press, and an eight-column two
revolution cylinder press have been added, and the
value of the material of the office has been doubled.
For sketch of Mr. Fitch, the editor, see page 366,

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75°

HENRY COUNTY.

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Local Reporter.

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J: NE of the most interesting and valuable pa-
pers of Henry County is the Local Reporter.
Mrs. Hannah M. Bryan is editor and pro-
prietor (see page 228), and her son, Oscar D.
Bryan, is the manager and local editor. It
was started in the spring of 1880. Mrs.
Bryan is the only lady newspaper publisher ever
in the county, and her success is such as to encour-
age ladies in the future to enter this field of industry
and possible great honors. Mrs. B. is the possessor
of a pointed pen, wri'es poetry fluently, and through
all her prose and poetry is a true vein of genuine
wit.

The Local Reporter, as its name indicates, is de-
voted to home affairs mostly, is independent in poli-
tics; and until the ladies can vote we shall not blame
Mrs. B. for keeping her bright and cheery little pa-
per an independent, if not an indifferent looker-on in
the boiling cauldron of politics. It is a five-column
quarto; and every column in its pages is filled with
evidences of financial and general prosperity.

The Orion Times.

SPLENDID four-page, seven-column paper
is the Orion Times, fresh and newsy, and
seems to be fairly well patronized by the
home merchants as an advertising medium.
The paper is now (October, 1885) in the eighth
volume, and is exactly eight and one-half
years old. William A Bolles (see page 427) the edi-
tor and proprietor, is an enterprising newspaperman,
and his efforts should be fully appreciated.

The Orion Vidette first came to Orion in 1875, un-
der the care of Dr. Chaffee. In a short time Ludi
& Bolles bought the office, and changed the name
to its present title. In 1883 N. J. Ludi retired from

the concern, and Mr. Bolles became sole owner and
proprietor. The paper is devoted to the local affairs
of the county and the best interests of Orion, and
receives, as it merits, a fair and liberal support from
the people.

The Woodhull Gazette.

OODHULL Gazette, published at Wood-
hull, by William M. Repine, editor and
s proprietor, is a sprightly and interesting
l> sheet. It was started March 20, 1885, un-
der very peculiar circumstances. The orig-
inator and present proprietor of the paper was
foreman of the Woodhull Dispatch office in
1884-5. During the time the Dispatch editor be-
came seriously infected with "the end of the world
is at hand " hobby. The whole business of the office
was left in his hands, when the proprietor-started for
Creston, Iowa, to meet " the Lord coming on the
clouds." Mr. Repine, the foreman, supplied the
people with the paper for several months under very-
trying and financially embarrassing circumstances,
when, in March, 1885, the Dispatch editor, still being
off in. Iowa and without any prospect of his returning
to Woodhull, the Gazette was, with the advice of the
most prominent citizens, brought into existence.

The Gazette has at present nearly 600 paying sub-
scribers, with new subscribers almost daily. It is
mostly circulated in Henry, Mercer and Knox Coun-
ties, but several copies go to 16 States and Territo-
ries. The paper is reasonably well patronized by
advertisers and the office does a fair amount of job
work. The office is fitted out with two new presses
and a large assortment of type, plain and ornamental.
The Gazette makes local news a specialty, and the
editor is an uncompromising Temperance Prohibi-
tionist. The Gazette will be more enterprising and
interesting than usual during the next year, as Mr.
Matt. Duhr, an experienced journalist, will contrib-
ute quite extensively to its pages, among other ar-
ticles " Sketches of the Bishop Hill Colony " and " On

the Whisky War-Path. "

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H&NA.Y COUMTY.

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'N Jan. 1, 1856, was published the'first num-
ber fof Tenney, Hardy & Co.'s Advertiser,
s&r a small quarto sheet to advertise their own
business. It was issued monthly and was
continued for a year, when the material of the
office was_ purchased by C. Basseti, who
changed the name to The Kewanee Advertiser,
enlarged it to an eight-page, four-column quarto, and
published it as an advertising medium. Its publi-
cation was continued until December, 1863.

July 4, 1863, Mr. Bassett issued the first number
of the Union Democrat, a weekly Democratic paper,
which he continued to publish until Nov. 24, 1864,
and on April 26, 1866, he commenced the publica-
tion of the weekly Kewanee Advertiser, a five-col-
umn quarto, which he continued until Nov. 23,
1867.

The Public School Messenger, a sprightly little

sheet devoted to educational work, was published by
Superintendent of Schools W. H. Russell. It was
first issued in January, 1870, and made its monthly
appearance for about two years.

In 1874 and 1875 a small sheet devoted to the
interests of the Congregational Church was publish-
ed monthly by the pastor of the Church, Rev. James
Tompkins, called Our Home Paper.

-* #># *-

The Woodhull Dispatch.

OODHULL is well represented in the
I ? newspaper line, having two well-edited
papers. The oldest of these is the Dis-
patch, which is now in its sixth volume. It
is a seven-column folio, well gotten up, and
a credit to the community. O. B. Kail, the
proprietor, is an active, stirring man, giving much
attention to independent religious and political
thought, and other matters generally.

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HIS county did not exist
when Black Hawk and his
dusky warriors marched and
counter-marched over its
territory, pursuing and being
pursued in savage war by
Gov. Reynolds and his " Rangers "
and hastily gathered little army of
Southern Illinois pioneers. And its
people, as citizens, perusing and
garnering its early history, have no _
. direct concern in the story of the
last regularly organized Indian
warfare that was the finis of the
chapter of the red man's his-
tory East of the Mississippi
River. Nor did the county in its
municipal capacity have any direct concern in
the Mexican War of 1846-7. It sent no Henry
County company or organized squad to any war until
the late War, — the Rebellion, — when it may be said
the county received its baptism in fire and blood,
paying heavy tribute in the sacrifice of many of its
best sons upon the lighted fires on the altars of a
wide and general patriotism ; a patriotism never ex-
celled, and pushed with a courage that never faltered
and never for a moment relaxed. until the last armed
foe of the Union had laid down his arms and sued
for pe ace.

It is now over 20 years since grim-visaged war has

passed away from all our land, already the longest
continuous period of profound peace so far in the
present century ; and everything in our national his-^
tory betokens ah indefinite continuance of these
peaceful blessings.

Saturday, April 14, 1861, was an eventful day in
Henry County. The wires that day told the terrible
story of the firing upon Fort Sumter. Men met
each other with bated breaths ; they were stunned
by the blow, and in a dazed sort of way one asked
the other meaningless questions, and heard not the
answers often, but continued to ask still other ques-
tions ; and they began to gather in knots and small
crowds, and in time began to discuss the terrible
news. Then the majority began to doubt the truth
of the story — they could not at once believe that the
flag of our common country had been fired upon by
its own citizens. Every variety and shade of belief
and disbelief, nearly as numerous as the individuals
constituting the crowd, were entertained and ex-
pressed. Very soon any- one who had anything to
say, whether his own opinions or fresh news from the
seat of war, would quickly command an eager sur-
rounding of earnest men. The day wore away and
the long night of painful interest came. But few
could sleep, and many did not even retire and try to
rest. Sunday morning dawned, and the early hour
found many gathered around the telegraph office at
the depots eager for more news.

The news of the firing on Sumter traveled slowly

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HENRY COUNTY,

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then compared with now, and all day long and all
night again Sunday night people were in the gravest
doubts and fears, and faint hopes that the first story
would prove a false alarm. In the meantime the
public sentiment was fast crystallizing into form ;
the stun of the first blow was passing off, and a
deep-seated anger was rapidly settling in men's souls.
But the next day, Monday, confirmed the first reports,
giving the complete details of the bombardment and
surrender of the fort, and the further news of the
call of the President for 75,000 troops, and Governor
Yates' proclamation calling together the State Legis-
lature in extraordinary session to enact such laws
and provide such measures as the exigencies de-
manded. This instantly settled the questions in
men's minds. The stars and stripes were flung to
the breeze from cupola, public buildings and private
residences, and everywhere bells were rung, thedrum
and fife were heard at the head of the people. All
business was stopped, and the people in mass rushed
into the streets. Men cheered the flag as they had
never cheered it before ; it looked very different to
them to what it ever had; it had been fired upon by
rebels; it had been hauled down and trailed in the
dust by treason. The excitement of the 48 hours
was a pent-up Utica that now burst forth in greatest
fury. Without waiting the action of the Governor,
the people began to enlist and get ready to go to
war. Israel G. Heaps, of Annawan, placed his
name at the head of the roll, made up on the 22d at
that place. (See his sketch, page 194.)

The people came together in every town, village
and school district in the county. Fiery and patri-
otic speeches were made, the sharp notes of the fife
floated upon the air and drums were pounding vig-
orously, if not musically.

Among the civilians of Henry County to be
counted one of the first soldiers to enlist for the war,
was Hon. E. C. Moderwell, attorney at law and in-
terested in the cattle business in the West. He
came to Henry County in 1866, after the war was
over. Born in Crawford Co., Ohio, March 6, 1S38;
a graduate of Jefferson College in the class of 1859.
Major Moderwell was one of the few who enlisted in
the army before the war : that is, his enlistment
preceded by 24 hours President Lincoln's call for
75,000 troops. There are very few now living of the
fifty millions of Americans of whom this can be said.
He was in Washington city, and instantly upon the

arrival of the news of the firing on Fort Sumter, he,
with others in the city, organized a company for the
protection of the capital ; and of the very first to en-
roll their names in this company was E. C. Moder-
well, and thus he was in the war before war was
actually declared, and in first one place and then
another stayed until the war was over.

As rapidly as the calls came for more troops, Henry
County was never loth in filling its quota. The
ir2th Regt. 111. Vol. Inf. was largely recruited from
this county. This was known as Gen. Henderson's
regiment. The Major was James M. Hosford, of
Geneseo, commissioned Sept. 20, 1862, resigned Feb.
1, 1863. Major Tristam C. Dow succeeded him.
Adjutant Henry W. Wells, was commissioned in
September, 1862, and was mustered out for promo-
tion, in the Tennessee Heavy Artillery, in Novem-
ber, 1863. He was succeeded as Adjutant by Brad-
ford N. Thompson, who was promoted as Captain,
and his successor was Gilbert R. Woolsey. The
Quartermaster of this regiment was George C. Al-
den. In the abcve command was Company A,
mostly from Annawan. The Captain was Tristam
C. Dow, who was promoted and succeeded by Cap-
tain Asa A. Lee, who was killed-Nov. 18, 1863,
when Captain John L. Dow was put in command,
promoted from First Lieutenant, and was succeeded
by James P. McChesney, he by L. W. Browning and
he by T. J. Williams. These had all been promoted
in regular order. In 1865, Jesse Goble was made
Second Lieutenant.

Company C of this regiment was from Cambridge
and the southwest part of the county. The first
Captain was John J. Briggs; then John B. Mitchell.
The First Lieutenant was A. P. Petrie, and the
Second Lieutenants were H. Starboudy and W.
Gillespie.

Company D was from Cambridge and Woodhull,
and the first Captain was A. A. Dunn; the First
Lieutenant, H. G. Griffin, and the Second Lieuten-
ant was S. L. Patterson, succeeded by James H.
Clark, now of Princeton.

Company G was from Galva and vicinity. The
first Captain was A. W. Albro, succeeded by James
McCartney. Thomas G. Milchrist was First Lieu-
tenant; he was transferred to the 65th Regt. and
succeeded by E. K. Mock ; and Second Lieutenant
T. J. Townsend was commissioned March 31, 1863.

Company H was recruited from all parts of the

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HENRY COUNTY.

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county, but largely from Cambridge. The first Cap-
tain was G. W. Stroufe; and the First Lieutenant
was T. F. Davenport, and the Second Lieutenant
Elisha Atwater, and on his promotion Joel Newman
succeeded to the command.

Company I was from Geneseo and vicinity.
Captain, J. E. Wilkins; First Lieutenant, George
Lawrence; Second Lieutenant, H. S. Comstock, suc-
ceeded by Henry Fones, June 7, 1863.

Company K was from Geneseo and vicinity. Cap-
tain, Joseph Westley, resigned April r2, 1863, when
Captain E. H. Colcord was put in command of the
Company; First Lieutenant, C. G. Gearheart, re-
signed Jan. 3r, 1863, on promotion, when E. H.
Colcord became his successor. He had been Second
Lieutenant, and, when promoted, Jacob Bush suc-
ceeded to his place as First Lieutenant. In turn,
Bush was promoted and S. W. Weaver became First
Lieutenant April 12, 1863.

In the 109th Regiment, Col. John H. Howe be-
came the Colonel, succeeding Col. T. J. Sloan, Dec.
15, 1863.

Company A of this regiment was from Kewanee
and vicinity. Captain, Ralph A. Tenny, resigned,
and Capt. E. C. Raymond took command, July 9,
1863. First Lieutenant, J. A. Pratt; killed June
26, 1863, E. C. Raymond succeeding him, and on
his promotion, D. Ames Bigelow became First Lieu-
tenant. Second Lieutenant, E. C. Raymond, suc-
ceeded by W. F. Dodge.

Company F, M. B. Potter, Captain, succeeded by
N. H. Pratt, Aug. 7, 1863; E. W. Taylor became
First Lieutenant, promoted from Second Lieutenant,
when E. R. Breckans became Second Lieutenant.

The first Lieutenant-Colonel of the Ninth Regi-
ment was H. J. Humphrey. He was succeeded by
Anthony R. Mock, Dec. 5, 1864. Col. Mock was
promoted from Captain of Co. B, a company princi-
pally raised in Geneseo, of which the first Captain
was H. J. Humphrey ; second Captain, T. W. O.
Broffet; third Captain, Ransom Harrington; fourth,
A. A. Mock; fifth, T. J. McNair. The First Lieu-
tenants were T. W. O. Broffett, R. Herrington, C. P.
Mannville, Thomas J. McNair and J. C. Kilner.

The Second Lieutenants were R. Herrington, A. R.
Zinzie, J. T. Showalter.

Co. C of the Ninth 111. Inf. was from Geneseo.
The Captains were J. S. Buckles, C. W. Blakempre,
F. H. McArthur and S. A. Davidson. The First
Lieutenants were C. W. Blakemore, J. W. Brackett,
A. R. Mock, C. R. Marshall, S. A. . Davidson and
Stephen Pettys. The Second Lieutenants were F.
A. McArthur, C. M. Marshall, S. A. Davidson and
F. W. Harding.

Co. H, of this regiment, was from Kewanee. The
Captains of this company were in succession, Lewis
D. Bishop, C. T. Scammon, F. W. Swerby, and the
First Lieutenants were Edwin W. Luce, T. W.
Stephenson, A. H. McClure, F. W. Swerby and
James H. Murray. _

In the 57th Regiment was Co. D, from Bishop
Hill.Galva and Kewanee. The Captains were Eric
Forsee, Eric Johnson, P. M. Wickstrum, and- the
First Lieutenants were Eric Johnson and Eric
Berglend, and the Second Lieutenants were Eric
Berglend, P. M. Wickstrum, G. E. Rodeea, A. G.
Washner and Olof Anderson.

Co. H was from the southern part of the cpunty.
The First Lieutenants were Nelson Flansbury and
Alexander B. Hanna. The Second Lieutenant was
Geo. Welch.

Part of Co. A of the 33d Regiment was from Ke-
wanee and Cambridge, with J. A. McKenzie Cap-
tain.

In the 17 th Regiment a part of Co, D was from
Galva, Kewanee and Cambridge, with H. C. Bush as
Captain.

Co. D of the 83d Regiment was from Wood-
hull and vicinity.

Co. A of the 42d Regiment was from Kewanee,
with Lieut.-Col. C. Northrop, who was promoted
from Major. F. A. Atwater then was Major, E. S.
Church Captain, then J. S. McFadden, then H. M.
Way. First Lieutenants were A. Bennett ' and W.
H. Gier.

Part of Co. B was from this county, with Firsf
Lieutenants A. F. Stevenson and C. W. Jackson.

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HENRY COUNTY.

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Railroads. *l

-K3-

ENRY COUNTY is well pro-
vided with railroads, all
parts of it being accessible
to seme point on a well-
equipped road. Not only
is this the case, but the
« roads lead direct to the
best markets of the country, thus
giving the farmer every advantage to
market their produce. This is radi-
cally different from the condition of
the earl, pioneers of this section, as
is illustrated by the following inci-
dents : The first market for the early
settlers was St. Louis, and about
half the year this was as completely
shut off as the ports of Europe to them. Then they
would go to Galena, Peoria and soon they began to
haul by teams their truck to Chicago. The " lead
mines " were an uncertain market, and sometimes a
drove of hogs, not a large one either, would com-
pletely glut the market for weeks. Then the pioneer
drovers would have to slaughter their stock and salt
it 'down, provided they could get the salt, which
often was not to be found. The writer even well
remembers when Jacob Strawn, of Jacksonville,
would often take possession of the St. Louis cattle
market, and ride out on the roads leading to that
place, buy all the incoming cattle, and by holding
them compel the butchers to pay him his price.

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The Secretary of the Old Settler's Society, T. F.
Davenport, tells us of some of his experience in go-
ing, with his brother Charley, to market at Chicago.
The family came West when the boys were yet
young, and being fresh from New York city they
soon learned that they were in the rawest possible
state of pioneer greenness. Their city dress and no-
tions were rapidly and roughly rubbed off, and they
took to squirrel-skin caps and were soon acclimatized
to the rough life about them. In the summer of
1839 it was told about the country that James Glenn
had been to Chicago with a load of wheat and had
brought back a full load — loaded each way — and
had made the round trip in ten days. Tom and
Charley Davenport heard of this remarkable feat,
and begged their father to let them take the teams
and go to Chicago. Consent was given. A half-
bushel basket was filled with cooked provisions and
on a bright September morning they started, loaded
with 45 bushels of wheat and 1 1 bushels of oats, the
latter for feed. The first day they reached Portland,
the next day Dixon, and on the evening of the fourth
day they were at the Point — nine miles from Chica-
go. 1 he fifth day they were in the city, sold their
wheat for 55 cents a bushel, bought four barrels of
salt and a few other things and started on the return,
camping out the first night at the Point. The even-
ing of the seventh day they reached Dixon, and ar-
rived at home the evening of the eighth day, thus
beating Glenn's time by nearly two days. Their total
cash expenses for the entire trip was 25 cents paid

— -&

HENRY COUNTY.

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for ferriage across the Chicago River. Tom remem-
bers they sold their wheat to Frank Sherman — one
of the family that built the Sherman House — and
that he (Sherman) carried the sacks from the wagon
into his little warehouse. The proceeds of this trip
was all the money the family received or needed for
the entire year, including their taxes on a 240-acre
farm.

Maj. James M. Allan tells of his experience as a
merchant at one time in Geneseo. He had invested
all his capifal and credit in goods, which he had sold
to the farmers on credit. His stock was about sold
out, and it seemed utterly impossible to collect any
money. The people simply had none. He made
up his mind to buy hogs and drive them to the Illi-
nois River for sale or shipment there. He rode over
the county, and soon his debtors had willingly turned
him out over 400 hogs on their store bills. This
was the greatest accommodation to the farmers, and
opened up a possible way to the merchant to pay his
bills and buy a new stock of goods. He had collect-
ed his hogs and started on the long drive. There
was three or four inches of snow on the ground.
The first afternoon he drove aDOiit nine miles, and
with the night came the most terrible snow-storm.
In the morning it was blistering cold, and nearly two
feet of snow on the level. What was he to do? It
was impossible to turn back or go ahead. The hogs
could not travel in the deep snow, and he had no
feed to keep his hogs alive. But this was one of the
sudden emergencies of the pioneers that had trained
them to quick and effective actions. Mr. Allan con-
cluded to make a snow-plow, and cut a way for the
hogs to move. He made his plow, and was told that
only oxen would do to pull it. The cattle were
hitched to it ,-.nd started off slowly. In a little while
they literally came to a stojD, bogged in the deep
snow. This would not do, and the hogs were every
moment getting only the hungrier. The Major could
see the trouble with oxen was their legs were too
short. He hitched horses to his plow, and the suc-
cess was complete, and the plow thus made a canal
through the snow, leaving about five inches of snow
on the ground. The hogs were divided into as many
small squads as he could get men to take charge of,
and started thus toward the river. He understood
the animals well enough' to know that if all started
together they would bunch and crowd each other
out of the plowed way into the deep snow, where

they could^only helplessly flounder. Thus scattered
for nearly a mile, the procession moved toward the
river, which point was happily reached, and Mr. Al-
lan disposed of his property, and thus succeeded in
collecting his debts from the farmers and replenish-
ing his stock of goods.

Chicago, Burlington & Quiney Railroad Com-
pany.

; NE of the strongest railroad corporations in
the country is the above named, and its
management furnishes the public with the
best of accommodations. Its equipments for
passenger travel are the very finest, and its
capacity and arrangement for general traffic
are unsurpassed. It has always, perhaps, kept a
better road than any other company in the West.
The road bed is about perfect, the tracks smooth and
firm, and the rolling stock of the first-class. The
passenger coaches have always been elegantly fur-
nished, and the trains run closely to time. A double
track now extends almost all the way between Gales-
burg and Chicago.

This company controls and operates about 4,500
miles of road, about sixty miles of which are in Hen-
ry County. The main line — that running* from
Galesburg to Chicago — passes through Galva and
Kewanee, and the St. Louis Division passes through
the Western tier of townships, while the Galva &
Keithsburg Branch starts at Galva and runs almost
due West, passing through Nekoma, Woodhull and
Alpha, thus affording the southeastern, southern and
western portion of the county ample railroad accom-
modations.

The main line of the Chicago, Burlington & Quin-
ey Railroad, or at least that portion running from
Galesburg to Chicago, was originally chartered the
Central Military Tract Railroad. This road was or-
ganized at Galesburg, 111., in Feb., 185 1. Its charter
gave them the privilege to construct a railroad from
Galesburg to some point on the Chicago & Rock Is-
land Railroad; but June 19, 1852, the-charter was so
ammended as to give them the right to connect with
any railroad leading directly or indirectly to Chicago.
Sheffield was the point they first thought of aiming

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HENRY COUNTY.

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for, and contracts were let in 1851-2 for building
the road to that place. Subsequently, however, they
determined to meet the Chicago & Aurora Road at
Mendota.

This change was caused by the following circum-
stances : While the Peoria & Oquawka road was
being slowly worked up by local subscription alone,
Mr. C. S. Colton chanced to meet United States Sen-
ator J. W. Grimes, of Burlington, Iowa, in Boston,
Mass., and Mr. Wadsworth, of Chicago, President of
the Chicago & Aurora Railroad, a branch of the Chi-
cago & Galena Railroad ; and after consultation they
concluded that an independent route direct to Chi-
cago was the most feasible. Soon after this James
W. Brooks, President of the Michigan Central Rail-
road Company, and James F. Joy, both of Detroit,
Mich., interested themselves in the Central Military
Tract Road. They proposed that if the people along
the route from Galesburg to Mendota would sub-
scribe $300,000, they would furnish enough more to
complete the grading of the road and laying of the
ties; and when that was done they could borrow
money on the bonds of the enterprise to complete
the road and set it in operation.

Two years of fruitless effort to raise the necessary
funds were spent, Eastern capitalists refusing to in-
vest where the Legislature reserved the right to fix
the rates for fares and freights. Accordingly, anoth-
er meeting was held at Galesburg, and a charter
drafted principally from the charter of the Illinois
Central Railroad, which obviated the objection re-
ferred to in regard to fixing rates by the Legisla-
ture. This charter gave the company the entire
control over their property the same as any other
personal property, with full powers to fix rates of
transporlatation. Mr. C. S. Colton was delegated
to visit Springfield, and to secure the passage by
the Legislature, which he did; and this same char-
ter was the foundation of the Chicago, Burlington
& Quincy Railroad, which is to-day one of the
most magnificent systems of railroads in the world.

In 1852, another survey was made from Gales-
burg to Mendota. Oct. 14, of this year, the Central
Military Tract Company increased their stock from
$100,000 to $600,000 and elected the following 13
directors : J. W. Brooks, Henry Ledyard, J. F. Joy
and G. V. N. Lothrop, of Detroit ; I. H. Burch, C. G.
Hammond and John H. Kinzie, of Chicago ; Chaun-

cey S. Colton, W. Selden Gale, James Bunce and
Silas Willard, of Galesburg; William McMurtry, of
Henderson, and John H. Bryant, of Princeton. They
elected Mr. Brooks President, J. M. Berrien and
David Sanborn, Secretary and Treasurer. Work was
pushed rapidly forward, and by Sept. n, 1854, the
cars reached Princeton, and during October and
November the track was laid through this county
and the first locomotive, the Reindeer, passed overit
with a construction train. About r 85 6, the Chicago
& Aurora, the Northern Cross, the Peoria & Oquawka
and the Central Military Tract Companies were all
consolidated under the Chicago, Burlington &
Quincy Railroad Company. This name was derived
from the terminal points. J. W. Brooks was elected
President of the new road. This road opened up one
of the most magnificent sections of the United States,
known as the Military Tract, the northern line of
which passed through the middle of Henry County.
Upon the building of this road settlers began to pour
in, and within five or six years every quarter-section
of land was taken, and to-day it is one of the high-
est cultivated sections in the country.

Another railroad enterprise which is to-day owned
by the Chicago, Burlington & Quincy Railroad Com-
pany, was the Rockrord, Rock Island & St. Louis
Railroad. This road was to run from Rockford to
St. Louis, via Rock Island. It secured the charter
of the old Sterling & Rock Island Road, which was
granted in 1854. The panic of 1857 and the war
delayed railroad enterprises for a time, but shortly
after the war the Rockford, Rock Island & St Louis
Railroad was pushed forward. The Sterling branch,
being already completed, gave it a line from St. Louis
to Sterling. The remainder of its line it was never
able to complete. This road was sold under a fore-
closure of mortgage to the St. Louis, Rock Island &
Chicago Railroad Company, which was incorporated
April 21, 1876. It was soon afterward leased by the
Chicago, Burlington & Quincy Railroad Company,
who now operate it as its St. Louis Division. This
road was sold for $1,600,000, and it is said that it
cost $rr,ooo,ooo. The bondholders who live in
Germany were the losers of about six-sevenths of
their investment.

The American Central Railroad, now the Galva &
Keithsburg Branch of the Chicago, Burlington &
Quincy Railroad, was begun as early as 1847, but not
completed until 1868.

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As above remarked, the management of this road
has been of the highest character. Men of broad
and liberal views, enterprising and considerate for
the comfort and welfare of their patrons, have always
been at its head, and especially is this the case at
present. The passenger department of few railroads
in the country is managed with that sagacity and at
the same time with that singleness of purpose to give
the traveling public every accommodation known to
the science of railroading, that characterize the Chi-
cago, Burlington & Quincy R. R. This department is
under the management of Mr. Perceval Lowell. A
trip over .this road will convince the most exacting
that Mr. Lowell not only understands the art of rail-
roading, but is exceedingly generous in providing
every means of both comfort and safety. He has
imbued all of his subordinates with that one idea so
prominent with him, — "the public must and shall
have the very best of traveling accommodations, and
the Chicago, Burlington & Quincy Railroad shall be
excelled by none."

Chicago, Bock Island & Pacific Railroad".

Y the Legislature of i85r this great Illi-
nois railway was incorporated as the Chi-
cago & Rock Island Railroad. The object
of the projectors was to connect the Great
Lakes with the Mississippi, by way of Chicago
and Rock Island, a distance of 181 % miles.
This road was completed in the spring of 1854, and
at once took rank as one of the great lines of the
country. Improved and wild lands contiguous to
the city and along the line of the road entered a few
months previous with warrants costing the purchaser
from 87^ to H2j4 cents per acre, rose to $5 and $io
per acre.

The presence of the locomotive arouses the dor-
mant energies and sets on foot enterprises that oth-
erwise might sleep for ages. It changes the face of
society and moves the whole world forward. Rail-
roads create business and build up cities that other-
wise would never have had existence.

This road passes through some of the finest agri-
cultural country in the State. In 1866 this railroad
was consolidated with the Mississippi & Missouri

Railway Company, under the name of the Chicago,
Rock Island & Pacific Railroad Company, which
name it now bears. In June, 1869, its line was com-
pleted to Council Bluffs, where it connected with the
then newly completed Union Pacific Railway. From
the date of its completion to the Missouri River, it
has been a favorite route of the travelers and tourists
to the Pacific slope and also to the Territories.
Since that time it has expanded, by consolidation
with other lines and by building branches into Iowa
and Missouri, from 550 miles to a great railway op-
erating some 1,400 miles of road, and having for its
termini the cities of Chicago, Peoria, Keokuk, Coun-
cil [Bluffs, DesMoines , Atchison, Leavenworth and
Kansas city. Its freight now embraces the products
of the Eastern and Western States and Territories,
as well as that of Europe and the empires of the Old
World. This company has also opened up a new
route to the Northwest, known as the " Albert Lea
Route, " extending to Minneapolis, where it connects
with the Northern Pacific and the St. Paul & Mani-
toba Railroads.

This route traverses some of the finest scenery in
the country and talfes the traveler to many of the
most noted resorts for health and pleasure in the
United States. The Chicago & Rock Island Rail-
road has had a rich country and an extensive com-
merce to support it, and from its first inception it has
been prosperous. From the running of the first train
up to the present time, the management of this road
has been such as to secure and hold the sympathy
of its patrons. This has been accomplished by es-
tablishing the principle of equal and exact justice to
all, and by giving to the people, as far as in human
power lay, immunity from dangers incidentrto travel.
The Chicago, Rock Island & Pacific Railway has
had an able management. For many years Mr. R.
R. Cable has been its President and General Mana-
ger and Mr. E. St. John has been its General Ticket
and Passenger Agent. This very popular and effi-
cient railroad official— Mr. E. St. John — has been
recently promoted to the position of Assistant Gen-
eral Manager, while he still holds his former posi-
tion. So long a continuation of the road under the
same management, speaks well for the company and
also for its officers. -

The personnel of this railroad has been highly
commendable. Their agents and conductors have

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been obliging, their engineers skillful and faithful
and their brakemen prompt. The Superintendents
have also been scrupulous and exact, training the
men under them to correct business habits.

The aim of the Chicago, Rock Island & Pacific
Railway Company has been to locate its lines and
establish its < onnectlons so as to Teach its objective
points with the greatest facility and in the most de-
sirable manner. From the completion of its first
track to the Mississippi to the present time, when it
operates over 1,400 miles of road, a great portion of
which is spanned by double parallel lines of steel,
the Rock Island Company has performed its duty to
the State, and has* been a potential factor in the de-
velopment and civilization of the great West.

-HSteftrt-

The Peoria & Bock Island Railroad.

HIS originated as a Henry County- railroad
enterprise, being fathered by Amos" Gould
and Orrin E. Page, of Cambridge. These
gentlemen procured a charter in 1867. for. the
road, and by the middle of 1871 trains were
running over it. The first train was -run over
the" road July 8, 1871. It enters the county at sec-
tion 36, Galva Township; passes through Galva,
Bishop Hill, Cambridge, Warner, Osco and Orion,
leaving the county from Western Township.

Crime.

EVERAL anecdotes related elsewhere in
this book completely illustrate the fact
, that with the pioneers in Henry County
about the only criminal that confronted the
sparse settlers was the horse-thief. One rea-
son why this particular species of thief only
was present at that day probably is the fact that the
horse was about the only property that presented
itself to the thief. There was no money in the
country, and little or nothing else that would pay the
rascals to carry to the far away markets. But in the
course of time men did get to stealing timber, — first,
off of Government land, then off of school lands, and
then taking freely- and with impunity . from non-resi-
dent timber owners. Many substantial, good men at
one time, hardly thought it dishonorable to get all the

timber they wanted for home use or the markets
without paying; for it. Then, in the course of time,
men would sometimes kill some one else's half-Wild
hog in the woods and supply their families with
meat. And from here came a growth of a small crop
of hog thieves. As population increased, and mar-'
kets came to be nearer and better, these thieves*
would sometimes steal cattle from the range. Andl
sometimes extensive feuds came into existence over
suspicions and charges in reference to missing hogs,
cattle and horses. In the course of the progress of
the settlement, and the establishment of stores and
business houses, came the occasional burglary ; and
the incendiary at rare intervals, plied with his de-
structive trade as an aid to his robberies and thefts.
There was never a marked feature among the peopli
of this county of any of these crimes or criminals. Inl
fact, as it has always been a rural people there., hai
been but a small per cent, of crime in the county,'

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MElStRY COtTNTV.

^compared to other places, especiallj' where there were
[large towns and cities. But advancing civilization
always carries its own haunting shadows with it, and
therefore it is that we can easily trace in every grow-
ing community the natural growth or development
of a certain character of crimes. The development
from horse-stealing to murder and robbery of the
most fiendish kind and quality is possible to trace
even in this moral county. We do not attempt to
give an account of all the crimes of the county, but
, only those which were the most startling and atro-
cious.

BANK ROBBERY.

The good people of the county, more especially oi
Kewanee, were, in the latter part of August, 1882,
startled by the news that the First National Bank of
Kewanee had been robbed in broad daylight. Two
armed men had entered the bank, just after the close
of business hours, and, by violence overcoming the
only two employees in the room at the time, had car-
ried off the money, first throwing these two persons
— the assistant cashier, Mr. J. J. Pratt, and a lady
clerk, Miss Charity Palmer — into the vault, in an in-
sensible condition, and had got away, and had been
gone some time before these employees could release
themselves and give the terrible news to the public.

The two men who entered the bank and robbed it
were named Welch and Kenedy. Welch had been
a commercial traveler in this part of Illinois, and he
was recognized by Miss Palmer and Pratt when in the
bank. He was run to the ground in the East, and
Kenedy was caught in the distant West by Pinker-
ton detectives. These arrests occurred some two
weeks after the robbery. The cunning detective
soon wormed a confession out of Welch, and the
whole story was soon known, and then the whole
community was more amazed than ever, because
Pratt, the assistant cashier, was implicated. He was
arrested, and then he, too, confessed at once and told
all about it. Pratt was a young man, reared in the
town, was a great favorite in the community, a model
churchman and Sunday-school teacher, and every
one was highly indignant when he was arrested — at
his father's in the night. No one would or did be-
lieve in his guilt, except the detectives, until he con-
fessed and told where he had buried his share of the
swag, under the sidewalk in front of his home. A
man named Scott, a dentist who had lived in Prince-

ton, and was then in St. Louis, was arrested; he was
not convicted of the robbery, but was sent to the
penitentiary for a forgery that he and Pratt had con-
cocted and carried through some time -before the
robbery. On the preliminary examination Pratt and
Welch told the whole story, reserving nothing. It
seems that Miss Palmer was the only honest one in
the lot, and she had been seized by Kenedy and
choked and beaten to insensibility, but had fought
like a tiger until overcome. The robber had seized
her, and put his hand over her mouth to prevent her
screams, and she bit his fingers to the bone. On the
final trial of Pratt, Welch and Kennedy, they all con-
fessed, and the Judge sent them to the penitentiary
for the term of six years e,ach. The bank recovered
the most of the money, and there are many men now
in Kewanee who feel real sorrow for Pratt, — we hope
solely for the sake of his respected parents and sis-
ters ; for certainly by his own confession, both in the
robbery and the forgery, it was a public misfortune
he could not have been sent to the penitentiary for
the term of his natural life.

SHOCKING MURDER.

While all Kewanee and vicinity were in the throes-
of excitement and the preliminary examination of the
bank robbers was going on before Esq. Wood, there
came the still more, startling news that Mrs. Maggie
A. Copeland, wife of Joseph L^ Copeland, living on a
farm four miles south of Kewanee, had been brutally
murdered at her home in broad daylight. It was said
or supposed to have been done by tramps for the
purpose of robbery. When found the body lay with
the head toward the door, just outside the house, and
in the kitchen and in the main house were evidences
of the struggle she had made for life. She had
been horribly beaten, and shot three times; the fiend
commencing the attack in the kitchen, followed her
into the house, and she had jumped through a screen
door and still pursued had turned to go again into
the house, when she fell on her face and expired.
The trunk in which was nearly a hundred dollars
had been rifled, but the other furniture had not been
disturbed.

Mrs. Copeland was young, accomplished and very
intelligent and handsome, beloved and greatly es-
teemed by a large- circle of friends. Her husband
had left her, taking, most fortunately, their brightr
eyed, sweet -faced little boy with him, going to town.

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HENRY COUNTY.

761"

with a load of corn. To the people of Kewanee and
vicinity, particularly, here were horrors on horror's
head accumulated.

It soon turned out that the murderer was a man
named Mockinson, a wretch who had come from near
the same place in Ohio the Copelands were from.
He had come into the neighborhood, and had no
acquaintance except a hired man who worked for a
neighbor of Copeland. In the kindness of their
hearts, Copeland and wife had allowed Mockinson
to make their house his home, and had treated him
more as a brother than a stranger. He got work at
a near neighbor's, but would frequently go to Cope-
land's, visit and eat and sleep there and be enter-
tained, and in return for this great kindness, in his
black heart he hatched and nursed his hideous
crime. He confessed his guilt, told the sickening
details of his story, and was duly hanged, as he most
richly deserved to be. He was a depraved, vile and
wretched human beast, without a redeeming trait or
quality in the world, and it is hoped that there was
not a healthy-minded man, woman or child in the
world but that, when told the story, was really re-
joiced when his neck was broken by the hangman's
rope.

ANOTHER.

About one year before the above related murder,
there occurred in the northwest part of the county,
near Colona, a double murder, the details of which
are sickening. Clem Gallion murdered Thomas
Dilley and wife.

In the dead of the night, the murderer secretly
entered the bed-chamber of the victims, and as
Dilley lay asleep, he shot him dead, the bullet enter-
ing the eye, and death was so instantaneous that he
never moved, but lay dead just as he was sleeping!
The shot probably awoke Mrs. Dilley, and then the
murderer, having no other shot left, fell to and
with an old broken shovel slowly pounded the
poor woman to death ! The sight in the room was
simply appalling. Blood and brains were on the
floor, the ted and the walls, the plastering broken
in many places, the foot-board of the bed splintered,
and the poor woman literally beat to a jelly ! What
a slaughter pen! and the victims were a good man
and wife, who had extended to the murderer friend-
ship and kindness, and given him a home when he
was in pressing need of it,

In the adjoining room were asleep the three Dilley
children, the eldest a girl of 12 years; and as soundly
as children sleep, the girl was awakened, and greatly
frightened at the horrid din, but in her terror acting
with wonderful discretion. Through a crack she
saw a light in her parents' room, and quickly she
approached and looked through, and saw a man
rumaging in the bureau. She recognized Gallion
and realized something terrible was going on. She
waited till he put out the light and went away, and
then she aroused the other two children, one of
them not yet five years old, dressed them, and tak-
ing hold of hands, they went through the dark to a
neighbor's, nearly three-quarters of a mile, roused
them up and gave the alarm.

This diabolical murder occurred in the latter part
of i88r, and the murderous monster was hanged the
next May.

John Root, a Swede, was sentenced Sept. 18,
1852, for two years for manslaughter, in Knox
County, to where he had taken a change of venue.
He was educated as an American, but married a
woman more recently from Sweden, who was a mem-
ber of the Bishop Hill Colony. Eric Jansen was
autocrat of this colony and would not let Mrs. Root
leave it to live with her husband among the Ameri-
cans. Mr. Root brought suit against Jansen at
Cambridge, and while the case was pending, he shot
and killed him in the Court-House at mid-day.
At the end of a year he was pardoned.

Old Settlers' Society.

HE early settlers of Henry County organ-
ized their society in 1875, and have had
every year large and interesting gatherings
of the pioneers, their families and friends. It
is one of the most successful and prosperous
county organizations in the State. Speeches,
poems, familiar talks, reminiscences and anecdotes
are the performances on these occasions from the
stand ; but in the crowds many dear old friends
meet and clasp hands, and eyes which age is fast
making dim are there brightened again ; and who can
imagine the swelling hearts, the glow of recollections
of the long ago that come rushing to the rekindled
memories of the white-haired grandfathers and grand-

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-z$$k <5V^H1I1®11 D&v'oD ^^g

762

JZ£A^ Y CO UNT Y.

mothers at these hearty re-uniohs ? We most heartily
endorse the concluding verse of a poem, read at the
Old Settlers' meeting of ' 1879, by T. F. Davenport,
aS'follows: — '
-> " So ; keep Up these gatherings, year after year ;
F.qr w.e.c.annot.expect to be always here.
AS" the months and years go hurrying by,
And \>re fail in strength as time, will fly,
We. can stijl look back o.n the simple ways,
The innocent pleasures, the happy days.
Of our pioneer life,, and still can say .;.
Wer thank pur God,, we're here to-day."

The first meeting to organize an old settlers' as-
sociation was held in the Town Hall in Cleveland,
July 10, 1875. James Glenn was selected to act as
Chairman ; James H. Paddelford as Secretary, and
William Glenn was chosen Treasurer. A meeting
was appointed for Aug. 13, 1875, to be held at Hanna
Grove... That meeting-was well attended, and great
interest was manifested by the pioneers in recounting
the incidents experienced in their early settlenient of
the county.' James M. Allan was elected President
of the association; James H. Paddelford, Secretary;
Patterson Holmes, Assistant Secretary, and William
Glenn, Treasurer; and one Vice-President for each
township was also selected, as follows : Clover, J. W.
Epperson ; ;Oxford, Robert D. Timberlake; Weller,
John. Pyatt; Kewanee, E. E. Slocum; Western,
Chauncey Washburn ; Osco, R. H, Hinman ; ! Mun-
son, J. W.:Crawford ; Cornwall, Lewis Shearer; Ari-
nawan, John L. Dow; Colona, James Glenn; Gene-
seo, Alfred W. Perry; Alba, W. D. Robertson;
Phenix, Benj. F. Frittz ; Yorktown, Lyman Stowell ;
Burns, Jacob: Kemmerling ; Galva, John A. Ayres ;
Wethersfield, Charles B. Minor; Lynn, George B.
Pillsbury; Andover, S. W. Knapp; Cambridge,'
George T. H. Wilson; Edford, William Austin ;- At-"
kmsoh>, Asa Crook;1 Hanna, Phil. K. Hanna; and
Lorarne, Jr/seph Arnett.

'The' second annual' meeting was held at Geneseo,
Aug.' 11, 1876, when "Joseph A. Sawyer' was chosen
President and T. F. Davenport Permanent Secre-
tary r P. :H. Beveridge was~chosen Assistant Secre-

tary, "and Philip K. Hanna, Treasurer. The third
annual -meeting; was held at Cambridge, Aug. 10,
1877, when Philip K. Hanna was elected- President;
M. B. Potter, Assistant Secretary ; and M. B. Lloyd,
jTreasurer. Mr. Lloyd held the position of Treasurer
until 1883. The fourth "annual meeting was held at
Kewanee, Aug. n, 1878,- arid -Matthew B. Potter
^ was chosen President. The next annual meeting
was held at Orion, Aug. 21, 1879. Alfred W. Perry
was given the position of President. The sixth an-
nual meeting was held at Hanna Grove, Aug. 26,
1880, when Mr. Lewis Shearer was chosen President.
At the next meeting, which was held at- Cambridge,
,Sept. 8, 1881-, Mahlon B. Lloyd was elected Presi-
dent. Dr. Ira R. Wells was elected to this- position
; at the eighth annual meeting, which was 'held at
1 Geneseo, Aug. 30, 1882. The next meeting was
held at Orion', Aug; 28, 1883, when Matthew B. Pot-
,ter was elected President, and C. C. Blish Treasu-
rer. At the tenth annual meeting, held Sept. 17,
1884, at Alpha, A. W. Perry was elected President,
and Mr. Blish was re-elected Treasurer. ■ The next
meeting was held at Colona, Aug. 27, 1885, when
Mr. Richard Maseall was given the position of Presi-
dent, and Mr. Blish was again re-elected Treasurer.

The meeting of 1885 was at Colona, and was
probably one of the largest and most interesting
'meetings ever held in the county. 'President A.
W. Ferry,' whose zeal at the Old Settlers' meeting is
!well krtown to be boundless, selected from the as-
sembly ten old ladies' "Who were in Henry" County
50 years ago, and who now wereseated'on the stand
facing" the throng Oh this semi-centennial celebra-
tion of "the country's natal day, the only ladies, save
-Mrs. Earl" P". Aldrich, who was not present, who
now reside in the county, and who were 'here 50
;years ago. ; These ladies were Mrs. Columbia Aid-
rich, Mrs. Polly Hecox, Mrs. Caroline Withrow,
Mrs. James Glenn, Mrs. M-artha Sively, Mrs. Arthur
Hunt, Mrs.- Elizabeth Brandenburg, Mrs. Shaw, Mrs.
Lowe and Mrs. Anna Burrall.' '■•'"

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HENRY COUNTY.

^^^®vmk

763

To WNSHIPS

T the November election of
1856 the proposition to adopt
township organization was
voted upon by the people of
the county, and was carried in
the affirmative by an over-
whelming majority. To comply
with the expressed wishes of the
voters at the December term of
the County Court, Merritt Munson,
John Piatt and M. B. Potter were
appointed the three Commissioners
to " lay out the county into town-
ships " in conformity to the organ-
ization laws. The Commissioners
met at Cambridge Feb. 16, 1857, to
enter upon the duties of their office.
They published a notice to the people to meet to-
gether in the different townships or contemplated
divisions "to consult together and agree upon names
for their respective towns and report the same to the
Commissioners ;" and since that date the present
townships have existed, under the township organiza-
tion law.

The first meeting of the first Board of Supervisors
met in Cambridge April 10, 1857, at which meeting
were present O. A. Turner, Geneseo; J. N. Wilson,
Munson ; W. T. Crosier, Loraine ; Lewis Shearer,
Cornwall ; M. B. Potter, Wethersfield ; William Mil-
ler, Edford ; George B. Pillsbury, Lynn ; S. W.
, Knapp, Andover; A. Underwood, Oxford; Henry

Hand, Hanna; R. Mascall, Cambridge; Benjamin
Fritts, Phenix; D. L. Wiley, Galva; Austin Sykes,
Galva; Abisha Washburn, Western ; David Walters,
Atkinson; John McNeil, Alba; Jafnes Latimer,
Yorktown; Silas Newton, Annawan; Henry Stick-
ney, Clover ; Ira Parker, Bums ; L. C. Welton, Osco;
John Piatt, Weller.

In the year 1858 the complete Board of Supervi-
sors elected was as follows : M. B. Potter, Wethers-
field; D. L. Wiley, Galva; J. N. Wilson, Munson :
Geo. C. Walden, Annawan; Thos. Nowers, Atkin-
son; J. H. Johnson, Geneseo; J. R. Wells, Colona ;
Benj. Fritts, Phenix; J. Latimer, Yorktown ; R. A.
Tenny, Kewanee ; Ira Parker, Burns; R. Mascall,
Cambridge; S. W. Knapp, Andover; G. B. Pillsbury,
Lynn ; Edwin Bundy, Oxford ; William Forgy, Clo-
ver; Levi Higgins, Western; L. C. Welton, Osco;
L. Shearer, Cornwall; George Bawmour, Alba; Will-
iam Miller, Edford; Thomas Hill, Hanna; W. T.
Crosier, Loraine; John Piatt, Weller. I. N. Wilson
was elected Chairman.

ALBA TOWNSHIP.

LBA Township was the last township to

Wf attract the early, or for that matter, also the

* late coiners. It is traversed by Green

River, that meanders entirely from the east
part of it to the west side, mostly in the north-
ern tier of sections. And then, just west of
the west line is the mouth of Mud Creek, which en-

HENRY COUNTY.

>
fa

ters. the- township at the south line and bends around
through sections 35, 29, 30, 19 and 20. These
streams were, it seems, protecting barriers against
the settlers, and they traveled around them, the im-
migrants from the east striking south of Mud Creek
and the Green River swamps; and those, of course,
which came by way of the river, stopped among
their friends in other parts of the county, and often,
for many years, lived there without seeing any part
of Alba Township.

The name Alba was one of the unaccountable in-
ventions of the Commissioners selected to give bap-
tismal names to the twenty-four townships in the
county. What, if any, meaning there is attached to
it we are unable to ascertain. It is a case, perhaps,
of purely poetic fancy, and will always remain a re-
minder to posterity of the oversight of those who
gave names to localities in the county of what an
opportunity was missed — what inadequate ideas the
men who shaped the destinies of this fair portion of
our land had of the real benefactors who had made
the great sacrifices for our good. (The word alba in
Latin signifies white)

There is a tradition, or rather an unverified story,
that two brothers, James and John Sumatra, came
into this part of the county in an early day, about
1836, and put up a pole cabin and made a small
truck patch; but their chief occupation was hunting
and trapping. Their home was the cheapest and
easiest made they could design — simply a poor pro-
tection from the elements, and indicated that they
were ready, upon short notice, to follow the game in
its migrations from one portion of the country to
another. They lived their solitary life, it is thought,
wintering here only one winter and spending two
summers, and had possibly been gone years before
the remains of their camping place were discovered.
Where they were from or where they went is not
known.

It was only after the Winnebago Swamp Land
Company had succeeded in demonstrating the feasi-
bility of draining these swamp and overflowed lands
that the permanent settlers and farmers began to
turn their attention to the township, and now may
be seen the tillers of the soil tickling the ground that
breaks forth in smiling crops, where once a good-
sized steamboat might have easily floated. These
lands, wlien once restored to the husbandmen, like

all overflow lands, are deeply covered with the richest 1
soil. This is true of the Green River swamp lands,
except in spots where there is more or less peat in
the drift deposits. While Alba Township still only
has a sparse population, yet the future may transform
it into a very rich garden spot, producing all the
cereals and grasses in unexampled quantities.

ANDOVEB TOWNSHIP.

HIS was one of the several experimental
colony enterprises in which prospective
hard cash and piety lurked at the base of
the original idea. It was proposed to build a
splendid city on the wide prairie plains, and
reap the profit that would arise from convert-
ing crawfish chimneys and the trysting places of the
festive " greenheads " into valua'ble corner lots; and
where, on the Lord's day the grand peal of the great,
wide-mouthed bells would ring out the command
from on high, " Come, let us worship !" But worship
meant probably singing nasal psalms strictly accord-
ing to my doxy :

"Lord have mercy
On me and my wife,
My son John
And his wife,

Us four

And no more."

William S. and Jesse Woolsey, Ithamar Pillsbury,
Noah T. Pike and Archibald Slaughter came to
Henry County in September, 1835. The last three
named were agents for the Andover Colony. When
starting West their objective point was Knoxville.
They crossed the mountains in stages to Pittsburg,
then down the river and up to St. Louis, and then'
up the Illinois River. Pillsbury had been out the
year before. Abel K. "Woolsey, brother to the above,
came in the spring of 1837, in company with his
brother William, who had returned to his old home,
married, and the two brothers and their families
came to Illinois.

Pillsbury was the prime leader in authority for the
colony. He was authorized to buy land and control
matters generally ; he put up buildings, and soon
commenced a mill on Edwards River, the first in the-
county. Among the patrons of this mill were people
all the way from Prophetstowri. The three Woolseys.

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HENRY COUNTY.

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settled in Andover. William and Abel K. were
mechanics in wood, and Jesse opened a tavern.

When these parties arrived on the ground they
found a man named Campbell already there in his
hut. He was engaged in building a bridge across
Edwards River. Pike and Slaughter soon returned to
their old homes. The nearest settlement to Andover
then was Henderson Grove, where lived William
Riley, two families of McMurtrys — James, William "
and Samuel — and Reece Jones. The nearest post-
office was Knoxville, distant 30 miles.

The venerable Eben Townsend bought Campbell's
claim. Townsend lived to be a very old man, and
when he died he was buried in the Andover grave-
yard, with no stone to mark the resting-place of the
old pioneer. Rev. Pillsbury was buried in the same
graveyard. He left a widow; his son, Edward P., is
a lawyer in Macomb ; Nettleton is in Florida, Frank
in Dubuque, and Ithamar in Macomb ; the daugh-
ters, Mary is in Macomb ; Sarah and Elizabeth in
Minneapolis ; Jesse Woolsey died, leaving two chil-
dren— Gilbert R., a physician, and Mrs. Buck. Al-
bert K.'s children are in the West; one daughter
lives in Jersey City.
**£ The agents of the colony entered about 30,000
'acres of land, and provided for a section to be laid
/ . out into town lots. No member could hold more
^ ' than four quarter-sections ; he was entitled to five
acres of timber land, and in business meetings each
owner had one vote for every quarterTsection of land
he owned. The south half of section 8, and the
north half of section 17 were platted into town lots.
The town was intended to be patterned, after New
Haven, Conn., and one of their rules was that no
buildings should be erected within less than 30 feet
of the street without special permission. Ample
provisions were made on paper for the building and
endowment of a splendid seminary of learning, and
also for spacious and costly edifices for the worship
of God. But neither the seminary nor the church
materialized under the auspices of the colonists ; but
in 1853 Jenny Lind appropriated $r,ooo to build a
Lutheran Swede Church in Andover. At first the
Presbyterians dominated, and eventually, under Rev.
Pillsbury, a very modest, plain little church was
erected. It soon divided on the question of the Old
and New School, and as early as T839 the colonists
, got to wrangling among themselves, and the courts

were invoked to settle their differences. So utterly
did the Utopian designs of the colony fail that in a
few years all the original parties moved away until
William J. and Jesse Woolsey were all that were left
of them. As already stated, Jesse died, and William
removed to Cambridge, where he now lives in com-
fortable retirement.

It was long confidently asserted and believed
that Dr. Baker was the first settler in Andover Town-
ship ; but it will be remembered that Dr. Baker set-
tled first in the northwest part of the county, not far
from the mouth of Green River, and then, after liv-
ing awhile in his wagon, he removed south and then
again went back to the northern part of the county.
At an old settlers' meeting in T877, B. W. Seaton
read a paper and discussed this subject pretty thor-
oughly, and it was then pretty well settled that a
man named Butler was the first settler in this town-
ship. Judge Tillson said that Butler was living on
section to in the early summer of T835, and that he
entered the tract in August of that year. He sold
his land to the New York Colony. Judge Tillson
said : " In June, 1837, 1 found Mr. E. Buck and fam-
ily living in a log cabin 60 or 80 rods southwesterly
from Capt. Mix's place, near the timber, but not in
it. The cabin was there when Mr. Buck arrived.
Mr. W. S. Woolsey says he and William Potts used
the pabin for a carpenter shop in the summer of 1836.
This cabin was moved across Edwards River some
years later and occupied by Swan Nelson. Capt.
E. A. Mix, who came from New Haven, Conn
built the first frame house in Andover in 1836." The
account closes as follows : " The preponderance of
evidence goes to show that Butler, not Baker, was
the first settler in Andover Township ; but as neither
remained permanently, it does not matter which was
there first. "

orphans' home.

This institution was chartered as the " Orphans
Home and Farm School of the Scandinavian Augus-
tana Synod, " November T3, T872, the charter mem-
bers being Jonas Swenson, A. Andreen, P. M. Sann-
quist, A. G. Setterdahl, Victor Setterdahl, S. P.
Lindell, S. A. Peterson, Samuel Hoogner, Gustav
Johnson, Jonas W. Larson, S. P. Johnson and Jonas
Westerlund.

The institution had its beginning in the town of
Swedona, in 1868, by S. Peter Lindell and wife. It

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BEttkY COUNTY.

was but a small beginning. They conducted it until
187 1, when it was removed to Andoyer under the
supervisiop of Mr. Lindeil, for the Synod.

The property now used in Andover was purchased
in 187 1. It was purchased in the name of Rev.
Swanson, and after his death conveyed by the courts
to the institution. The buildings on the property'
weie sufficient for temporary purposes. New build-
ings were- added in 188 r. The new house has 12
large rooms and accommodates 62 children, its full
capacity.

The objects anc} the Christian works and charities ,
of this institution make it one of the most admired
institutions in the world.. It.is a; home for poor or-
phans, and we know, of no place that comes, nearer
to supplying, the poor unfortunate, little ones for
their loss of parents and. their, natural homes. , In
religion. they, train, them according, to the faith of the
Lutheran, Church., but yet more important, they give
them a practical education, well grounded in the ru-
diments of learning and thoroughly trained to work
and prepare them to successfully enter upon the
duties of life. In this home, they are kept until t8
years of age., when they ai:e supplied with good ward-
robes and an. amount of money to. do for themselves,,
the house, in every instance, securing those, who de-
sire it suitable, places in private families., . To
every one of its children it. is always their homeland
no parents watch more carefully after their own flesh
and blood than does the institution of its wards.
Each year they hold, a 4th-of-July reunion, and those
who are too far away to attend in person write let-
ters, and. thus the family of children know of the
whereabouts and doings of their Home brothers and
sisters. . . Thus the sacred relations of parent,, and
child, brothers and sisters, are continued through life, :
and at last these orphans are blest with loving par-
ents who never die.

Mr. Lindell, who came to Andover with the Home, '
opened here with 17 children as inmates; and that he
successfully conducted it until the time, of his death, ;
in December, 1881, is fully evidenced by the fact
that it increased in that time to 45 children. Mr.
Lindell and wife did all the work of teaching and
superintending the Home during their incumbency. :

John S. Swensson succeeded Mr. Lindell. He is '
now in charge, and there are 62 orphans cared for in
the school.

Children are received into the institution of thevtf
ages from 2 years to r 2 years. wjR

The main new building is a plain, but yery -sub-
stantial- structure, and comfortable; two stories; -is
'38x42 feet and 22 feet high. The -old -building^
to which the new is a front, is 50 x 18 feet, story-
and-a^half. The new building cost $3,364. There
is a cellar under the entire .building and it is all
heated by a furnace. The. buildings were paid for
by contributions- from different congregations. The
Home is maintained by the- farm- of 280 acres-he-^
longing to it and from charitable cootributions.j;esrj>ec-'
ially from Sunday-schools of the different Lutheran*
Churches. -'-..' -, J(, .,; ... '

The Orphans' Home :was under the supervision of
the Synod to 1,8.76, and since that tirne: the.Illingis.
Conference, Augustana Synod, has had the control.

It probably should have been stated above that in
case one of the Home children is unfortunate or af-
flicted after leaving, the institution, the, doors are al- C y
ways open to him. or .her to return, and .partake ofa
that substitute for, a rnothejr's lovp.and care. .

We fear the people of Henry County, are. not gen-J
erally aware of the existence and holy work^gqing pn£

in their midst — of this. sunshiny spot, where the ten-*

der unfortunates are taken_and they partake of thatift
wholesome M and. real charity .that certainly, to our<
mind, is a blessing to see and blessed to aid and en-
courage. . . ,.;..,, ;,: -v: , ,

The present directors of the Home are Rev. Ejl
Carlson, Rev., J. Vickstrand, R. T. Setterhahl, G.
Johnson, S. A. Peterson, S. Hoogner and G. Beng-
ston. . .....

CHURCHES. I

The Swedish Lutheran Evangelical Church, of An-«

dover, was organized March 18, 1850, with ten com-J
municant members. Rev. Lars P. Esbjorh was the
first Pastor, remaining in the active work until 1856.
Under his care the first church building was com-
menced, in 1851, and completed and dedicated in
1854. For one year after Esbjom left, the Church
was not regularly supplied. Rev.' B. J. P. Burg-
endler was then stationed here. In 1858, Jonas
Swenson, the father of John S. Swenson, at present)
in charge of the Orphans' Home, was ordained in
Swedona and took charge of the Church. ■■ This
Church and the one at Moline and New Sweden re-
ceived $13500 donation from the celebrated singer

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HENRY COUNTY.

Jenny Lind. Mr. Swenson remained in charge of
the Church to the time of his death, in December,
1873. The vacancy thus, caused was supplied by
transients until April 28, 1875, when Rev. Erl Carl-
son, the present minister, took charge.

The present new church was completed and dedi-
cated in August, 1874. It had been commenced in
1867. The total cost was $41,000. It is supplied
with an organ costing $3,000. The Church trustees
are Jonas W. Larson, Peter Esterling, S. P. Johnson,
Gustav Benkston, Ostoff Stephenson.

The number of present communicants is 950, and
the whole membership is 1,535.

Swedish Methodist Episcopal Church probably owes
its existence to Jonas Hedstrom, who came here in
1850 and at once took up the subject. He called a
meeting in the house of Mrs. Lobecks and incited
the few friends to enter upon the good work.

In 1854, a little church was built, at a cost of
$536. This church eventually was too small for the
growing congregation, and in 1863 the present church
edifice was erected, at a cost of $3,200. During the
past ten years, several members have removed to
the West. Present membership, 140. Sunday-school,
75. The following Pastors, in the order of their suc-
cession, have been in charge: Jonas Hedstrom,
Victor Witting, Peter Newburg, A.. J. Anderson, An-
drew Ericson, Albert Ericson, I.. Lindquist, John
Wigreen, O. Gunderson, James Iverson, H. Olson,
J. H. Ekstrand, Alfred Anderson, and the present
Pastor, Rev. John Bendix.

ANNAWAN TOWNSHIP.

HAT is now Annawan Township presented
no inviting grove to tempt a settlement of
either the earliest lone pioneer, or the ad-
\ vance agent of the different colonies that
were organized in the old States, and hence
it was only when the railroad became a fixed
fact that immigrants began to turn their attention to
this part of the county.

I. G. Heaps, the present Supervisor of the town-
ship, came to the county in 1848. He is a native of
Pennsylvania. He has been a respected and valued
citizen ; was among the first to commence the breed-

ing of Short-horn cattle and Norman and Clydesdale
horses. He was in the late war, in Co. I, 27th 111.
Vol. Inf., was twice wounded in battle, and was for
some time a prisoner in Anderson ville.

The real settlement commenced in 1853 and con-
tinued in an uninterrupted stream until Annawan
became one of the populous townships of thrifty
farmers. Of those who came in 1853 and early in
1854, we note William M. McDermond, John Troyer,
Joshua Matthews and his son Thomas, Charles
Tinker, Daniel Blinn, Silas Morton, J. C. Webb,
John Burns, Daniel Morton, Isaac Croft, Mr. Ding-
man and his sons Joseph and William, Charles Dun-
ham, G. W. King, James Carroll, Thomas Piper,
John McNeeley, William B. Heaps, Henry Patterson,
Joseph Frock, Isaac Shellenberger, " old man " Ben-
son, Fred Benson, William Benson, Mr. McCanney,
William Hodges, John Hags, Mr. Hunt and his son
Lewis.

Solomon Minard came in i860, George McChes-
ney in 1854, John McNeeley in 1852, Erastus Kelly
in 1856, H. F. Humphrey in 1856, Stephen Moon in
1853, C. V. Holdridge the same year, William
Haxby, 1855 ; William Gochenouer, 1856; Samuel
Pettit, 1853; G. H. Mumford, 1856. Daniel Mor-
ton, one of the earliest settlers in Annawan, and
Charles Dunham, another one, reside in Geneseo.

John C. Ward returned to Bergen, N. Y., and
died in 1868. His widow is living in Galesburg.
Philo S. Ward's grandfather married Rufus Hub-
bard's mother.

Annawan Village.

ilPIS NN A WAN village was platted and dedi-

Ijf, cated to town purposes by Charles Atkin-

™ son, now of Moline. This action was taken

as soon as it could be ascertained that the
Chicago, Rock Island & Pacific Railroad
would want a depot at or near this point on
the rojd, then being constructed. The rapid settle-
ment of the surrounding country indicated this as
one of the natural important shipping points on the
road.

The earliest settlers in the new town were Joseph
L., T. T. and Silas Morton, Almon Baker, Absalom
Blinn and Joseph Dingman. The two last named
were probably the first to take up their abode in the
village boundaries. Solomon Minor lived just north

>X^j*f«*

■s^ Q/^fllMf^A^-

SBt

$«§$<$—

HENRY COUNTY.

of the village. Philip J. Wintry came in 1854, and
at once commenced actively his trade of house-
builder.

The first house was put up by Silas Morton, which
was a small frame store, now owned by B. C. Sar-
geant as a residence. The first residence was by
Almon Baker, .and very soon- after this' Philip J.
Wintry had his residence completed and moved into
it. Then in quick succession the houses of Samuel
Pattorf, Miram Barber, Absalom Blinn and Daniel
Blinn were soon up and occupied. Daniel Blinn
built the first warehouse, in 1854. He operated it
about two years. Joseph L. Dow erected the first
hotel, and Tristam T. Dow built the next hotel in the
place. Josiah Dow, Asa Prescott, and Philip, Joshua.
William and Philip, Jr., Locks, all built about this
time.

The first school-house was built in 1854, and it is
said, though not certain, that William Cole was the
(k ) first teacher. .

■p William Komine and Peter Hillman came in 1854.
/S* Mr. Berkey came at the same time and opened a
*jg tinner's shop.

&& The Daw Brothers, who put up the first hotel and
*=* kept a store, and built the elevator, are now living in
i$J Davenport. They still, own the elevator in Anna-
wan.

B. C. Sargeant is the only one left of the very first
house-builders in the place. The first grain-buyers
were Jared Sexton and Henry Hutchman. The
first railroad agent was William Lamb. Zebulon
Jones was the first " village blacksmith " of the place.
He is now in Galva.

The first mill was built by William and Ebenezer
Hard in 1856. It was burned to the ground in
1866. When burned it was the property of White &
Andrews, who had purchased of Hard. It after-
wards was wrecked by a boiler explosion. In 1859
robbers burned Daw's store.

A public meeting was called Jan. 30, i860, to
consider the question of incorporating the village,
F. H. Slater, president, and G. W. Lewis, clerk of
the meeting. The election was held on Feb. n,
i860. Sixty-one votes were cast; fifty-one for in-
corporation and ten against.

The first Board was F. H. Slater, President; Will-
iam W. Cole, Clerk; W. C. Carroll, Josiah Daw and
D. L. McChesney.

«)

« •*

There are at present in the village four dry-goods
and grocery stores, one drug store, a hotel, lumber- ;
yard and one feed store, and several small shops.

CHURCHES. -:-' '.

Congregational Church. — This church was origi-
nally organized in»the country, south of the villager.
It was moved into town about 1866, and supplied by
Rev. Mr. Lyman, of Sheffield, who remained" till the
church was built in 1867, and was succeeded by
Rev. Mr. Allen, who was followed by Rev. Mr. How-
ard, the preacher in charge at Atkinson. There was
no regular pastor from that time till 1876, when
Rev. John A. Griffin, of Atkinson, commenced
preaching.

The Annawan Baptist Church was organized in
Sept., 1843, at Wethersfield, but was removed to its
present location in 1854. Its original membership
was eight, whose names were Rev. Edw. Otis, Han-
nah Otis, Edw. Otis, Merrill Otis, Hileman Otis,
Sarah Otis, Chas. B. Miner and Mary G. Miner.

The present church was built in 1856, at a cost of
$t,ooo. The following ministers are among those
who have served as Pastors : Rev. Chas. E. Tinker,
Wm. McDermond, R: Turner, D. S. Dean, R. Ev-
erts, Wm. Storrs, David Heagle; J. D. Cromwel^
Harvey Kingsbury, G. A. Hogeboom, Edward Jones,
Wm. Archer and G. W. Lewis.

The present membership is about 125, with a
Sunday-school of 100.

The Church of the United Brethren in Christ. —
This church, now located three miles south of Anna-
wan, at Fairview Chapel, was organized in the vil-
lage of Annawan in May, 1854, by Almond Baker
and others, with a total membership of eight persons.
The first meetings were held in private houses and
in unfinished or unoccupied buildings, and not until
1858 did the society build a church, which was dedi-
cated by Rev. Wm. Rinekart, Dec. 15, of the same
year, at a cost of about $[,400.

The following are the names of its Pastors and
their respective terms of service :.

First services by Almond Baker, Julia Baker and
Jared Sexton ; William C. Romine preached one
year; John Cubbage two years; B.- Wagner two
St. Clair Ross, two years ; J. R. Evans, one
David F. Bear, two years ; M. Bonnet, one?
J. L. Condon, one year; David. F. Bear, one
Elisha Godfrey one year ; Amos Worman, one

years;
year;
year ;
year ;

3(33$

§*•-

zJ&k — ^V^HIOTi^^

HENRY COUNTY.

769

(!)

year ; I. Kretzinger, one year ; Seth Coats, two years ;
William Hankins and J. Edwards, one year; B.
Wagner has served two years ; Archie W. Colla-
han, two years; O. F. S.nith, one year; N. M. Doug-
las, present Pastor. The membership is 60, Sunday-
school 50. Present Church Trustees : Daniel Blinn,
Joseph Frank, Richard W. Batten, Thomas Crosby
and Philip J. Wintz. Clsss-leader, W. B. Heaps.

7 he Congregational Church of South Grove was
organized in May, 1854, at King's School-house>
near the present residence of I. G. Heaps, at which
place the earliest meetings had been held prior to
organization.

The original membership was ten persons, as fol-
lows: Elijah Benedict, wife and son, Thomas J.
Hunt and wife, Asa Prescott and wife, A. B. Noyes
and wife and Mrs. J. McConney.

The society built their present church in Anna-
wan in 1866. The following in succession have been
the Pastors : Rivs. Asa Prescott, A. Lyman, John
Allen, Alva Hurd, O. Howard, John Griffin and the
present pastor and only minister now stationed in the
village, Rev. O. O. Smith.

The Methodist Episcopal Church was organized in
1854; first meetings were held in the house of G. W.
King; the original members being John Hays, Jacob
Hodges, Isaac Shelinberger, G. W. King, Almon
Woodruff, John P. Bassett, William Benson, Solomon
Minard, William Barber and their families.

The church was built in 1856; cost $2,000. The
Pastors in their order were as follows: Revs. Win.
White, P. J. Moulton, J. T. Linthicum. G. M. Morey,
G. C. Woodruff, W. Odell, W. W. Sedore, G. W.
Brown, R. L. W. Jameson, S. S. Gruber, W. E. Will-
iamson, A. E. Day, C. C. Woodruff.

ATKINSON TOWNSHIP.

PKINSON was named after Charles Atkin-
son, now of Moline, one of the early settlers
of this county. He owned large quantities
of land in the township and all the land on
which the village is situated. The first set-
tler in Atkinson Township was Andrew Tay-
He died here many years ago. One of his
John, lives in Cornwall, and a daughter, Mrs.
Hamilton, lives in Geneseo,

The next was John B. Taylor, who came and put
up a cabin in 1837. He died in September, 1839.

In 1852 there were but two families in this town-
ship, namely: H. Fane's and Rozel W. Little's.

Asa Crook is probably the oldest settler now living
in the township. He made his improvement on sec-
tion 18. J. W. Little was one of the early settlers.
John Welch was another early settler and was quite
a prominent man while he lived here. He went to
Nebraska. One of his daughters is still in the town-
ship ; married her cousin, B. F. Welch. The. most
important family were the Nowers, Thomas Nowers,
Sr., and his sons and daughters, David Walters, the
Trekells and Trekell's brother-in-law, D. W. Won-
derly. The last named are all now in Nebraska. R.
M. Besse and Henry Bass are both well known early
settlers.

A large part of this township is in the Green River
swamps. There were very few settlers came. into it
until after the building of the railroad in 1854, and
the extensive drainage of the swamp and overflow
lands, which was commenced in 1856. Jacob Meyers
came in 1855 ; the same year Robert W. Milar. Otis
W. Mankins came in 1854. John K. Trekell came
to the county in 1836. He is a native of Ohio. His
wife was Theresa Walters, of Ohio. They were mar-
ried Feb. 13, i860.

Village of Atkinson.

»HWi.'

I
<3

W. MILAR came from Ohio and settled
in what is now the town in 1856. He found
living in this vicinity when he came Lor-
enzo Eldridge, now of Chicago ; Stephen
Trekell, who left for California and died on
the way on shipboard ; Henry Bass, living
two and a half miles north ; E. R. Lucas, the present
Town Street Commissioner ; Benj. Shearer, who re-
turned to his old home in the East; James W. Eng-
lish, Z. Welch, Hiram Grant and Michael Milar (the
last four deceased), and John Crosby, now living in
the southern part of the county ; George Rummell,
living in Geneseo; David Walters, in Nebraska; John
Rummell, in Iowa; John Heller, in Missouri; Asa
Crook, living near the village ; John Bowen (de-
ceased) ; Harry and Henry Fanes, now in Kansas ;
George Williams, living north of Green River; C. J.
Gearheart, living on Green River; M. W. Taylor (de-
ceased); E. F. Rose, in Chicago; George Lowbauch,

at ■•

■3$^ — eA4TOnii&A^ — :s^-

■z$$*sl <5\4M®Mf>*&

®f*^£

HENRY COUNTY.

in Geneseo ; Andrew Miner, in Iowa ; Sperry How-
ard (deceased), and some think he was about the
first settler in the township ; and Wally Smith, who
went West years ago.

R. W. Milar's family were the first that got moved
into the village proper. He built the first dwelling.
There were two other houses going up at the same
time, but Mr. Milar it seems worked the fastest and
was a day or two ahead of the others. This first
house occupied is now the property of Fred. Kizer.
One of the other two houses is now the hotel of the
place. It was .built by Trekell. The other build-
ing was the first store room in the place, by N. W.
Taylor. It is now a harness shop on State Street.
Taylor was the first store-keeper and Postmaster.

With this flush start for a good town, the people
put up as the fourth building a school-house. It is
now a dwelling and belongs to Thomas Nowers, Jr.
At one time additions were put to it and it became a
hotel, and when it served its day in this line the ad-
ditions were separated and made into two dwellings,
one of which is occupied by the agent, Emmons, and
the other by A. R. Walters. George Lowbauch put
up the next building. It is now occupied by Daniel
Seybert. Then Dr. Lucas put up a dwelling. He
sold to Brandon and left this part of the country.
Brandon died some 25 years ago. Slusser then built
just north of Milar's. Isaac Fry erected a building
on Mai:. Street, on the same block of Trekell's build-
ing. Then E. F. Rose, just south of Milar's, and
then Babbit built. Then E. F. Rose erected his el-
evator and opened it for the trade of the farmers.
Stephen Trekell then put up his store-room. Lor-
enzo Eldridge built and opened his store about the
same time, and soon after this Samuel Brant put up
his building. The first brick building was erected in
1867, by Edward Everett.

The first school taught in the place was by Eliza-
beth Nowers, now Mrs. Henry L. Lyon. Rev. Wm.
White.'ofthe Methodist Episcopal Church, preached
the first sermon in the place.

A notice for the people to meet and vote upon the
question of town organization was posted Jan. 12,
1867, signed by Luke Wills, Amos Fry and John
}<?* Ashley. There were 19 votes cast at the election,
<jj> n for and 8 against organization. A charter was
obtained, and at the first election, Thomas Nowers,
Sr., President, Dr. Levi Carter, John Ashley, Jr.,

§§KV®)}^f« ^w^ — e^M

George R. Babbitt and John M. Brown were elected
a Board of Trustees, and John Ashley, Clerk. The
town was under its special charter until June, 1878,
when by a vote it changed to the general incorpora-
tion law.

The present population is 500; has four churches :
— The Methodist Episcopal Church, the Free Meth-
odist, Congregationalist and Catholic. Three dry-
goods stores, five groceries, one bank and one hotel.

The present village officers are, John Straly, Pres-
ident; John W. Smith, John Johnson, John Eng-
lish, John F. Nowers, J. C. Pierson ; and Charles E.
Sheldon, Clerk.

The Congregational Church was organized in
1864. The same year they built their church at a
cost of $2,700. The parsonage was built in 1868.

The M. E. Church was organized in 1857, by Rev.
White, mentioned above as preaching the first ser-
mon. Revs. D. M. Hill, O.W. Pollard and Knowl-
ton were the Pastors in charge. Then Revs. Shel-
don, Morey, Kinney, Woodruff, Frick, Heckard,
Odell, Fleharty, Head, Swartz,- Woodruff, Keller
and Otterman. The church building cost $3,500.

The Catholic Church commenced its services in
187 1. The church building cost $1,200.

BURNS TOWNSHIP.

'HIS is one of the few townships untouched
by the iron track of the railway, but finds
good markets and shipping points about
equi-distant to Kewanee, Cambridge and Gal-
va, with good roads and easy approaches to
either. The entire township is arable land,
with a sufficient natural drainage in every part, and
has the rather curious topography of the small drain-
age streams that rise near its center and flow directly
north, while from the center to the south line the
small streams lead to the west and southwest. The
face of the country is largely prairie, but in it are
several valuable groves of timber, chief among which
is Round Grove in the southwest corner. The set-
tlers here were not town builders, it seems, as they
have never laid out any great paper cities or at-
tempted to'plant and grow a flourishing and ambi-
tious town that would spring into grandeur in a
single night. The Edwards River, flowing west tQ :

^v«@oo&

HENRY COUNTY.

the Mississippi, rises in section 25, and Round Grove
Creek in section 35, with branches coming in from
sections 32 and 34.

The first settler was Samuel Carson, a carpenter,
from Harrison County, Ohio. He was born in 181 1,
and came to the county in the spring of 1836. He
improved 183 acre>. He married Elizabeth Doty,
Sept. 20, 1836, a native of Trumbull Co., Ohio, born
July 4, 18 14. There were born to them eight chil-
dren— four boys and four girls ; three children died
some years ago.

Mr. Carson was a successful farmer, was for some
years a Justice of the Peace, and at different times
held other offices in the township.

Jacob Kemerling came March 23, 1837; born in
Columbiana, Ohio, May 18, 1807. He improved a
splendid farm on section 35, of 426 acres. He was
married to Sarah Allbright Feb. 10, 1820; she died
Sept. 20, 1863, having borne nine children, eight of
whom survived her.

Mr. Kemerling was very nearly the perpetual As-
sessor and School Director during his life, having
filled those places for more than 20 years. He was
a noted man among the early settlers, and toward
the close of his active life as well known as any man
in the county. He was a most companionable man,
and his delight was to meet old brother settlers,
and all night and all day recount experiences, anec-
dotes and frightful stories of hair-breadth escapes
in the day of wild varmints in the land. If he could
not get an old settler to swap experiences he would
content himself with a "tender-foot;" and when he
fell upon a credulous one he would delight to afflict
him with stories that would bring the listener hid-
eous nightmares for the next six months. In an-
other chapter is an encounter with a wolf on the
prairie by a lone pedestrian on his way to Andover
The wolf was large, and, driven by hunger, was ready
to eat a pioneer blood-raw. The story is a hair-
starter, and the reader had better turn to it on an-
other page, and thus gain some idea of what perils
were once upon these peaceful prairies — what awful
dangers by flood and field, and hungry wolves did
once beset the peaceful pioneer.

Simeon Mathews settled on section 9. He was
from Hartford County, Conn., born April r7, 1812,
and landed in this county in 1848. He improved a
splendid farm of 300 acres, He married Phebe Jane

Rogers in 1836. She was a native of Ohio, born in
1815 ; died March 30, 1868. In 187 1 Mr. M. was
again married to Minerva Hemingway, of Litchfield
Co., Conn., who was born in 18 1 6.

W. S. Charles came in 1842, and settled on section
32. He was a native of England, born Nov. 1, 1 8 18.
He improved 200 acres. He came to this county
direct from Stark County, where he had settled in
1837. April 19, 1839, he married Esther L. Stod-
dard, in Stark County, it be'ng the first wedding in
that county.

William Clement, a native of Ireland, born Jan.
26, 1828, came in 185 1, and settled on section 25.
His wife was Sarah Gash, born in Lincolnshire, Eng-
land, in 1836. They were married in 1870.

George Kemerling settled on section 35, in i84r.
He was born in Ohio, April 15, 1815. He married
Jane Leonard, Sept. 2, 1847, a native of Ohio, born
Oct. 10, 1827. They had six children.

Ira Parker came in 185 1, settled on section 9, and
improved a splendid farm of 411 acres. He was
from Wayne Co., N. Y.

Michael Roberts came in ^52. He was born in
Cumberland, Me , June 20, 1796. He came to Illi-
nois in 1833, and stopped in Peoria, and then in
Fulton County.

This was about all the settlers in this township
until the days of railroad building, that decade from
1852 to 1862 that witnessed such a tremendous flow
of immigration to this county, when every part of it
became thickly settled.

■•*»>»

CAMBRIDGE TOWNSHIP.

HE following history of Cambridge Town-
ship is taken from an article prepared by
F* B. W. Seaton, editor of the Prairie Chief,
for the Old Settlers'meeting, August, 1877, and
may be relied upon as entirely authentic :
Previous to the year 1840, what is now
known as Cambridge Township had no history save
that which is common to the whole West while slum-
bering in the lap of nature. In 1835, when the
prospecting party, headed by Ithamar Pillsbury,
came this way in search of land on which to locate
the Andover Colony, they found a little cabin near

cat

^^ii^im^A^ — s^s.

$«§®$~

HENRY

COUNTY.

the west edge of Sugar-Tree Grove, a few rods north
of the state road, on the farm now owned and occu-
pied by Mr, Perkins — better known as the Cady
place. This place was the first habitation built in
Cambridge Township, and was the headquarters of a
party of hunters from Knox County, who paid a visit
to this section annually to hunt deer, which were
then quite numerous in the grove. In this little-
cabin Mr. Pillsbury and party spent one night; and
they have often been heard to say that they passed
the night more comfortably than they had at any
other place since they left Peoria.

In 1838, William Stackhouse and James Mascall
drifted this way in search of homes, and found them.
On the northwest quarter of section 10, Cambridge,
they found a double log cabin and other improve-
ments— a well and a small patch of broken prairie.
The house -was deserted, and the " breaking " had
run to weeds. These improvements were made by
a man named Chillson, who supposed he was on
Government land; but, finding there was a prior
claim, he abandoned the place. Where he went to
we have not been able to learn, but a man by the
same name opened the farm in Cornwall now owned
by Lewis Shearer. This man Chillson was the first
who attempted to make a permanent home in Cam-
bridge Township, and turned the first furrow. A few
years later the cabin was " lifted " by Captain Mix
and taken to his place in Andover. The well has
long since caved in, but a slight hollow in the ground
shows where it used to be.

After spending some time prospecting, and in
their travels stumbling upon Richmond, the county
seat, where a court-house was being built, Messrs.
Mascall and Stackhouse each selected a farm and
returned home.

In the spring of 1840 Wm. Stackhouse returned
with his family, consisting of himself, wife and one
daughter, and pitched his tent 0.1 section T4, where
he erected a log cabin and commenced housekeeping
at once. He proceeded at once to turn up the prai-
rie sod, and soon had the first crop raised in Cam-
bridge Township, then without a name.
' When he built his first cabin, having no timber of
his own, he " borrowed " some, as he supposed, of
Uncle Sam. One morning he was " pegging away "
in the timber, when a fine-looking stranger on horse-
back came along, told, him he was tresspassing on

his land, and asked him what he was going to do
with the logs. On being told by Mr. Stackhouse
that he was building a house to shelter his family,
who were with him, the stranger told him to go
ahead and take all the logs he wanted for that pur-
pose. This stranger proved to be Patrick Owens,
known about here in years after as a " land- shark ;"
but many remember him as a kind-hearted, generous
gentleman, who could not do too much for a friend,
or too severely punish an enemy.

The same year James Mascall, then a single man,
came on and improved his claim on section 12. In
common with all pioneers, Mr. Mascall met with
misfortunes that would have discouraged many.
Early- in his career as a Westerp farmer, his team
was broken up by the death of one of his horses.
He soon got another; then the other died. Being
literally '" dead broke,'' he could not buy a fourth
horse ; so he pressed a pair of young steers into ser-
vice. One of these becoming lame and unfit for
work, he put a heifer into yoke, and with a Dolly
Varden team, consisting of one steer, one heifer and
one horse, he got through with his year's" work suc-
cessfully.

When these pioneers arrived in 1840 they found
Joseph Tillson keeping bachelor hall in a pole cabin
near the west edge of the grove. He owned a quarter-
section of the best land there, and his only occupa-
tion seemed to be to prevent squatters and others
from carrying off the trees.

So far as we have been able to learn, the actual
population of Cambridge Township in 1840 was
five — William Stackhouse, wife and daughter, James
Mascall and Joseph Tillson ; and all, except Miss
Stackhouse (who died many years ago) are still living
in Cambridge.

In 1841 Richard Mascall came here from Wyo-
ming, Stark county, built a cabin near Mr. Stackhouse *
and became the sixth on the settlers' roll. About
the same time Charles Else settled on section it.
In the fall of the same year, Stephen Cady andi his
son-in-law, Alex. H. Showers, arrived and built a
cabin where the Perkins House now stands. About
the same time, Elisha Attwater came over from.
Andover and opened the farm just north of the vil-
lage limits.

In 1842 Joseph Perry improved the farm next east
of Richard Mascall's homestead, better kno\yn as th?
Shannon place. -.--■■ -

ffe

tSta

e^nnsiiiij^s — ^^ -§*«§*■

-6V4»flHfW^

HENRY COUNTY.

osx>

oOO"

Cambridge Village.

HIS beautiful little city is located near the
center of the county, on the line of the Pe-
oria & Rock Island Railroad, and is the
county seat. Much was the excitement and
great the controversy in selecting sites for the
seat of the county's government. This fea-
ture of the history of Cambridge is treated under the
head of county seats.

Measured by the changes from the time this place
was selected as the county seat until now, it looks as
if long ages must have intervened between that time
and the present. Where Cambridge now stands and
as far as the eye could see, it was but the unbroken
(&) prairie — tolling, rich and beautiful as it came fresh
^ > from the hand of God. There was no house north
S\ of Sugar-Tree Grove nearer than the close vicinity
S3 of Geneseo ; west, there were no houses or improve-
/<£ ments until you neared Andover. At the east end
of the grove a settlement, or rather an improvement
by A. H. Showers, had been fairly started ; to the
south, Red Oak, six miles, was the nearest settle-
/ . ment. Galva was yet in the womb of the future and
' so was Bishop Hill settlement. Hence, to the east
it was almost unmeasured qua ntity . At Wethersfield
and Barren Grove, in the southeast, was a settle-
ment. And at that early day the county-seat ques-
tion had so embroiled some of the good people of
Wethersfield and Barren Grove that they desired to
secede from Henry and attach themselves to and be-
come Starkians of Stark County. A few settlements
were at Oxford and about Richland Grove in the
southwest corner of the county. Andover was the
most flourishing settlement in the county. Ten
miles northwest of Cambridge were three or four fam-
ilies who " stuck stakes " and commenced their im-
provements.

At this time immigration to the county was very
light, and a serious question to " Judge " Tillson
was, now that he had secured the location of the
town, how to induce men and money to go there.
Cambridge was duly surveyed and platted, and
named by Tillson ; the christening took place June
g, r843. Tne " Judge " was the god-father of the

"infant phenomenon," responding to all the vows and
winding up the ceremony, in his mind, with a final
"By the eternal, Cambridge shall wax fat and grow."
To this end, he built a cabin — a very, very small log
hut, very squat, and, in the language of the pundits
of the time, the " residence " was about as " broad as
it was narrow." One or two others put up log cab-
cabins about the same time the " Judge " did, but in
the matter of smallness he distanced them all. In
his determination to make Cambridge a populous
town he married, and soon there was an addition to
the house and in it ; regularly as clock-work these
additions went on, until finally the mansion was
many additions clustering around; and inside and
about the first small hut, like " birds of a feather that
flock together," were the smiling and frolicsome
young progeny.

The original town contained about 36 acres.
Two public squares were platted : " Court Square "
and "College Square." These two names are sug-
gestive of the bent of mind at that time. One
square was to punish criminals on, the other
" square " was the first idea of a great institution of
learning — " College Square," where, at that time,
prairie wolves, frogs and crawfish chimneys were the
existing alma mater for these classic grounds.

The court-house at Morristown was not completed
when this last change of county seat occurred, and
work was stopped. The people of the southern part
of the county were invited to assemble, and every
man to bring his work-oxen, and the court house
was placed on "runners " and hauled to Cambridge
over the prairie and tall grass. What an astonish-
ment this moving court-house must have created as
it slowly sailed along, rousing, up the green-heads,
the musical frogs and the lurking prairie wolves.

The court-house was thus moved in the following
way: Messrs. Stackhouse, Hanna, Mascall, Cady,
Osborn and others made a proposition to the County
Court to move the house and complete it, they to
have the house, and furnish the court room for its
sessions until a new court-house could be put up.
At other times the building was used as a school-
house. The court-house was moved down Sept 5,
1843. After being thus used for three years it was
sold to Messrs. Gaines, who put up a small addi-
tion to it and converted it into a residence and store.
July, 1844, a contract was made with Sullivan

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HENRY COUNTY.

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Howard for a new court-house. This was completed
in July, 1845. This was for many years used for
court-house, school, town hall and all other public
purposes. Nearly all denominations held worship
there, and the singing master, writing master, hum-
bug phrenological, mesmeric and other cheap frauds
lectured there ad libitum. It was evidently a "free
for all."

Charles C. Blish surveyed and platted Cambridge,
and was paid $[4 therefor. His assistants were Al-
bert Jagger and Sullivan Howard.

June 26 was the first sale of lots in the new town.
Twenty lots were sold, at about an average of $20
each. There were 13 purchasers, and of these but
three are known to have remained any time in the
county. These were Tillson, Allan and Ayers.
Qua lost his life in a stone-quarry, a mile and a half
northeast of Cambridge ; Russell soon left the State,
Montgomery went to Missouri, Jagger to New York
and Thompson to California.

As much dodging and moving around as there
was in the location of the county seat, it is but
just to say that it was all in the best of-good feel-
ing, and no bad blood was ever stirred up, as in
many oth,er places, over the county-seat question.
There was keen rivalry, but no bitterness, especially
of that sometimes deadly kind that is sometimes to
be seen ii new counties in the West, and as was
then sometimes to be seen in new counties in Illinois.

Joshua Harper who was one of the Morristown
proprietors, was in 1843 selected by the Legislature
to act as a commissioner in settling the vexed and
hot county-seat question in Whiteside County — a
county where the question raged with great fury,
and which Mr. Harper aided in finally and perma-
nently settling.

The growth of the town was very slow indeed, be-
cause expectation stood on tip-toi, looking for the
new town to take up its bed and walk off to same
new location, through force of habit, probably. But
it has remained and .verified the old adage that " the
third time is the charm." It is a charming, quiet
little unpretentious shire town, now possessing a
splendid $8,000 court-house, a splendid soldiers'
monument of enduring granite, a very elegant and
commodious public-school building on "College
Square," and a thrifty and contented, kind-hearted,
genial, polite and cultured population of over 1,200.

The- town originally was built about the two
squares; the business houses fronting the Court-
House Square and the first residences fronting the
south side of College Square.

At one time or another the county has built four
court-houses. Three of those buildings are now
standing in Cambridge, the other one was burned, as
related above. The little, story-and-a-half court-
house that was hauled from Morristown to Cam-
bridge., is now a residence, and after its last travels,
it stands on a lot three blocks east of the southeast
corner of College Square. The other is used as a
broom-corn warehouse, and stands a short distance
west of the northwest corner of the Court-House
Square. It was sold at public sale and purchased
by Mr. Gould, and he had commenced to move it
and had got it into the street and started on its
travels, when Mr. Pillsbury purchased it of him and
started to take it to Andover. He got it as far west
as it now stands, and bad weather for houses to be
out and exposed coming on, he left it in the street,
where it stood until the authorities notified him to
" move on " with his house. Owing to the continu-
ous inclement weather for houses out of doors, or to
its weight and cumbersomeness, or to a thousand
other causes combined, it was shunted into the lot
where it now stands, awaiting its owner's next move-
ment to get it to Andover.

Sullivan Howard built this frame court-house,
contracting therefor Sept. 3, 1844, and completed
the building July 28, 1845. From its completion
and for a long time it was the big house in the
county. Here schools were taught, lectures delivered,
debating societies, political meetings, prayer meet-
ings, secret societies, dancing and preaching, in turn
were in possession. The Congregationalists, Pres-
byterians, Methodists, Baptists and Universalists
at one time all worshiped in this building. Often
as many as three different denominations would hold
services on the same day, at different hours, and
they dwelt in unity and harmony.

The oldst settlers all agree that the noted " village
blacksmith," " Lord John " Russell , put up the first
house in Cambridge. He occupied it with his family
until he could erect a cabin, and then this first rude
hut was his blacksmith shop This first cabin was
near the southeast comer of College Square. Judge
Tillson hewed the poles for his more pretentious
bride's residence.

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HENRY COUNTY

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A log cabin was erected nearly opposite where the
Cambridge House now stands, by W. A. Ayers, in
1843. In this house was confined the half-breed
Indian, "John," who in cold blood murdered another
Indian, " Jim," — both of the Ottawas. John made
his escape and went to his tribe on Rock River.
The officers pursued him and Shabbona pointed out
the culprit and delivered him to the law. He was
again confined until the Grand Jury met, and it re-
fused to find a " true bill " and he was turned loose.
The murder was so flagrant, so cold-blooded and
wanton, that the action of the jury in turning the
murderer loose is to this day spoken of with signifi-
cant headshaking.

John and Jim had started hunting, Jim walking
along the path and John on his pony near behind,
when he secured the gun of his victim to carry for
him on the pony, he shot him in the back, and
turned back, leaving the dead Indian lying in the
path where he fell.

It was only a dead Indian, and his murderer was
a living one who mixed with others of his tribe, and
the white man wanted trade and traffic. Could it
be possible that at that early day men appreciated
the Shakespearean philosophy that " thrift might fol-
low fawning?"

The first hotel was built by A. H. Showers in
1848. Prior to this time accommodations were
furnished in any and every cabin in the place, —
especially in Judge Tillson's. Showers ran it for
some time and then rented it, and it was made a
private residence, and as such became the property
of Michael McFadden. Mr. Showers then erected
the ptesent Cambridge House, which he sold in
1856 to A. and M. B. Gould. They added to the
building and put on the third story. 'After running
it five years, the Goulds sold to James M. Weir, who
in turn sold to Joshua Bushnell, in February, 1864.
Bushnell enlarged it again to its present capacity,
and in February, 1876, sold to J. W. Hartzell. M.
W. Thatcher kept the Cambridge House eight years.
Afterwards he built the Thatcher House and opened
it to the public.

There was no wild " booming " in Cambridge pro-
perty. It was a modest, unpretentious county seat,
and grew in population, buildings and business strict-
ly in keeping with the demands made upon it by the
wants of the public and the solid growth of the adja-

cent farming community. Other towns in the county
had railroads and were putting on extensive city airs
while it peacefully plodded on its way. It was for
some years content to get along with a semi-weekly
mail on the Peoria route that passed through Weth-
ersfield to Geneso. It did not very greatly complain
when in the early day this route was so changed as
to leave it away off the road, and the mail-carrier
would throw off the Cambridge sack at the " Cor-
ners," ten miles east of the town ! There was no
office there, and Cambridge hired a boy to bring the
sack to town. Often matter put up in other offices in
the county was sent to Massachusetts, being, we
suppose, the supposed accessible Cambridge and ,the
only one that anyone could possibly address a letter
to. This distressing state of affairs continued until
1856, when a tri-weekly mail from Geneseo to Kewa-
nee was established. For some years the only mail
from the east came by the mail route from Princeton
to New Boston. A weekly mail from Rock Island to
Cambridge was eventually established. In 1853 a
route was opened from Lancaster, on the Illinois
river, to Cambridge; but this was soon discontinued.
For years " Uncle Bobby " Robinson carried the mail
from Cambridge to Rock Island. He was an express
agent also, and was a trusty and valuable aid to all
the people who had to do much of their shopping at
the latter place.

CHURCHES.

The Congregationalists were the first to effect a
church organization in this place. The settlement
had in it from the first many of this faith from New
England and New York, earnest God-fearing men,
whose great joy and highest worldly pleasure was to
mingle and work with their brethren, and on Sunday
to hear and heed the call, " Come, let us worship
God. " A meeting was held as early as February 9,
1837, and the Church organized, with n members,
as follows: Nelson Gaines and wife, Henry G. and
Mrs. Fidelia Little, H. G. and Mrs. Elizabeth Griffin,
Joseph and Mrs. Julia Tillson, C. W. Davenport,
Mrs. Margaret Atwater and Mrs. Ruth Moore. Revs.
L. H. Porter, of Galesburg, and William F. Vaill, of
Wethersfield, officiated. In company with the Meth-
odists and Baptists, worship was held in the court-
house. In 1854 the congregation had increased to
24 members, and they determined to put up a house
of worship. This was. accomplished the next year,

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and the church was dedicated Jan. 12, 1856. It was
used continuously until 1875, when it was sold to
the Swedish Lutherans, and then the present edifice
was erected.

Rev. Vaill was in charge the first year. He was
succeeded by Rev. Joseph D. Baker, who continued
in charge seventeen -years. Then came Rev. L. H.
Parker, who remained one year. Then Rev. Joel
Grant came and remained three years, then Rev.
Thomas Douglass two years. Then Rev. S. F.
Dickinson took charge. The present Pastor is Rev.
J. B. Bid well.

The M. E. Church organized for worship in the
old frame court-house in 1850, with 20 members.
Missionary Harding, then traveling through the West,
officiated. John and Mary Russell, S. P. and Mrs.
L. Cady, Michael Grant, A. S. Ebright, A. M. Corn-
stock and wife, Elias Morse and wife were the prin-
cipal organizers.

The preachers were, the missionary Harding, one
year;H. J. Humphrey, two years; C. M. Wright,
one year; G. W. Brown, two years; D. A. Falken-
burg, two years ; Geo. C. Woodruff, two years ; J. J.
Fleharty, two years ; G. M. Morey; two years ; J. D.
Smith, two years ; William Leeber, one year ; Geo. I.
Bailey, two years ; G. M. Morey, two years ; then Rev.
Dilley, then after an interval came Rev. J. A. H.
Wilson, who is at present in charge.

The Protestant Episcopal {Trinity) Church, is a
mission church under the care of Grace Church
Parish, whose permanent headquarters are five miles
northwest of Cambridge. Their church building was
erected in 1876, at a cost of $5,000, with a member-
ship at that time of 30. The pastor first to reside in
Cambridge was Rev. J. S. Chamberlain, who was in
charge of Grace Parish and Cambridge Church. Has
no resident pastor at present. It has generally been
served by the Osco minister, or, in other words, the
two churches are in charge of Rev. J. Newman, of
Osco.

The Baptist Church was organized July 8, 1854,
in the court-house. Prior to this they had met at the
court-house for occasional worship. There were
thirteen of the original members, as follows: William
Talbott, Mary Talbott, Aaron Talbott. Phebe Talbott,
James M. Woodmansee, Clarissa M. Woodmansee,
John McFarland, H. McFarland, Emma Black-
man, Laura Bishop, Harriet Daggett, Electa Daven-

port and Eliza Ayers. They purchased the old
school-house, and worshiped in it until they erected
their present church, at a cost of about $10,000. In
1877 they built a parsonage, at a costof $2,100. Their
first Pastor was Rev. F. Ketchman, one year, then
Rev. W. W. Smith, fourteen months ; Rev. R. Ed-
wards, one year; G. D. Simmon, eighteen months;
Rev. A. "Edison, two years and four months; Rev.
J. Shepherd, six years; Rev. W. B. Velsher, two
years and six months ; Rev. J. Cairns followed. The
resident minister of this church is S. G. McCormack.

The Christian Church. — The Disciples of Christ
held meetings in the court-house, then in the Bap-
tist church and at times in the school-house. Dec.
18, 1859, they held a meeting to organize in the court-
house. The following were attendant at this meet-
ing: Samuel- and Mrs. Ellen Horn, Mrs. A. E.
Mathews, Asa B. Lobingier, George Lobingier, G. W:
Sroupe, William and Mrs. Martha McFarland, and
William Kirkland. ,

Jan. 23, following, a permanent organization was
effected ; William Kirkland and G.W. Sroupe, Elders ;
William McFarland and John M. Evans, Deacons,
and George Lobingier, Clerk. At this meeting Han-
nah and Elizabeth Kirkland, Mrs. Mary E. Evans,
Mary Busenbark, Mary L. Cahon, John, Hannah B.,
and Malinda McFarland, Mary Hazel, Miranda-M.
Noel and Nathaniel C. Whitney joined the Church.

Jan. r,' 1 87 1, the congregation purchased the Baptist
church (school-house) and removed it to its perman-
ent'place. They had over fifty members and a Sun-
day school of over 35 pupils.

Rev. James E. Gaston organized the Church and
remained one year. For three years they had no
regular, pastor ,_ then John W. Errett was called and
remained in charge until 1868. In January, 1869,
Elder G. W. Sroupe was employed. He remained
until 1872. In October, 1873. James Seaton was en-
gaged and preached until March, 1875. After he
left, no regular pastor was engaged for some time.
The present Pastor is S. C. "Humphrey.

Swedish Lutheran Church. — The first few members
of this church met for worship also at the court-house,
and sometimes in the Christian church. With 52
members they met at the court-house and organized,
May 30, 1875, by Rev. L. Carlson, of Andover.
They purchased the Congregational church. Rev.
Carlson continued for years their only minister. There

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HENRY COUNTY. .

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was a gradual increase in the number of members
from the first organization. Have no resident pastor.
Is served from the Lutheran college, near Moline.

SCHOOLS.

Miss Sarah Francis Little, sister of Henry G. Little,
taught the first school in Cambridge, in the year 1845.
Like everything else in the way of a public gather-
ing in those days, it was held in the court-house. In
1850 a building was erected, and in 1856 it was sold
to the Christian Church, when the old brick on Col-
lege Square was put up. In 1857 there were two
departments taught in the school, and the basement
of the M. E. church was used for a school until the
brick was completed. This was the first -attempt at
grading or dividing the schools. The Principal was
R. C. Raymond, afterwards a practicing physician,
assisted by Miss Fanny Gould and Miss Lucy Brooks.
The next year, 1858, Henry P. Sumner was Princi-
pal. Dr. Raymond was again principal. Then Mr.
Thorpe, assisted by Miss Sarah B. Dunn. These
remained until 1863, when Ira D. Marston became
principal, remaining until 1866. The building to
this time contained but two rooms.

In 1866, B. F. Borge was secured as Principal.
Ten years afterwards he was elected County Super-
intendent of Schools. He remained in charge until
1872. In 1868, the spacious frame school-house in
College Square was built. This added two additional
departments to the school. When Mr. Barge retired
C. J. Gruey was placed in charge. At that time the
enrollment had reached 288- pupils. The High School
course of study, maintained to the present, was es-
tablished in 1873. The first graduates were in 1875.
In 1876 the enrollment had reached 450, and five
departments provided, and six teachers were em-
ployed. In 1876, the frame building was enlarged
to six rooms.

A. G. Smith became Principal 1884. The teach-
ers for that year were Mi=s Amy Rhodes, Lizzie
Rhodes, Maud Marston, Alia Rosenstone, Belle
Mock, Mrs. A. M. Nye and Miss Mary Hagin. The
present (1885) corps of teachers are A. G. Smith,
Principal, Miss Lizzie Rhodes in charge of study
hall, Amy Rhodes, language and reading, Maud
Marston, history and geography, Laura Haggart,
mathematics, Belle Mock, third and fourth grades,
Mrs. A. M. Nye, second, Miss Mary Hagin first,
Prof. W. J. Stabler, teacher of music.

Enrollment for the year 350. Average attendance
280. Two school buildings. Two rooms in the old
brick and six in the frame building.
. This school is not conducted upon the old graded
plan exactly. There is one general study hall in
constant charge of one teacher, and from this they
go to their respective rooms for recitations. School
Directors — Ira D. Marston, F. G. Welton and J. F.
Gack.

The Board of Trustees of Cambridge are : Henry
White, President ; L. H. Patten, L. T. Gould, James
Stewart, B. J. Hulin, E. H. Gaines, and Clerk W. R.
Allen; City Marshal, William Decker; Police Mag-
istrate, Samuel B. Randall.

MISCELLANEOUS.

The present Postmaster is J. E. Ayers; deputy,
Miss Emma Busenbark. Mr. Ayers was appointed
in February, 1884.

There are two elevators, one mill, lumber yard,
three hardware stores, two national banks, three
drug stores, two dry-goods and clothing, four groceries,
four dry-goods stores, two jewelry establishments,
and numerous shops, bakeries, restaurants, millinery
stores and two hotels.

Three of the court-houses built by the county are
in Cambridge. One is a small residence east of the
public square; the second is a kind of broom-corn
store-room west of the square, and the present
splendid court-house, commenced in 1878 and com-
pleted in 1880. The contract, price, $68,000, and
total costs, $75,000. It certainly is the most elegant
and commodious fire-proof building in the State for
the money.

The soldiers' granite monument stands in the
court-house yard. Foundations laid in 1884, com-
pleted May, 1885 ; cost, $8,000.

CLOVER TOWNSHIP.

LOVER TOWNSHIP had for its first set-
tler Thomas Weir, who came April 6,
^■*"*^ 1841, and settled on the northeast part of
the southwest quarter of section 10. He
came from Mercer County, and at one time
was regularly employed as a " runner "
(called detective now) for the " Vigilants " — a close
corporation that devoted its energies to catching
horse-thieves. When he came to this county, the
only neighbors he had were some Winnebago Indians,

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HENRY COUNTY.

who were out hunting. As a part of Mr. Wier's ex-
periences, he was twelve days in going and coming
to the mjll at Moline. The chief part of the time
was in waiting at the mill for his turn, and in the
meantime he worked so diligently on the dam that
the miller favored him and slipped his grist in ahead
of its turn. He said if he had not thus been favored
by the miller, he might have had to wait a "right
smart spell!"

The first child born in this part of the county was
in Weir's house — James Hammers, in October, 1843.
In 1846, the first newspaper was received by a sub-
scriber. It was the New York Weekly Universe.
The extensive name of the paper indicates that
the eagle-eye of the editor was fixed, not only on the
whole human family, but " the rest of mankind " in
the wilderness, and was indifferent as to the name of
the subscriber so long as he paid in good subscrip-
tion money.

The oldest settler in this part of the county is
A. P. Vannice, from Indiana: came in 1852. A. A.
Reed is one of the oldest settlers in Clover: He is
from Connecticut, and came to Knox County in 1840,
and came to this county in 1850. He has a family
of six children. William Payton, from Ohio, came
in 1851.. He was for some years Justice of the
Peace and held other town offices. Daniel Mc-
Queen came in April, 1852. After the death of his
wife he lived with his grandchildren, George H. and.
John McQueen. Thomas S. and J. A. McConnell
came in 1857. They were from Pennsylvania. S.
W. Johnson came in 1858. T. J. Howell came in
1856. Henry E. Houghton came in 1852. Mrs.
Phebe Forgy, widow of Newton Forgy., came in 1852.
Forgy died Nov. 14, 1868, leaving three children.
Mrs. Morgan's maiden name was Phebe Taylor, born
in Pennsylvania, Jan. 20, 1833. William Forgy came
in April, 1853, born in Morrow County, Ohio, May
27, 1826.

Woodhull.

OODHULL is an enterprising town of al-
most a thousand population, and is on the
line between Clover and Oxford Town-
ships, mostly in the former. There are many
rv good business houses located there, divided
among the various lines of trade necessary to
supply the wants of its inhabitants and-ihose in the

surrounding country. The village was laid out Sept.
30, 1857, by an Eastern gentleman by the name of
Maxwell Woodhull, of New York City. Not much
progress was made for some time,4)ut in 1867, J. W.
Horn laid out a large portion of the place lying north
of the railroad. Hugh Russell, about i86r, laid out
a considerable portion of the present town and upon
this the first house was built.

Three years after his first addition, Mr. Horn laid'
out another, lying south of the railroad. A large
dwelling was the first building erected in the place.
This, however, was shortly afterwards purchased by
E. A. Widney and converted into a hotel, the Widney
House.

The railroad passing through the place — the
Keithsburg Branch of the Chicago, Burlington &
Quincy — was surveyed in 1847; but years elapsed
before it was built. In 1868 the franchise passed'into
the hands of the Chicago, Burlington & Quincy, and
it was soon completed and a road was in operation.
The old road, that remained so long only on paper,
was known -as the American Central Railroad. The
first buildings of the town were erected mostly on
the west side of town, except one or two opposite the
present postoffice. The town was rapidly built in
anticipation of the coming of the cars, and by the
time trains were running there were half a dozen
stores, a number of shops, and many busy carpenters,
masons, etc. The first boom of the new town had
expended itself before the completion of the railroad,
and did not, as is usually the case, wait until the
road was wakirig the echoes with its shrill whistle.
It maintained a steady and permanent growth in
business and population. Before the town was sur-
veyed and platted, a postoffice called Heathland was
kept by F. Heath at his house, but a short distance
from the village-site. When the town was founded
it was the determination to call it Leoti, and for some
time it went by that name , but the friends of Mr.
Woodhull finally prevailed, and its name was fixed as
it has remained, in compliment to him.

M. N. Hurd opened the first store. In a short
time it was destroyed by fire and building and con-
tents lost. In 187 1, T. S. McConnell's store, in
which Mr. Wright had a large stock of goods, was
destroyed by fire. An unoccupied building adjoining
was destroyed at the same time.

From the first the stock and grain trade of Wood-

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hull has been unusually heavy. During 1876,
more than $500,000 was received at the place for
produce, and in the fall and winter of 187 1-2, more
broom-corn was shipped from this station than from
any other point in the United States. In 1869, a
spacious brick block was erected by J. D. B. Bell and
Andrew Edson. Another brick block was put up in
1876, the upper part of which was made into a hall
and offices.

Before the railroad came it was a common occur-
rence for great trains of wagons to pass through the
place loaded with grain. They would generally
haul their loads to Oneida, make their sales and re-
turning stop in Woodhull to make such purchases as
they desired. A firm — Elder & Skinner — sold in one
year over $80,000 worth of goods. Three large eleva-
tors were erected, and three good hotels were well
patronized. It commenced a temperance town and
has maintained its fame in this respect unfalteringly.
Woodhull was incorporated in 1870 and the fol-
lowing were elected as the first Board : B. Taylor,
Prest., J. V. Kennegoy, Clerk, W. O Gamble, Treas-
urer, W. C. Wagner and James Walton, Trustees.

The village is provided with excellent schools,
which have good accommodations and are ably man-
aged. Prior to 1869 there were only the regular
district school-houses where school was held, but at
that time excellent quarters were provided for the
school and great interest manifested in educational
matters by the people in general.

The village is equally well supplied with churches,
which as a general thing are reasonably live and
prosperous. There are five different denominations,
as follows: Methodist, Christian, Presbyterian, Lu-
theran, and Catholic. These have good, comfortable
houses of worship, and are in charge of good pastors.

COI.ONA TOWNSHIP.

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I ITHIN the confines of this township with
a curious name, is the spot of the first
#■ settlement of Henry County. Here it was
S> Dr. Baker, impelled now by what we do not
know, to direct ■ his way to this particular
place, drove his wagon and team, and looked
out upon the fair and beautiful world that lay before
him, halted, unhitched and went into camp ; and then

for the first time the smoke from an actual settler's
camp-fire went curling and creeping through the tree-
tops, and the frugal meal and the first supper of the
first settler was prepared, and the little houseless
household went to bed in the wagon, and slept in in-
nocent content after their long wandering.

It is fully told elsewhere how in a few days came
Thomas and James Glenn and Anthony Hunt, and
how they were simply following the wagon tracks of
Dr. Baker. They had been to the " lead mines " and
come down to the mouth of the Rock River, and fol-
lowed up its course until they found Baker. How
they, too, looked upon the country and said " it is good
enough " and concluded to tarry. Then came George
Brandenburg, and slowly his friends followed and
founded the first town in the county, and for a long
time Brandenburg's was the famed and wide-world-
known point to all who contemplated coming or
did come to the new country.

It was from here Major Allan tells us he rode to
Vandalia to secure the county organization by the
Legislature at Vandalia.

In the history of the early settlements and of the
early settlers in preceding chapters all this is told of
who these men were and what has become of them
and their descendants.

The villages in the township are Dayton, the oldest
town in the county, and Colona. Dayton served its
day of usefulness or imperative necessity for ex-
istence as an important business center for com-
merce and business of the county, and went into
a quiet and unostentatious decay, a kind of slow for-
getfulness among new-comers, and in 1853 Colona
came into existence as a desirable place for a station
on the railroad. It was laid out in that year by
Marcus Warren. The next year (1854) the railroad
just then commencing to do business, J. A. Sawyer
built a grain house and prepared to handle some of
the great quantity of grain that the surrounding
country was awaiting to ship.

Colona Township has more heavy timber-growth
in it than any other township in the county, and in
addition to the grain to be shipped at this point,
considerable timber and wood was transported
away on the cars. M. Smith, the first settler in
Colona, had a mill on the river near the town. A
small depot building was erected by the railroad.
The additions were slow. Lucy A. Sharp, who came

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HENRY COUNTY.

with her father, Asa C. Sharp, and her sister, Sarah,
to Colona, in 1856, remembers that at that time
there were residences about as follows : A part of
what is now the hotel, kept by Webster. There was
no hotel in the place, and her family had to go to
Brandenburg's until they could get a house. This
building was occupied by John Baum, who died in
Colona some ten or twelve years ago. . Also was then
standing the house in which Mr. McCullough now
lives, at that time occupied by Jeff. Taylor. The
small house occupied by Mr. Sharp and daughters,
situated near the present postoffice. Jake Smith's
store (not the store and dwelling as now but the
store proper) was then in existence, and there was a
shanty near where Mr. J. Kime now lives. There
was a store opposite the hotel, or where the hotel
now stands. This building was destroyed in the
great storm of May, 1859, which also destroyed the
railroad bridge near town, and where the iron bridge
now is. Norman Sharp built the hotel as it now
stands in 1857. The first school -house was built
between Colona and Dayton ; it was eventually moved
down to Colona, and Miss Lucy A. Sharp taught
the first school in the place in the room she now
uses for a postoffice, in 1863. She had about 30
pupils. The present two-story school building was
erected in 1872. Three teachers are regularly em-
ployed.

For many years R. A. Smith was postmaster in
this place. For 13 years his deputy, who1 transacted
the entire business of the office, was Miss Lucy A.
Sharp. In 1883 Mr. Smith removed to Moline, and
he so strongly recommended his faithful deputy for
a successor that she was appointed and is the pres-,
ent " non-offensive partisan " Postmistress of Colona,
where the writer" trusts she may never escape except
by " removal " to the state of matrimony.

There are two general stores, two hotels and one
drug store in the place.

The population of the town and township is given
elsewhere.

A list of the leading citizens of Colona Township
will be found in the biographical department of this
work.

The United Presbyterian Church of Colona was
organized Dec. 22, 1866, in the town school-house.
The petition for the organization was signed by
Samuel H. Reed and twelve others. The Rev.

Henry Wallace had preached in Colona in 1855, the
second sermon ever preached in the place., Rey. J.
F. Martin was assigned as a missionary to this
charge in September, 1855, and he was succeeded by
Revs. J. P. Finney and the presept S. H. Reed, as
licentiates, in 1866, and Revs. J. K. Blair and John
Todd. The names of the first members are : An-
drew Stewart, Grace Moderwell, Christina Moder-
well, Joseph Moderwell, James Moderwell, James
Montgomery, Sr., Sarah Bell, William McGonagil,
Sr., Elizabeth McGonagil, Mary Cochran, Barbara
McFerren and Margaret McFall. Joseph Moder-
well and Andrew Stewart were ordained Elders.

S. H. Weed, J. J. Baum and James Bell were
chosen building committee, and a frame church
32 x 50 feet was erected and thrown open to worship-
ers Oct. 18, 1862. The building cost $2,108 in cash
and about $1,000 contributed in labor and materials.
Rev.'S. H. Weed, still a resident of the village,, was
ordained Noy. 23, 1867. He labored as a mission
ary until June, 1869, when he was installed Pastor,
where he officiated until 1876, when the Church
ceased to have a regular Pastor.

EDFORD TOWNSHIP

S in the northwest part of the county. Its
. northern boundary is nearly traversed from
side to side by the track of the Chicago &
Rock Island Railroad. A short distance north
of the railroads is Green River, as it passes
through Hanna Township in nearly a direct
general line running west in the lower tier of sec-
tions.

Edford is bounded on the west by Colona Town-
ship and on the north by Hanna, — two of the first
settled places in the county, unless Edford itself,—
which there is no doubt but that it can — laysclaim to
being the second settled point after Colona.

There were very few additions to these early set-
tlers that are enumerated elsewhere until 1852, when
the conviction went abroad that, the railroad was
going to be built, and those, who knew about where
its line must run through the township-moved in, and
secured themselves farms and homes.
The township is rich in agricultural and mineral -

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HENRY COUNTY.

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resources ; portions of it were in the Green River
swamps, that are now drained and made into splen-
did farms. Other portions again are quite rolling
and parts bluffy, but underlying these are rich and
inexhaustible veins of coal and fire clay.

The first Church organization in the township was
St. John's Evangelical Lutheran Church. The first,
meetings of those of this faith were held in the Cen-
tral School-house, in 1867, and the Church organiza-
tion was effected the same year. There were only
about a dozen members at this time. In a very few
years this little band was augmented by the addition
of fifty families. In 1872 they erected their church
building, at a cost of $2,500, with Rev. I. P. Guen-
ther as Pastor.

The Church of God organization located in this
township Sept. 16, 1876, at the "Howard School-
house," where those interested in Church matters had
been holding services since the 8th of April previous.
Of the first to take action that resulted in effecting
an organization were W. T. Harris and L. E. Harris.
Soon after the Church had become a living thing,
steps were taken to erect a house of worship, and W.
R. Coovert was installed as pastor. He was suc-
ceeded by M. S. Newbommer.

•--•*•

>**>-

CORNWALL TOWNSHIP.

ORNWALL TOWNSHIP lies a little east
of the center of the county, and the
Chicago & Rock Island Railroad nearly
touches its northeast corner. Its points of
easiest access to railroads are Atkinson and
Cambridge, and for the southeast portion of
it Kewanee is not a very long distance for shipping.
In its limits are neither a town nor post office; but it
is a populous and wealthy township of farmers and
stock-raisers. To stock-raising the people are giv-
ing much attention of late years, and this is making
itself evident by the great improvement in stock,
especially in horses and cattle. The land yields im-
mense crops of corn and grass, and when the stock is
graded up and thoroughbreds abound, the annual
profits to the farmers of this section will soon make
them all rich and independent.
The township is well drained by Spring and Mud

creeks, the former passing out at the northeast and
the other at the northwest.

Like Galva and other parts of the county, there
were only one or two, or at most, three pioneer fami-
lies in the township prior to 1852 — simply because
immigrants could not see the advantages of this
rich, virgin land ; and so long as there was no chance
for transportation to the distant markets for their
produce. But when the canal was constructed to
La Salle, and work was commenced on the Chicago
& Rock Island Railroad, then began the rush of
immigrants, the first coming of course settling as
near on the line of the road's survey a possible.

James Southworth, a native of Erie, Pa., born
Sept. 4, 1823, came to the county in 1837. He
improved a farm of 231 acres on section 6. He was
for years one of the leading, influential men of the
county. His wife was E. C. Hanna, a native of'
Whiteside Co., 111., born Nov. 15, 1827. They \vere
married Feb. 19, 1850, and had four children. Mr.
S. was a veteran in the Mexican War, and was in
politics and in the general affairs of life independent,
and would be no man's man.

John Taylor came in 1837. He improved a farm
of 160 acres on section 8, he and Southworth thus
becoming near neighbors. Mr. T.'s wife was Eliza-
beth Ogden, a native of Pennsylvania, born Feb. 5,
1 83 1. They were married Nov. 1849, and had eight
children, five boys and three girls.

They were not surprised by any new neighbors
until 1846, when Thomas J. Trekel fixed his abode
on section 4 and when he became an extensive
farmer, owning 760 acres. He was from Tippecanoe
Co., Iud. Mrs. Trekel was Lydia Wolever, born in
New Jersey, Feb. 22, 1839. They were married
Sept. 24, 1855.

Lewis Shearer, of one of the leading families ' in
the county, and noted as a stock-raiser, came in 1850,
a native of New York, born Oct. 6, i8r7. His im-
provement was made on section 18, and became a
valuable farm of 694 acres.

Joseph W. Mukins, a native of Virginia, came in
1844. His wife was a Miss Mary Ellenwood, a na-
tive of Washington Co., Ohio, born Sept. 7, 1823.

E. H. McConoughey came in 1841, and settled on
section 15. He was a native of Massachusetts, born
Jan. 1, 1808; married March 7, 1849. His widow,
Mrs. S. McConoughy, came to the county in 1840.

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The Calvary Presbyterian Church was organized
Jan. 2, 1868. The organization took place in the.
nearest accessible Church — the Methodist Episcopal,
on the north line of Burns Township. The organiza-
tion was effected by the following committee of the
Bureau Presbytery: Rev. J. C. Ban, J. Milligan, and
Ruling Elders, Alex. White (now of Geneseo), Charles
M. Priestly, Rev. J. S. McClungand Moses Thatcher.
Rev. J. C. Barr preached. John Fleming was at this
meeting elected, ordained and installed as Ruling
Elder of the Church. After the organization they
held meetings for some time in the school-house on
section 27.

In 187 0-1 a church was built on section 27, at a
cost of $3,500. Rev. J. S. McClung was stated sup-
ply of the Church from the date of its organization
until March, 1871. Then Rev. F. I. Moffat served
the Church as stated supply from October, 1871, up
to Dec. to, 1872, when he was installed Pastor. The
original members were: H. S. Rogers, Mrs. Phcebe
Rogers, W. W. Winters, Mrs. Virginia Winters, Wil-
liam Allen, Mrs. Margaret Allen, Thomas Rowland,
Mrs. C. T. McClung, Mrs. A. C. Torrence, John
Fleming, Mrs. Mary A. Fleming, Mrs. Sarah A. Cal-
lender, A. E. Benedict, Mrs. Harriet T. Benedict,
Gabriel Romig, James J. Dickey, Mrs. Caroline E.
Dickey, Isaac Callender, James Orr, Alexander
Walker, W. H. Torrence.

GALVA TOWNSHIP.

1 OBERT BONHAM was the first settler in
this township. He was drawn to the place
■5[CP by tne strong temptations he could see in
hickory groves. For a number, of years Bon-
ham was the lone inhabitant, whose widest
range of vision, sovfar as neighbors were concerned,
left him monarch of all he surveyed. He was from
Maryland ; had started life in his native State and
greatly prospered, but in one of those turns in the
affairs of business he greatly impaired his fortune and
then he turned his face westward and came to this
place. Though bankrupt he was not conquered, and
he faced the dreary solitudes of the wild country as
bravely as any of the pioneers who came West. His
stout resolution t9 regain what he had. Jost {leyer

failed him, and ultimate success crowned his efforts.
Hickory Grove is on sections 20 and 21, and the
surrounding locality was known and designated by
the name of the grove until the townships were
formed and named, when it was changed to Galva,
after some towii in Sw.eden. The grove was a noted
body of timber in the early days-— a land-mark known
to many an emigrant before he left his old home and
started for the Illinois country. The grove lies a
liitle northwest of the village of Galva, and it is a
little remarkable that none of the advance agents of
the many colonies that came to the county did not
select this elegant body of timber as a nucleus around
which to locate a colony. But in talking with aged
settlers we find a good cause why the colonists did
not seize upon this remarkable body of timber land.
Bonham was here before they found it and had se-
cured the entire grove, and from this fact we can es-
timate that he was among the earliest comers to the
eounty. He was an inveterate old bachelor and died
rich and without issue, and his fortune was inherited
by heirs^of collateral blood.

The next settlement in the township after Bon-
ham was the founding of Galva in 1853, by J.' M. and
William L. Wiley, the history of which is given he-
low.

Galva.

ALVA is one of, the leading places on the
main line of the C. B. & Q. Railroad, and,
"K , like many other towns which sprang up on
the line of the road shortly after it was built, it
received its first impetus at that time and from
that cause. It is located irrthe midst of a fer-
tile agricultural district and over rich and exhaUstless
mines of coal. The business men are live and en-
terprising, andevery means for the promotion of the
interest of the place receives a hearty support from
all sources. The crossing of the C. B. & Q". and the
Peoria & Rock Island railroads occur at this point.
It is also the eastern terminus of the Galva &
Keithsburg branch of the C. B. & Q.

The founders of Galva were William L. and J. M.
Wiley, gentlemen who have also done much toward
building it up and making it the thriving town. In
r8s3 these gentlemen were making a trip from Peoria
to Rock Island, and, of -course, traveling overland,
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HENRY COUNTY.

Upon reaching the spot where the town is now loca-
cated, they were struck with the beauty and fertility
of the country. Halting their buggy, one of them
said : "' Let us buy this ground and lay off a town."
The proposition was accepted and ere long the land
was entered. The C. B. & Q. Railroad was surveyed
through this section, and Messrs. Wiley opened
negotiations with the company for the purpose of
having a station made at this point. Satisfactory ar-
rangements were made with the company and in
1854 the town was platted. In December of that
year the trains began running and the town received
quite an impetus.

Messrs. Wiley purchased about 50 acres of land,
on the south side of the town, from George Fair, and
subsequently sold an undivided interest in a certain
number of .lots to the Bishop Hill Swedish Colony,
then in their most prosperous days, and afterwards a
a large number of lots to Jacob Emery. Both of
these parties gave their money and influence to for-
ward the interests of the new town.

Owing to the large purchases of the Swedish Col-
ony in the new town, they were granted the privilege
of being its sponsors in baptism and bestowing upon
it the name which it was to bear. Olof Johnson,
one of the earliest settlers, accordingly christened it
Gejle, the name of a prosperous town in Sweden.
This name was afterward corrupted or anglicised to
Galva, a name new and unheard of but correspond-
ing as near as possible to the Swedish name in pro-
nunciation.

The first house of the new town was built in the
fall of 1854, and is a part of the one formerly be-
longing to John I. Bennett, and which was owned by
A. J. Rockafellow and occupied by Mr. E. A. Lynd.
It was built by the Bishop Hill Colony and was used
as a boarding-house or hotel. The first store was
built during the first fall, and was occupied by C. F.
Bodinson as a grocery, between the two railroads and
just south of and adjoining the agricultural ware-
house. It was then occupied by George Farr, the
Bishop Hill Colony and the postoffice.

Col. E. Fuller was the first station agent appointed
by the railroad company, and he continued to hold
that position up to the time of his death, or very
nearly.

The winter of 1854-5, following the completion of
the railroad, was unusually mild, and open, allowing

out-of-door work to go on without interruption until
Jan. 21, when there occurred the severest snow-
storm ever known in this region, accompanied by a
terrific wind. This resulted in blocking up the rail-
road and preventing the running of any trains for
over two weeks. It was during this time, when the
inhabitants of the new town were shut off from com-
munication with the outside world, that the first child
was born. Mr. and Mrs. David Emery were the
happy parents, and they exclaimed : " Unto us a
child is born, a girl is given, whose name shall be
called Galva."

The town having been laid out and a depot estab-
lished in 1854, the following season witnessed a rap-
id growth and quite an influx of population, no less
than 75 men having settled here before the great fire
which occurred in Nov., 1855. Although the settlt-
ment of the town took place only about a few years
ago, the larger part of this number are gone — not
dead, but, moved by the same restless spirit which
impelled them to take up their abode here when the
place was new, they have emigrated to other and
newer towns. We are informed that about the only
remaining of the first to locate here is Esq. Nelson
Pierce, the present City Clerk and Justice of the
Peace. The town, with a wonderful rapidity, arose
like an exhalation after the passage of the first train
of cars, and, at one time, there were over 150 car-
penters busy in the erection of new houses. In an
incredible short space of time there had gathered
in the new town between r,5oo and 1,800 people.
This prosperity did not abate until the panic of 1857
prostrated the business of the county, and scattered
the hopes of not only great business firms through-
out the country, but also scattered many of the
men who came here to build a city upon the prairie,
and now but a small fraction of the original settlers
have found their long home in the quiet cemetery to
the south of the town.

When Dr. A. D. Babcock arrived here on the 5th
of May, 1855, there were already sixteen buildings in
the place, 12 of which were dwelling-houses; when
Mr. Seeley arrived on the 26th of Sept., the number
of buildings had increased to 30.

It was during this season that the old brick ware-
house, on Exchange Street, was built by the Bishop
Hill Colony, and used for the storage of grain, pork,
and broom-corn, The first hotel was also built then

at »

by Mr. J. E. Wolever, occupying a portion of the lot
where Mr. A. W. Albro now resides, on the corner of
Main and Locust Streets. It was known as the
"Galva House."

The first surgical operation which Dr. Babcock
was called upon to perform was for Augustus C.
Bergman, who was injured while working on the
railroad; the first death was that of Mr. O. P. Bige-
low, who died on the 12th of Sept., 1855. The first
male child born in the place was a son of Absalom
Wood. The first fire occurred on or about the 8th
of Nov., 1855, and originated in Dr. Babcock's drug-
store. , It was caused by carrying a lighted lamp too
near a barrel from which varnish had been drawn
and which had been spilled upon the floor.

The whole business portion of the new town was
laid in ashes by this disaster, no less than six busi-
ness firms being burned out. They were: first, Dr.
A. D. Babcock, whose stock consisted of drugs, gro-
ceries, paints, oils, liquors and cigars ; second, A.
M. Black, shoe-shop and its contents ; third, Ham-
lin, Beecher & Davis, dealers in hardware ; fourth,
A. J. Curtis, dealer in furniture ; fifth, Babcock &
Clark, who do not appear to have had any stock of
goods in the building at the time ; and sixth, Hurd
& Driscoll, whose stock of dry goods were still in the
boxes as received, not yet unpacked, and therefore
easily saved by rolling them into the street. With
this exception the building and its contents were a
total loss, as there was no insurance upon either.

At the time thai the fire broke out, most of the
citizens were in attendance at a railroad meeting
then in progress at the school-house.

Mr. D. E. Jacobs was then living in the house new
occupied by Mr. H. L. Dickenson, and which was
the third dwelling-house built in-Galva. His moth-
er perceived trie fire by the glow of light which
shown in at the window, from the burning building,
when her candle was accidentally put out, and sent
him to apprise the citizens at the school-house. He
rushed to the door and informed them that the Wi-
ley House was on fire. It took but two minutes to
empty the building!

There has been only a moderate growth in the
increase of population in the past 15 years, but
the solid and elegant buildings that have been
erected in that time almost make it a new town in
the past decade.

Galva is the railroad town of the county, and if
not now, it will in a few years be one of the wealth-
iest communities in a county that is rapidly accu-
mulating great wealth. Three of the four railroads
that traverse' Henry County come into or pass through
Galva, — the Chicago, Burlington & Quincy, the
Galva & Keithsburg and the Peoria & Rodk Island,
all first-class roads and radiating from the town like
the spokes of a wheel, and traversing in every direc-
tion the richest and most populous portions of Illi-
nois ; and no matter where you may want to ship
your goods or go yourself, if you get to Galva, there
is a direct way to your point of destination. It is a
great shipping point, and in this respect there is no
doubt but that the future will develop another re-
markable growth. It has a population of 3,000 souls.
It is surrounded by the finest grain-growing and
grazing country of the State, as well as being situated
in the heart of one of the richest coal-fields in Amer-
ica. It is distant only one mile from the north line
of Stark County.

There are here two banks ; the oldest has just
ceased to be the Eirst National Bank, by the expira-
tion of its charter, and is now the Banking House of
L. M. Yocum & Co. This institution was started in
1856, by Claudius Jones, as a private bank. In
1862 he sold to L. W. Beck, and in 1865 it was or-
ganized as the First National Bank, L. W. Beck,
cashier. When it was orgaaized into a national
bank, the Wileys before mentioned were the principal
owners.

The other bank is the Farmers and Merchants
National Bank, with a capital of $50,900. A. Deem,
President; Directors — H. Higgins, E. L. Bowen,
and P. Herdien.

There are three spacious elevators.; Finkle's steam
roller flouring-mill ; a lumber-yard, three farm imple-
ment stores ; and two coal companies, situated about
three-fourths of a mile east of town. The Herdien
Coal Company work five shafts. The Galva Coal
Company mine extensively. Here is a large broom
factory that works up much of the broom-corn, of
which such great quantities are raised in the county.
There is here an extensive brick-yard, where are
used the latest and best improvements in the manu-
facture of brick. F. D. Guthrie has a foundry, and
the county's great inventor has an establishment for
the manufacturing of some of his half-dozen different

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HENRY COUNTY.

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patents. The Galva Gas and Coke Company was
formed and began to supply the people in 1881.
There are two carriage and wagon shops, three dry-
goods stores, one dry-goods and clothing store, six
grocery stores, two hardware stores, two clothing
stores, two jewelry establishments and two hotels.

James Gaster is the present Postmaster and has
been since Feb. 27, 1883. He looks clever enough
to be a "non-offensive partisan" for the next two
years. His predecessor was A. F. Miller, who was
in the office about 18 years.

Noted for its beautiful streets, parks, umbrageous
green lawns and elegant and handsome residences,
the most notable of which are those of Mr. William
L. Wiley, C. E. Davis, J. M. Wiley, Thomas Brown-
lee, W. E. Hough, M. M. Ford, Jacob Emery, B. S.
Eldridge, H. Higgins, D. E. Holmes, T. E. Milchrist,
H. Bigelow, S. P. Johnson, R. W. Jones, E. Carver,
Mrs. O. Johnson, Mrs. Ericson and many others.

The town has an opera house with a seating ca-
pacity of 800, a spacious town hall, the Galva Cor-
net Band, an efficient fire department, two elegant
and well kept parks, gas-works, etc. Nine religious
edifices attest the moral bearings of the people.

The present officers of the town are W. S. Hough,
President; H. Bigelow, B. H. Mink, T. J. Finkle,
W. H. Gibbs, A. F. Hathaway, Trustees, The Clerk
is Nelson Pierce ; Police Magistrate, O. P. Emery;
Treasurer, O. A. Hempstead.

In 1858, Dr. Dunn, then editing the Cambridge
Chronicle, visited Galva, and in substance said : Pre-
vious to 1853, the now flourishing town of Galva was
surrounded by an unbroken prairie the distance of
many miles. In 1854 the first house was built.
Many places now occupied by stores were then near-
ly impassable to pedestrians, being wet and sloughy
— tenanted only by wild fowls, frogs and serpents.
The village was incorporated in 1857, with a popu-
lation of about 1,200. Work was progressing in
1858 on the Western Air Line Railroad, and it was
expected to be completed to the Mississippi the next
year. Mr. Tabor was principal of the public
schools, with four assistants — 325 pupils. The Bap-
tists had a "Church built, and the Methodist Episco-
pal Church was near completion. There were then
eight dry-goods stores, three lawyers and three phy-
sicians. The hotels were the Wiley and the Vir-
ginia houses. Dr. Norton had built the town hall,

at an expense of $20,000. North of the park were
the fine residences of G. R. Wiley and others, and
in the east part of the town was B. F. Merriman's.

SCHOOLS.

The first school-house in Galva was built by J.
M. and W. L. Wiley, and was 12 x 20 feet in size.
This was also used for Church purposes, and it was •
here the Baptist Church was organized, William L.
Wiley and Mrs. Thomas Getty being the active con-
stituent members. The Congregational and Meth-
odist Episcopal Churches were also organized here
in 1855.

The first public school building was commenced in
the summer of 1855, and is now the central part of
the North School. The money to put up this build-
ing was borrowed upon a joint note executed by J.
M. and W. L. Wiley and George Farr, which money
was repaid as soon as it could be collected in taxes.
The building contained two rooms; these were af-
terwards divided into two rooms each, and so used
until 1 87 6, .when additions were made to the building
— three rooms being added.

The South School was built in 1865, originally one
room, and in r867 it was remodeled and made into
four commodious rooms. At one time Mr. E. E.
Fitch, now of the Galva News, was the efficient
Principal of the schools, and was of great value in
grading and bringing them to their present efficient
excellence.

Col. J. McClenahan is the present Principal of
the schools. F. M. White is High School teacher.
In the North School is Nellie Burke, Grammar; Eliza
Curtis, first Intermediate ; Lillie Johnson, second ;
Ada Grant, first Primary-; Frankie Smith, second.
In the South School, L. L.Todd, Grammar; Lola
Maddox, first Intermediate; Libbie Price, second;
Sue Breckenridge, first Primary ; Threse Burt, sec-
ond ; Mary Peterson, third. The enrollment is

S5°-

CHURCHES.

There are nine religious organizations at Galva,
which occupy neat, commodious church structures,
and are in a very prosperous condition.

Methodist Episcopal. — The oldest religious organi-
zation in Galva is that of the Methodist Episcopal.
It was organized June 26, 1855, in the school-house.
Meetings had been held here to complete the organi-
zation, and for some time after. At this time the

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BENRY COUNTY.

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&&%

first Board of Trustees were elected. This Board
consisted of the following persons : Isaac M. Witter,
John T. Carran, Isaac E. Dennis, Amos Dennis* Wil-
liam Pierce, John B. Nixon and Norman E. Pome-
roy. They were the most active members then in
Church, which, in addition to these men, possessed
but few members. In 1857 they erected a house of
worship at a cost of $3,000. Rev. John Morey was
the first minister. Rev. P. A. Cool presides at pres-
ent, arid has now been in charge two years.

In 1881, under the ministration of Rev. M, A.
Head, the new church was commenced, and com-
pleted in 1882, at a cost of $14,000.

The Congregational Church was organized in the
school-house, Sept. 15, 1855. The constituent mem-
bers were the following persons: George Farr, Re-
becca Farr, Charlotte M. Cholette, George Fairlamb*
William H. Fairlamb, Henry H. Parker, Mary Fair-
lamb, Hannah Carrigan, Thomas and M. E. Harrison,
Elizabeth J. Hill, and George Hill, Jr.

Rev. S. G. Wright was soon called to the pastor-
ate of this congregation, serving one-half his time.
He remained until April, 1864, when he resigned.
In November following Rev. R. B. Guild was in-
stalled. The present Pastor is Rev. C. C. Harrah.
From a membership of 12, the Church has grown to
150, and sustains a Sunday-school of nearly the same
number of scholars. The congregation erected a
church edifice in the autumn of 1856. In 1866 this
was sold to the Free Methodist Church, and the
present commodious building erected. This latter
was dedicated May 29, 1869, and cost $12,000.

The Swedish Methodist Episcopal Church was or-
ganized on the fifth of January, 1866, with 15 mem-
bers. Two years afterwards, they erected their
present house of worship, costing $3,000. Their Pas-
tors have been as follows: Rev. A. J. Anderson,
three years; O. C. Simpson, one year; A. P. Wigren,
one year; H. W. Eklund, one year; C. A. Wiren,
two years; A. T. Westergren, two years ; Charles
A. Stenholm, and the present Pastor, Rev. J. J.
Berggren. There are now 96 members, and 100
Sunday-school children.

The Free Methodist Church. — In the autumn of
1866, 17 persons, principally from the Methodist
Episcopal Church, formed themselves into a separate
body, under the care of this Church. For some time
they met for worship at Mr. D. P. Reed's, one of the

main members, and often at the residences of other,
members desirous of promoting the welfare of the
Church. In 1866, they purchased the Congregational
Church, arid have since occupied it. The member-
ship is now about 20, sustaining a Sunday-school of
30 scholars. The first .Pastor of this Church was
Rev. D. W. Drake who remained two years. They
have no Pastor at present.

The Swedish Lutheran Church. — The people pro-
fessing this faith held meetings several years before
effecting a regular Church organization. This was
accomplished in December, 1869, with 44 members.
In 1873 they erected their present house of worship,
a comfortable brick building, costing about $3,000.
There are over 90 members and a prosperous Sun-
day-school. The Rev. P. M. Sandquist was the first
Pastor here. The present Pastor is Rev. J. F. Borg.

The First Baptist Church. — The first meeting for
the transaction of business of this congregation - was
held in the school-house, June 28, 1855, at which
time the preliminary steps were taken to organize a
Baptist Church. The Church was organized Aug.
14, 1855, in the schoolThouse. The original mem-
bers were : William L. Wiley and Mrs. Louise
Wiley, from the Baptist Church, Saxton's River, Vt.;
H. D. Ward and Mrs. Angelina Ward, from Canton,
111. ; J. M. Corson and Mrs. Ann D. Corson, from
Brimfield, 111. ; JVIrs. Margaret Bushnell, from La
Fayette, 111. ; Mrs. Dorothy Getty, from Brimfield,
111.; Henry H. Clark, from Alden, N. Y.; O. P.
Bigelow, from Boston, Mass.

The first church building was located near the
business center of the town, and was erected in 1856,
at a cost of about $2,000. The second building, and
the one which the Church now occupy, was built in
1867, and cost, carpets and bell included, about
$25,000. The bell in the tower of the present. church
building was also used in the old church, and rung
for public service the first time Jan. 24, T864.

First Pastor was Rev. M. H. Negus. The present
minister is Rev. J. E. Todd. The present member-
ship is a little over 200. Sabbath-school was organ-
ized in 1856; the number of scholars is about 150.

The Church of the Holy Communion {Episcopal).
The first religious meetings held in Galva were in a
room in Union Block, 1866. About that time the
Ladies' Church Aid Sociey was formed, and through
their efforts a small church was built, called the

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HENRY COUNTY.

" Holy Communion." The building and lot cost a
little over $800; was erected in the year 1868. Mr.
and Mrs. Moore, Mr. and Mrs. Whipple, S. M. Etter
and wife, Mrs. Somers, Mrs. Trowbridge, Mrs. Mc-
Kane, C. J. Whipple, Mrs. Rednell, Mrs. Hoyt, L.
P. Edson, were among the original members. Its
Pastors were Rev. Mr. Tifford, Rev. Dr. Floyd, Rev.
Dr. S. Chase ; also ReV. Mr. Russell, who officiated
over two years. C. J. Whipple, now Rector at Man-
ville, R. I., and S. M. Etter, in Springfield, who was
State Superintendent of Schools, were both prom-
inent in the 'religious affairs and doings of the
Church.

GENESEO TOWNSHIP.

NE of the fertile and highly cultivated town-
ships of this county is that of Geneseo. The
land is-, well watered by Green River and
several of its small tributaries. There are few
sections of the county containing a better class
of farm buildings or better improved farms.
The Chicago, Rock Island & Pacific Railroad enters
the township at section 25, passes in a northwesterly
direction through Geneseo, leaving the township at
section 18.

As the history of the township is largely contained
in that of the city of Geneseo, we refer the reader to
the following sketch.

The City of Geneseo.

ENESEO is a bright and beautiful little
city, standing in her queenly pride at the
* front of the many inland residence cities of
Illinois. Broad and strait and clean streets,
bowered by the maple shade trees that cast
their protecting shades far and wide in the hot
and sultry summer, and that in winter bare their
long arms to battle with the blasts of Boreas, pro-
tecting and blessing all animal life that may shelter
itself here. The founders of the city were the coun-
ty's first foresters; and could there be finer monu-
ments to their care and forethought than are these
shade, ornamental and fruit trees, waving their
blessings to the oncoming generations. The large
and gracious parks, the green velvety lawns, the spa-

cious and elegant residences, rare exotic flowers, foli-
age plants, smooth side-walks and graveled streets
are the admiration of all beholders. The city is well
drained, and its elegant water works furnish the
healthiest and finest water to be found in the Miss-
issippi Valley. In a very short time the question of
water will determine the permanency and growth of
all our towns. People will not much longer be con-
tent to drink the surface water of shallow wells, that
are little more than sipe water-holes for that moving
current of water that slowly travels; but is always
moving jnst below the earth's surface.

The business portion of the city is chiefly on State
Street, extending south as far as North Street and
north to Orange Street. In this district are many
large and elegant business houses, the most exten-
sive being the Geneseo House, and the most attract-
ive tall building next noticed is the Farmers' National
Bank building. The postoffice is about the center
of the block, between First and Second Streets, on
the west side. The three-acre park, with its splen-
did grove of maples, faces Main and State Streets,
and is a most inviting retreat and a luxuriant place
for the people to gather in their several capacity ; or,
in the language of Mark Anthony eulogizing Caesar
for his great deeds when he wisely referred to those
places he had provided as the public parks, " where
the people do walk about and recreate themselves. "

By the census of 1880 the population of the city of
Geneseo is given as 3,518, but from all sources we
have the information that now (J885) it is over
4,000. In fact, some enthusiastic friends of the city,
and it has many such, do not hesitate the judgment
that there are nearly 5,°°° inhabitants within the
corporate limits.

In the winter of 1835-6 nine gentlemen of the
town of Bergen, Genesee County, N. Y., met together
and agreed to go West the next spring and form a
settlement in Illinois. R. R. Stewart, of the town of
Geneseo, New York, heard of the purpose of- those
nine men and asked to join them in their enterprise.
He was easily admitted, and thus there were ten
men in the original company. But only seven of the
ten came to Henry County, Illinois, as follows :
Cromwell J. Bartlett, Colver Bartlett, Elisha Cone,
Reuben Cone, Harry Manville, John C. Ward and
Roderick R. Stewart.

Stewart, Ward and C. K. Bartlett were appointed a

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HENRY COUNTY.

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« *

committee to enter land for the Colony. Upon ar-
riving at Chicago on their journey to discharge their
duty, they stated their object to the landlord (most
probably Baubien, the celebrated French half-breed,
who was the first hotel-keeper in Chicago). The
landlord introduced them to Judge (afterwards Gov-
ernor) Ford, who told them of the spot upon which
the splendid little city of Geneseo now stands, and
they took his advice and proceeded to the place in-
dicated.

In the fall of 1836 the Colony arrived from New
York and stopped at George Brandenburg's, and the
settlers of Hanna Township entertained them with
that proverbial pioneer welcome and hospitality, and
after the travelers had resfed the good people went
with them to Geneseo and helped them erect/ their
first cabins. This was the beginning of Geneseo.

When they arrived at the intended place for their
future homes they met Major James M. Allan, and
with his valuable assistance they were enabled at
once to select and enter the lands they wanted.

The Colonists acted more wisely than the most of
such bodies in their plans for new homes. They
only purchased about 2,006 acres of land. They
were content to leave the lands not needed for them-
selves free to others who might want to come among
them to purchase. The wisdom of this policy is well
evidenced by the fact that Geneseo has been and
continues still to be the best town in the county.

Five families came in the fall of 1837. The
breaking of a wagon compelled some of them to halt'
with the Providence Colony, in Bureau County.

C. K. Bartlett put up the first cabin, on the creek
south of where the present town is. Near his cabin
Calver Bartlett built. These two cabins were near
the site selected and where the company in 1839
built a mill. R. R. Stewart advised these parties
that there would be danger of chills and intermittent
fevers so close upon the stream. And afterwards
these families suffered so greatly in this respect that
they were compelled to move out upon the open
prairie.

The families left at Providence, Bureau Counly,
attempted the dangerous experiment of making their
way to their friends in Henry County in the following
December. They started upon their journey in a
wagon drawn by several yoke of oxen, under the
guidance of E. M. Stewart. A warm and gentle

rain was falling as they started, which was rapidly
converting the snow that lay upon the ground into
thin slush. They had proceeded but a few miles
when suddenly there came from the .northwest a
cold, biting wind, and so intense was the sudden
change that it converted-in a few minutes the water
and melting snow into hard ice, strong enough to
bear a man's weight. It was impossible to face the
bitter storm, and the party was compelled to return
to Providence as fast as they could, in order to save
their lives. Nearly every one in the party was more
or less frozen before he could get to shelter. - This
sudden and terrible cold storm is vividly remembered
by all old settlers of Northern Illinois. People and
domestic animals lost their lives, and the whole face
of the country was a glare of ice.

It should have been stated above that War<} and
Mannville, with their families, came the next spring,
and thus there were seven families at.'the founding
of the city of Geneseo. The town was laid out in
the center of section 21, township 17, range 3, in the
spring of 1837. Seymour surveyed and platted it.
It contained r5 blocks, 24 rods square; depth, north
and south, three blocks; east and west five blocks;
streets 99 feet wide, north and south, and 60 feet
wide east and west. The two alleys — Spring and
Creek— 30 feet wide. The six colonists from Bergen,
N. Y., proposed naming the town "Genesee." Mr.
Stewart suggested as he was the seventh member it
would not be out of place to let him suggest the
seventh letter in the name. This all approved and
he suggested the "o," and thus it was happily
named " Geneseo." The plan of the colonists was
simple and just. Each member was to have a farm
and town lot— to be drawn by lot — the balance of
the town to be sold and the money applied to build
a seminary. Before the distribution of the town lots
S. D. Bacon, the early celebrated singing-master —
noted as widely for his power to scold his classes as
for his singing — joined the colony and drew his lot.

Soon the colony numbered about 50 souls.- C. K.
Bartlett and Elisha Cone died many years ago.

Colver Bartlett removed to Peoria. Ward sold out
and returned to the East.

John C. Ward was a prominent member of the
Geneseo Colony. His widow resides in Galesburg.
They had no children except by adoption. One of
these, Mrs. Emily Olmstead, lives in Galesburg.

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HENRY COUNTY.

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789

Elisha Cone built the first cabin, in Geneseo; J.
C. Ward the first frame house.

In 1844 the brick Seminary building was erected.
When enclosed a storm blew down the walls, and in
1845 the building was again put up and completed.
It is now a public school building.

An episode of those early days is given, as illus-
trative of the stern notions of the people of Geneseo
on the subject of neighborly ethics. There were some
rather hard citizens living not far from the town, on
the river. People suffered from their midnight raids,
and in the meantime there was accumulated evidence
as to their hard characters. The matter culminated
by finding the old man, who was supposed to be the
ring-leader, one morning dead — choked to death by
his neck getting tangled in a rope. It was a pro-
found mystery, and a hasty post mortem by the
neighbors decided the old man had been either killed
by his loving family or had killed himself, and the
others of the grief-stricken family were solemnly ad-
vised to move away to a healthier country. They
acted upon the hint and folded their tents and quietly
stole away.

The Geneseo Church (Congregationalist) was or-
ganized in New York, originally having 13 members.
After running along tolerably smooth for two or three
years it was placed under the care and supervision
of the New School Presbyterians. This was main-
tained about ten years and then returned to its orig-
inal faith. There was some lively kicking by two or
three true-btue Presbyterians against this change,
who put themselves up as the Church and claimed
the building, organization, etc. This induced some
lively skirmishing all around, but finally the Congre-
gationalists triumphed.

The first store in the town was kept by John C.
Ward, in a room of his small dwelling. Then James
D. Tabor opened the next store. Then came Lewis
M. Webber, from Rock Island, who put up the first
building in the place, exclusively intended for a
store. This was about all the place had or needed
in this line until the advent of railroads, when busi-
ness and building suddenly bounded forward, and in
1858 there were 30 good-sized business places in the
town.

Returning to the subject of the early growth of
Geneseo and the arrival of immigrants: Five families,
numbering forty persons, the two Cones, twoBartletts
and R. R. Stewart, left New York Sept. 17, 1836, for

the new world over the route across Canada, South-
ern Michigan, Northern Indiana and via Princeton,
the route selected for their coming. Nine weeks
were spent on the way. The recollection of the few
survivors is that for bad roads they will never forget
the country about what is now Ypsilanti, Michigan,
where the most heroic efforts only scored about seven
miles in six days. They recollect the stage coach kept
them company many days through these bottomless,
sloughs of despond ; and one time the coach upset
and almost literally buried a poor woman in the
slush and the ooze, and was rescued by the great
efforts of the immigrants. In imagination they can
now see the coach passengers, each supplied with
his fence rail, going to aid in prying out the mired
coach, and at the same time a protection to him who
carried it against being engulfed in the bottomless
ooze that seemed to spread all over the country.

The colonists kept a vigorous outlook for places of
divine worship along the way, and when nothing of
the kind could be found, they held " praise meetings"
in their nightly camps. Like many colonists who
came from the East, they had organized their Church
for their Western home before leaving their old homes.

Leaving home the 17th of September, it was win-
ter when they reached their new homes, and this was
the probable cause of a part of the company tarrying
in Bureau County, at Providence, and under the
guidance of E. M. Stewart attempted to finish the
journey late in December, and were caught in the
terrible storm, as already told.

The families of Ward and Mannville came the
next spring.

The next spring, 1837, they laid out Geneseo, that
certainly then was as one "crying in the wilder-
ness." On the west, twenty-eight miles distant was
Rock Island ; to the south and east was the far away
small Wethersfield Colony, just starting, and to the
south and west was Andover, and forty miles away
was Henderson's Grove, and fifty miles away was the
little beginning of Galesburg, a log-cabin hamlet ;
to the east was Princeton, and to the north were
three families on Rock River. There were lonely
and isolated settlers' cabins at Hanna's, Branden-
burg's and Gordon's on Green River and the Crooks
and Seelys at Prophetstown — lost ships upon the
great seas, —

" Alone, alone, all, all alone,
Alone on the wide, wide sea,"

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79o

HENRY COUNTY.

In 1837, the town was laid out. Trustees — John
C, Ward, Cromwell K. Bartlett and R. R. Stewart.
The spring of the same year was planted the first
crop in what is now Geneseo Township. The only
postoffice was Andover, where occasional mails were
brought. In 1839, Geneseo was made a postoffice,
with, James M. Allan as Postmaster.

Among the families that added their presence to
the original colonists in 1838-9 and '40, were those of
Marcus B..Osborn, Lyman Snow, who was the first
and much needed blacksmith, Philo. Ward, Dr. Enos
Pomeroy, Mr. Gillmore, Mr. Richards. The growth
of the town was very slow, and so continued until the
survey of the railroad and finally the commencement
of work thereon.

Capt. Joseph B. Brush, a native of New' York and
an " old sea dog," was born in 1 807 and for twenty
years roamed the great seas around the world. He
came to H^nry County, 1838, and carried the first
mail that was brought to Geneseo, in 1844. This
was a route from Morristown to Geneseo, and he-con-
tracted to carry it four years, and after two years it
was discontinued. When Capt. Brush came his
family was himself and wife. Two children, Henry
and Naomi were born here. The Capt. now lives in
Geneseo, and although he has lost the use of his legs,
which he attributes to scurvy contracted in his sea
voyages, he otherwise is a splendid specimen of a
cheery and chipper old man that is most cheering
and cheerful to meet. His son is in the West, and
his daughter, Naomi, is the wife of Mr. Hall, residing
in Geneseo.

Mrs. Hannah E. Reynolds Stemson, widow of
Liberty Steinsan. Mr. Stemson came, 1836, and lo-
cated lands in Geneseo Township, and brought his
family in 1839, from Weston, Massachusetts. He
died in 1878.

H. G. Reynolds, a brother, was State's Attorney
and County Judge for some years and resided in
Cambridge; now lives in Blue Springs, Kansas. His
brother, E. P. Reynolds, is now a prominent citizen
in Rock Island.

The first brick business house in the township was
built in 1854, by Perry Brothers, on the corner of
Main and Buffalo Streets, now the residence of Mr.
Green.

The business center of the town at that time was
gn Majn Street, fronting the, beautifuj three- acre "park.

on the south side, and running east to Buffalo street,
Here were the stores, postoffice andJiotel, and choice
lots in the early ^o's found ready sale at what would
now be very high figures. Mr. Abrarn Miller offered
$50 a foot for a small corner that had been taken off
his hotel lot at an administrator's sale ; but another
purchaser bid over him and got the prize, paying
$850 for 13 feet front and 50-deep lot. On the block
still east of this, Mr. Miller bid Ijjfrooy and again was
overbid.

The Chicago, Rock Island & Pacific Railroad was
surveyed in 1850, and_was completed through Gene-
seo in the latter part of December, 1853. At that
time there were only a little more than 400 people in
the town. The moment the railroad became a reality
the town and country sprang into vigorous life. What
is now the business part of the city was a vacant
common, and but few supposed it would ever become
a. part of the incorporated city. It was owned by
Merritt Munson, whose keen foresight took in the
situation. He saw here a golden opportunity pre-
sented by the mistake of the owner of lots in the
the business part of town, in holding lots at such
prices that people coming to the town would not buy.
He planted and laid out his addition to the town in
T853, and offered every one wanting to build choice
lots at low prices, — in fact, offering tempting induce-
ments to any one desirous of putting up a business
house.

The property owners on Majti Street saw the dan-
ger threatening their interests, but they came to a
full realization when it was too late. The tide had
started toward Munson's lots, and at the same time
toward the railroad depot. Gradually and inevitably
the change went on, and now, for the past few years,,
not a business house or office is left whgre once all
were to be "found..

INCORPORATION.

By special act of the General Assembly, approved
Feb. 14, 1855, Geneseo was incorporated as a vil-
lage. The following were the charter members of
the board : Merritt Munson, Enos Pomeroy, Robert
Getty, John Willshire, Alfred W. Perry.

The gentlemen elected to serve as trustees during
the time the place remained under this regime were
as follows: April 2, 1855. Merritt Munson, Fresir
dent; O. A- Turner, A, W. Curtis, T.F. Pressgr:,
Luther C--§leigH „ . . . . ,

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HENRY COUNTY.

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f*i^

April 7, 1856. James M. Allan, President; H.
McArthur, T. D. Crook, 0. P. Beebe, O. A. Turner.

April 6, 1857. F. P. Brown, President; Robert
Getty, H. A. Ainsworth, J. B. Hagin, J. D. K. Steight.

April 5, 1858. Robert Getty, President; F. P.
Brown, Solon Fleming, J. M. Hosford, Liberty Cres-
set.

April 4, 1859. Joshua Harper, President; J. P.
Long, Josoph Hammond, Cyrus Kinsey, Enos Pome-
roy.

April 2, i860. Joseph Hammond, President; Cy-
rus Kinsey, J. P. Long, Elisha M. Stewart, W. P.
Blackinston.

April 1, 186c George Richards, President; Da-
vid L. Perry, P. H. Sniff, Albert McCurdy, J. B.
Byers.

April 7, 1862. James McBroom, President; A.
B. Kinsey, E. M. Stewart, J. F. Dresser, Solon Ken-
dall.

April 6, 1863. James McBroom, President; Solon
Kendall, E. A. Wood, J. J. Town, P. H. Beveridge.

April 4, 1864. I. N. Wilson, President; P. H. Bev-
eridge, E. A. Wood, Albert McCurdy, Peter Worrall.

During this period the following village Clerks
served: William T. Allan, 1855 to 1859. R. F.
Steele, 1859 to 1862. J. F: Dresser, 1862 to 1863.
Solon Kendall, 1863 to 1864. James McBroom,
1864 to 1865.

The, act of the Legislature incorporating the city
of Geneseo bears date of Feb. 16, 1865. It provides
for the election annually of a Mayor and a Board
of Aldermen, two from each ward, to hold their
office two years. Two wards were made. The in-
corporators were Isaac W. Wilson, Andrew Craw-
ford and Joseph A. Sawyer. There are now four
wards, and two Aldermen from each.

Judge George E. Waite was the first Mayor — 1865
to 1867. The next was Joseph Hammond, then
John D. Grant, Warren P. Cook, Robert F. Steele, J.
M. Allan, P. S. Schnabele, James McBroom (two
terms), Peter Worrall, Ira R. Wells, J. H. Mitchell,
present incumbent.

City, elections are held every year, and this was
one of the few cities that never abandoned its special
charter for the general law charter.

The first Board of Aldermen (1865) was : James
Bradley, I. N. Stewart, Joseph Hammond and E. A.
Wood.

Present city officers (1885): James H, Mitchell,

Mayor ; L. C. Campbell, Clerk ; and the Aldermen
are S. J. Arnot, Christian Buell, W. W. Cole, John
Goss, Jr., R. Herrington, P. S. Schnabele, P. A.
Sweeney and Alexander White.

The City Library (2,206 volumes) was established
in 1 88 1 ; city appropriates $800 to it.

The water works belong to the city. Have now
5,600 feet of street mains, and are putting down
3,600 feet additional pipes.

EDUCATIONAL.

Miss Susannah Stewart, daughter of R. R. Stew-
art, taught the first school in Geneseo, in 1837. The
school-house was made of round poles, had a pun-
cheon floor, and was covered with the wagon covers
that the people had used in their travels to the new
country; and teachers and pupils had to keep a
sharp lookout for rains and storms and flee to the
nearest cabin for protection. This was not only the
first public school in Geneseo, but it was also
the first in the county, but only the first for a very
short time ; for while Miss Susannah Stewart, after-
wards Mrs. James M. Allan, was teaching this tent-
covered school, her sister Narcissa, afterwards Mrs.
Wells, was teaching a school near Dayton, at P. K.
Hanna's house, and another sister, Parmelia, now
Mrs. Dr. Hume, of Geneseo, was teaching in Weth-
ersfield. There is no question but that the Stewart
girls were the pioneer school-teachers in Henry
County.

The roll of Miss Susannah's school in Geneseo is
well worth preserving for posterity, andwas as follows:
Emily Ward, afterwaid Mrs. Olmstead, of Gales-
burg ; Orlo Mannville, went to Kansas ; Roderick S.
Mannville, deceased; Newton Mannville, emigrated
to Iowa ; Harriet Cone, now Mrs. William Miller, of
Geneseo; Clarissa Cone, married Elisha M. Stewart,
March 9, 1848, and removed to Wichita, Kansas, in
the fall of 1879, and is the happy mother of five
children, three boys and two girls ; Alonzo Cone, de-
ceased; Lafayette Stewart, removed to Wichita,
Kansas ; Mary Bartlett, afterwards Mrs. Hiram
Cady ; George Bartlett, deceased ; Amanda Bartlett,
married Mr. C. M. Taylor, and removed to Califor-
nia; Orin Bartlett, of Mercer County; Augustus
Bartlett, deceased, and Sasah Ann Bartlett, of Mer-
cer County.

In the fall of 1838 a frame school building was
erected on the ske of the Congregational Church lot,

(!)

— 3^ &^mw>*rs — ^^

792

HENR Y COUNTY.

which was a school and church building for some
time, until the seminary building was erected in 1846.
Miss Narcissa Stewart taught school in 1838. In 1839
Mr. Holmes, who had been .sent by Rev. Jason
Chapin, taught school. In the spring of 1840 Mr.
Chapin came and too,k charge of the school, and so
continued until his death, in September, 1846.

There was a provision in the original town plan
that plainly indicated the deep interest of the early
settlers in schools. It was provided that in the sale
of lots a certain per cent, of the tots should be set
apart for the building of a seminary of higher learn-
ing.

One of the rarest cases of self-denial was exhib-
ited in the building of the brick seminary at Gene-
seo. The people had no money, and they subscribed
their labor. They worked in the brick yard and at
the carpenter benches ; they tended the masons,
hauled the sand and water, and dug the foundations.
The building when completed was "without money
and without price," for it was the labor of love of
every able-bodied man in the community. Some of
the young men, hardly of age, subscribed as much,
as $200 each, to be worked out at a small per-diem.
Then just as the walls were up a storm blew down
the sides, and, nothing daunted, they were rebuilt ;
and completion crowned their labors, and the build-
ing was thrown open to the public use and a school
commenced in the fall of 1846.

The Legislature granted a charter. It was called
the Geneseo Marraal Labor High School ; this name
was afterwards legally changed to Geneseo Semin-
ary. Rufus Hubbard, E. Gone and Jarius Wilcox,
incorporators, as the first Board of Directors. ' Hub-
bard was President of the Board.

After Mr. Chapin's death, for seven years, the in-
stitution was under the care ofRev. A. Lyman, by
whose untiring labors, persistent industry at home
and abroad, funds were raised for the completion of
the seminary, he having procured $3,000 from friends
in the East, and this, added to the generous contri-
butions of friends here, and Mr. Lyman contribut-
ing his salary as minister for years, an ample fund
was finally provided. Too much credit cannot be
accorded to Rev. Lyman for the foresight, zeal and
abilities that for years he devoted to this- institution,
and all the time working amid the greatest depriva-
tions and a rigid economy in order that his loved

school might live and prosper. His accom
assistants in the school were Miss Pomeroy (married
F. Bascom), Miss Hooker, Miss Foster and Miss
Earl.

Succeeding Rev. Lyman, Rev. S. H. Waldo was
in temporary charge of the institution for a few
months. Then M. S. Croswell, fresh from Amherst
College, was at the head of the school for a short
time. He shortened his usefulness by heeding .the
call of his country, and enlisted in the army, .where
he served well four years, and when mustered out
went to California and is preaching there. His suc-
cessor was Mr. Bartlett, who was assisted by Miss
Hume and Miss Sarah Andrews.

In the meantime Illinois had perfected her grand
system of free schools — furnishing every child in the
State, without costs, schools and school buildings
that in many modern comforts" and advantages far sur-
passed the oldest and wealthiest schools in the country.
They were wholly non-sectarian (by some zealous in
pious dogmas they were thought to be non-religious,
and were sometimes called " Godless schools,') and
in small places often the State schools abundantly
supplied the public ^demands, and it was very diffi-
cult to maintain private institutions.

The Geneseo Seminary found itself, even with the
splendid record it had already made, laboring under
great disadvantages in this respect. Its managers
had anticipated the future, ancTa considerable debt
was hanging over the institution. The Trustees
wisely concluded to merge their school into the pub-
lic-school system, and they sold the brick seminary
and grounds to the city, to be used as the Public
High School, and the Rev. Lyman's and his coadju-
tor's labors were not- in vain, as their loved institution
has. been and is still devoted exclusively to the
cause of higher educati-.n.

The Central School -house was built in 1856, the
year the State system of graded schools was put in
operation. This building contained four rooms.
The next year the Seminary was purchased, and the
two buildings at that time gave ample school facil-
ities for the village. Prof. Abbott was then the Su-
perintendent.

Prof. G. G. Alvord was Superintendent in 1877,
and he was followed by Prof. E. P. • Burlingame.
The last two, when they left Geneseo, by a singular
coincidence each went to Cairo and became Superin*

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HENRY COUNTY.

793

tendent of the schools there. Burlingame succeeded
Alvord there as he had done here.

In response to the public necessity, in the year
1 866, the school building, a commodious brick struc-
ture, on the north side, was erected, containing four
rooms. But the rapidly growing necessities required
an addition of two more rooms, which were added
in 187 1. And it was found to be necessary to have
still more room, and the basement of the Unitarian
church was procured, at a rental of $200, and fitted
up for school purposes.

Thus in 1876, there were three school buildings,
and the school property was then valued at $20,000.
That year the expenditure for school purposes were
$8,191.03. Fifteen teachers were then regularly em-
ployed: three in the High School, three in the
Grammar Schools, four in the Intermediate and five
in the Primary. 1'he enrollment was 1,021; aver-
age attendance, 711. Attendance in the High
School, i2r; Grammar School, 136; Intermediate,
346; Primary. 418.

The public schools of Geneseo are not surpassed
in the country. There are four elegant school build-
ings, furnished with all modern improvements and a
corps of able teachers. The total school enrollment
is 800, and there is an average attendance of about
600. There are 15 teachers, distributed as follows:
In the High School are Charles Riley, Miss Fanny
L. Tee, Miss Abbie F. Steele. Attendance in High
School rooms, 60. In grammar room is Miss S. E.
El well ; attendance 60. The other 12 teachers are
in the following rooms : In the rooms south are
Jennie M. Bliss, No. 6 ; Mary Entrikin, 5 ; Ella R.
Hanna,* 4; Alice R. Rosenstone, 3; Hattie M.
Waite, 2 ; and Ida Whitney, 1. In the north rooms
are Nelly McCarthy, No. 6; Minnie Bradley, 5;
Ethel Lambert, 4; Nora Blackiston, 3; Jennie Wells,
2; Telia Worrall, 1.

A commendable feature of the public schools is
the evident economy the present Board of Education
has introduced, and that has not impaired the ef-
ficiency of the schools. For instance, in 1882 the
total expenses for teachers' hire was $7,840, and in
1885 that was reduced $t,ooo.

Geneseo Collegiate Institute was chartered by the
Legislature as an institution of learning Nov. 21,
1883. The charter directors of the school were J.
T. Atkinson, J. A. Sawyer, Thomas Liken, Josiah

Moore, C. T. Powell, J. W. Stewart, J. K. Rekard,
S. S. Cryer, T. R. Johnson, J. W. Hosford, I. N.
Wilson, W. F. Small, H. Biglow, D. F. Sargeant,
Mead C. Williams, N. H. G. Fife, Alexander White,
Payson Trask, W. C. Brown, J. B. Moderwell and
E. L. Williams.

Incorporators — J. T. Atkinson, W. P. Cook, G. E.
Waite, A. White, N. Gaines, Henry Youngs and E.
C. Moderwell.

Officers of Board of Directors— Rev. E. L. Will-
iams, President; A. White, Vice-President; J. B.
Moderwell, Secretary ; J. A. Sawyer, Treasurer.

Instructors — Norbury W. Thornton, A. M., Prin-
cipal and instructor in Greek and mathematics;
Wm. A. Metcalf, A. M., C. E., commercial depart-
ment; Miss Lucy Magee, elocution, history and
English literature; Miss Susan A. Hosford, A. B.,
Latin; Ferdinand Berger, German; Mrs. Gatha
Swan, director conservatory of Music; Miss Sarah
M. French, drawing and painting.

Although at present a young institution, yet so
generously has it been provided for, so generally sup-
ported and encouraged by all denominations of
Christians and people, who appreciate the advantages
of a higher education, that its success is already such
that it is entitled to a permanent place among the
oldest and best institutions in the State. Its organ-
izers and conlributors were from the various religious
denominations of Geneseo and surrounding country.
It is is no sense a sectarian school, but is in the
broadest and fullest meaning a Christian school. As
an explanation of the wholesome influences exerted
in the institution by the Presbyterian Church, we
only deem it necessary to give the following explana-
tion as a part of the early efforts to found the school:
A petition for " The Board of Aid for Colleges and
Academies in the Presbyterian Church of the Unit-
ed States " to locate an academy in Geneseo was
signed by representatives of different denominations
in the city, and the locating of the academy in Ge-
neseo was strongly endorsed by the Presbytery of
Rock River. The expression of feeling was so unit-
ed that the Board of Aid for Colleges and Academies
responded by granting $1,500 to the aid of the insti-
tution in its first year. The Geneseo Collegiate In-
stitute is the first institution organized under the new
Board of Aid which has manifested special interest
in its continued success. The institute was formerly

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HENRY COUNTY.

opened with an address on Higher Christian Educa-
tion by Rev. H. D. Ganse, D. D., Secretary, Sept.
16, 1884.

It was thrown open to the publit a only little more
than one year ago, and its first annual catalogue is
the complete assurance of the great success it has al-
ready attained.

The catalogue shows the following : Complete en-
rollment, 181 ; academic students, 117; art, 14; mu-
sic, 84.

Tht Northwestern Normal.— -Foremost among the
educational institutions of Henry County is the
Northwestern Normal. _ It is beautifully situated in
that part of Geneseo known as Park Villa. Early
in the year 1883 the people of Geneseo became very
much interested in the enterprise of securing and es-
tablishing in their city an institution of learning,
Which should be at once practical, unsectarian and
self-supporting. The project was urged by the lead-
ing citizens, met with general favor, and a most lib-
eral fund was soon secured for the futherance of the
object. A board of trustees,' consisting of Messrs.
A. Lieberknecht, H. V. Fisher, P. Schnabele, I. R.
Wells, W. P. Blackiston, R. Harrington and H. W.
Moses was appointed to act in the matter, and
opened negotiations with Profs. W. J. Cook and W.
J. Stevens, the result of which was a contract be-
tween the parries for the establishing of the North-
western Normal, and its incorporation and opening
on Sept. 4, 1883.

Delightfully situated in the northwestern part of
the beautiful " Maple City," removed from the noise
and dust of the business streets, surrounded by a
large and shaded campus, which extends from Col-
lege Avenue to Center Street, are situated the Nor-
mal buildings : '' The Mansion " and "The College."
The former of them was built in 1876 by Maj. James
M. Allan, one of the oldest and most respected citi-
zens of Henry County. On this spot, his home for
many years, he built for himself one of the finest and
best appointed residences in Western Illinois, at a
cost of $17,000. Here he lived until 1883, when he
transferred his beautiful residence and grounds to the
trustees as a nucleus for the Northwestern Normal.
" The College " was built and furnished in 1884, at a
cost above $7,500. The managers expect soon to
erect another and a larger brick structure on Col-
lege Avenue, to accommodate the needs of their rap-
idly growing school.

The Northwestern Normal was incorporated by
the State of Illinois in r883, and during its first year
had an attendance of nearly 300 students. Its sec-
ond year, brought to its doors above 400 students
from Illinois and adjoining States. From 10 to r 3
instructors are constantly employed, and from forty
to fifty classes sustained each term. The school is
constantly in session and graduates two classes each
year, one in May and one in October. The Bachelor's
and Master's degrees of Science is conferred upon all
regular graduates. A specialty is made of educating
for teaching, business or professional study. Each
year, during July, the Annual Teachers' Institute is
held and is largely attended by those who are pre-
paring to teach. The Normal adds to the trade of
Geneseo at least $50,000 per year, besides doing
much to elevate the literary, social and moral tone
of the city. It is most enthusiastically and heartily
supported by all who have experienced its advan-
tages.

CHURCHES.

Congregational Church. — As stated elsewhere, the
oldest Church connected with the history of Geneseo,
is the Congregationalist, as it was organized by the
Colonists before they left New York — Sept. 13, 1836.
The ecclesiastical council was in Bergen, Genesee
County, Rev. Messrs. Wilcox, Hull and Bridgeman,
acting. The two Cones, C. K. Bartlett, J. C. Ward
and Harry Manville (the last the old survivor, now a
venerated citizen of Genesee) and Mary E. and-
Amanda E. 'Bartlett, daughters of C. T. Bartlett, and
Harriet Cone, constituted the original Church mem-
bers. Elisha Cone and J. C. Ward were ordained
deacons. The Church thus came with the first
Colonists.

At first religious services were held in the differ-
ent members, rude and small log cabins, but when the
primitive school-house for Miss Stewart's school was
erected on the public square, it was also used as a
place of public worship. ~

The first communion was held in the house of
Deacon Ward, April 18, r838. It was a day well
remembered, by a hail-storm, which broke nearly all
the windows in the settlement. The officiating min-
ister was Rev. Ithamar Pillsbury, of Ahdover. In
r838 another school building was erected, which was
subsequently removed to the site of the present
Congregational Church. This was used for Church

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purposes till 1848, when the seminary building was
completed, and was thenceforward used as a house
of worship till the erection of the church, in 1855.
The church was dedicated May 28, 1856, the sermon
being preached by the pastor, Rev. S. H. Waldo.
The church was the one still occupied by the Con-
gregational body of this city. At the time it was
built it was considered the finest church building
west of Chicago. The first regular pastor was Rev.
Jairus Wilcox, who in May, 1838, came to the colony
with his family, and in June was elected pastor, upon
a salary of $400. In 1845 he closed his labors here
and removed to Chicago, to take charge of the Sea-
men's Bethel, in which service he was engaged until
called to his reward. After him Rev. William T.
Allan supplied the pulpit six or eight months. The
next minister was Rev. Addison Lyman, from Con-
necticut, who began Oct. 6, 1845. He served for
two years, until he entered upon the principalship of
the seminary. Rev. C. S. Cady served one year,
from Oct. 1, 1848. Rev. A. J. Copeland then served
from Dec. 1, 1849, to February, 1852. Rev. J W.
North occupied the pulpit for one year, from Novem-
ber, 1852. The next pastor was Rev. S. H. Waldo,
who labored three years, from January, 1855. Under
his pastorate this house of worship was erected, form-
ing a new era in the history of the Church. Next
comes the pastorate of Rev. Milo N. Miles, during
the two years of 1858 and 1859. Then that of
Rev. B. C. Ward for one year and a half. Rev. J.
T. Cook, two years, those of 1862-3. During the
year 1864, Rev. M. N. Miles served as supply. In
May, 1865, Rev. Harry Briokett began his labors and
remained seven years. He resigned in T872, and
was succeeded by H. G. McArthur, who occupied
the pulpit two years, and was followed by Rev. T. C.
Jerome one year. At the expiration of that time
Rev. O. W. Fay, was called.

The Sunday-school was begun in the rude build-
ing upon the square, in 1837. Its first superintend-
ent was Deacon Ward, who continued in this office
until his removal from the place, in 1855, except that
Rev. John T. Pierce hfcld.this office during 1852 and
1853. After him M#'john G. Walker served two or
three years. Then followed Deacon Huntington, Mr.
A. M. Hubbard, and Mr. H. Thomas.

Baptist Church— In March, i860, Rev. W. G.
Johnson visited this place on his way from Rock
Island to Princeton. On the 20th of that month a

meeting was held at the Seminary Hall, which was
the initial movement to the organization of the
Baptist Church of Geneseo. April 14, the or-
ganization was effected, the following 23 persons
being present : Rev. and Mrs. W. G. Johnson, Mr.
and Mrs. J. W. Topping, Mr. and Mrs. H. F. Mc-
Cartney, Mr. and Mrs. D. N. Cole, Mr. and Mrs. D.
C. Like, Mr. H. Like, Mr. R. V. Amsden, Miss
Laura Ann Amsden, John and Matilda Vernon, Delia
Frank, Emeline Goss, Sarah Lynch, F. McHose, C.
L. Ainsworth, W. B. Johnson, Emma Taylor and
Sarah Caulkins.

The pastor, Rev. W. G. Johnson, remained some
time, and was succeeded by Rev. E. D. Dickerson.
Others who have filled the pulpit are Rev. W. P.
Pattison, Rev. A. R. Newton, Rev. Mr. Sharpe and
Rev. L. J. Langridge.

The meeting for organization was held in the
Methodist Episcopal Church ; afterwards they occu-
pied the Seminary Hall till the present church was
completed in 1864. The building cost $4,000.

The First Presbyterian Church, of Geneseo, was
organized Nov. 2, 1863, by Rev. S. T. Wilson and
Rev. David Kelly, both of the Rock River Presby-
tery. The building in which the first meeting was
held was on the corner of Pearl and Mechan-
ic Streets, where the Baptist church now stands.
This building is now on the opposite side of the
street from the present church and is owned by the
Swedish Methodists. These Churches, the Presby-
terian, the Baptist and the Swedish Methodist have
originated in this little chapel.

The membership of the- First Presbyterian Church
were Androw McLain, Geo. W. and Elizabeth Gos-
horn, M. S. Boice, R. M. Boice, James N. McCrack-
en, Mary McCracken, Chas. W. and Freelove Long,
Geo. Rekards, Ann C. Rekards, Mrs. Almira P.
Morton, Mrs. Francis Gale, Mrs. C. McCutcheon
and Mrs. Bracken. Four of these are dead, viz. :
Mrs. McCracken, Mrs. McLain, Mrs. Bracken and
Mrs. Rekards. Six have moved away, leaving six
of the original members here, as follows : Mr. and
Mrs. Goshorn, Mr. and Mrs. Long, Mrs. Morion and
Mrs. Rekards.

I. W. McCracken was elected first Elder. There
was no regular preaching until 1864, when Rev. I.
C. Burr, of Maiden, came, and he was called in 1865.
At the first communion after his call six persons

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HENRY COUNTY.

joined, and the growth of the Church was then quite
rapid. During his pastorate 126 were received into
the Church. It was determined to build a new.
church in 1866, and the new church was dedicated
Feb. 24, 1867, by Rev. S. T. Wilson. The most ef-
ficient worker in the building of the new church was
Geo. Rekards. This building was 38 x 60 feet and
cost about $10,000. Rev. Burr closed his pastorate
Sept. 2, 187 1, and went to Alexandria, Pa., where he
resides at present. Rev. E. H. Curtis came in 1871,
and continued until 1873, when he went to Wauke-
gan ; is now in Lincoln, Nebraska. After he left
the Church was without a pastor for one year and
six months, when Rev. A. J. Stead came. He con-
tinued until September, 1878. There was then a
loss of membership from removals, and gloomy pros-
pects were before it. No regular pastor was with'
the Church again for a few months. Rev. C. H.
Purmost was installed May 6, 1879, and at once the
interests revived. The Art Loan Exhibition Was
held and was very successful, the receipts being over
$500. With this fund to aid, the building was raised
and a lecture room underneath provided. This was
completed in 1880. The cost of this improvement
was about $2,000.

Mr. Purmost resigned and went to Dakota March
12, 1882. After a few months' candidacy, on Aug. i,
1882, the present worthy Pastor, Rev. E. L. Wil-
liams, was installed.

The six Elders elected at different times are, — A.
White, J. B. Moderwell, N. F. Small, I. K. Re-
kards, George Rekards, dead ; and- J. WcCracken
resides in Colorado. The- total membership is 245.

Present church officers— Elders, J. K. Rekards,
Alex. White, J. B. Moderwell, Wm. F. Small ; Trus-
tees, Wm F. Small, J. C. Entrikin, J. B. Moderwell.;
Treasurer, Wm. F. Small ; Sunday-school Superin-
tendent, Alex. White; Assistant, J. B. Moderwell.

The Sunday-school was organized in 1865, J. F.
Carle, Superintendent.

Protestant Episcopal (Trinity) Church. — In 1856
meetings were held by persons embracing this faith,
and in the following year the parish was organized.
The first Wardens were : Perry Ransom and George
Condish, and the, Vestrymen John T. Young, Benj.
Graham, William Saunders and John Huestes. Di-
vine services were held in various places until the
year 1863, when the present house of worship was

constructed after the English style of architecture,
costing $2 ,5 00.

The following have served the Church as pastors:
Revs. Alanson Welton, Samuel Goodale, William
Green, P. B. Morrison, Geo. C. Griswold, Dr. Walker,
F. B. Nash and T. N. Benedict.

The Unitarian Church. — The members compris-
ing this religious society met- at first for divine wor-
ship in Sawyer's Hall, where in the month of
November, 1868, they were organized into a Church.
They continued to meet in this hall until 1874,
when they erected their present house of worship,
costing about $6,000. Rev. M. J. Miller presided at
the organization, when r8 members were admitted.

German Methodist Episcopal Church.— In January,
i860, the first meetings of the Germans belonging to
the Methodist Episcopal Church were held in pri-
vate houses. Shortly after they were organized into
an ecclesiastical body by Rev. William Kammer-
meyer, and 23 persons. united. The same year the
church and parsonage were erected. This church
was used until 1874, when another edifice was erect-
ed. Among those who served as pastors are, Revs.
Kammermeyer, Charles Schneider, Henry Withom,
William Winter, W. Zappen, .Gustav Zolman, Fred-
erick Arensperger, William Bulke, William Schoerig
and Louis TCunz. The number of members is now
about 50, and the number of Sunday-school scholars
about the same.

The Evangelical Lutheran German Church— -This
Church was organized in 1863, with the following
named members : A. Eichhorn, W. Kittenzer, G.
Wiegand, A. Wiele^ J. Young, L. Hilmer, M. Schuh
and J. Hitzer. The church building was erected in
1864, and cost $1,500. The following are among
the pastors : E. Sunfstueck, C. W. Ernst, S. Hamm
and P. Hanson.

Zion's Church of the Evangelical Association was
organized in the spring of 1857. At that time about
15 persons united, and until the erection of their first
church edifice, in i860, held divine service in the
houses of its members. That year they erected a
house of worship, costing $1,000. This they occupied
ten years, when, the growth of the congregation de-
manding more room, the church was sold and the
present larger and more commodious house was
erected. The latter cost nearly $6,000.

The Rev. Conrad Speilmann presided at the or-

%&*%>

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HENRY COUNTY.

797

ganization and occasionally preached here, the
charge being until 1870 a mission. Among those
who have served as pastors are, Revs. John Dengel,
Amos Gackley, Enoch V. Freeden, S. E. Heilmann,
Conrad Speilmann, John Kurz, Michael Heyl and
Martin Stamm. The services were held in the Ger-
man language, almost the entire congregation being
of that nationality.

The Swedish Lutheran Church was organized at
the house of John Gustus, June 27, 1856, with 12
members. Meetings were held in the residences of
its members until the church was erected, which was
completed and occupied about the year 1859. It
cost $700. In 1874 it was remodeled and enlarged,
at an expense of $800. The first regular pastor was
Rev. Nils Anderson, who came in 1865 and remained
until 1869. The following year the Rev. C. J.
Malmberg was called, who filled the pulpit six years.

The Swede Methodist Church. — This Church was
organized in 1864, by Rev. V. Witting. Services
were held at that time in the German Church, and
the next year at ModerweU's Hall. After the Rev.
Witting left, Rev. A. L. Erickson became pastor.
The congregation built a church in 1866. Among
the faithful pastors of this Church we find besides
the above the names of Revs. O. Gunderson, John
Lind, John Wigren and H. W. Ekland.

The Methodist Episcopal Church held its first
meetings in the Seminary building. The first organ-
ization was effected in 1854 (six members) by Rev.
H. J. Humphrey. The first quarterly conference
w.is at the house of the preacher in charge, Rev.
Humphrey, Nov. 3, 1856; Rev. R. N. Morse, Pre-
siding Elder; Caleb Ransom,Recording Steward ; Rev.
G. C. Woodruff, Secretary. The Pastor's salary was
fixed at $436. The original members were : Rev.
H. Van Order, Levi Hamilton, G. A. Luvin, D. B.
Brown, S. S. Throop and J. A. McConnell.

The first Methodist Episcopal church was on
State Street, south, and became afterwards Teutonia
Hall. The second and present church is on North
State Street, was commenced in 1865, under Rev. H.
Ritchie, and completed in 1872, under Rev. Worth-
ington, and dedicated by Bishop Bowman in Septem-
ber, 1872. It cost $22,000.

Rev. Humphrey served one year, Rev. A. D. Mc-
Cool one year, Rev. J. Soule two years, Rev. E.
Ransom twoyears, N. C. Lewi? one year, E. Wasmuth

three years, H. Ritchie two years, Rev. A. P. Christ
two years, S. G. J. Worthington three years, W. P.
Graves two years, M. Spurlock two years and G.
W. Arnold, present Pastor.

The Catholic Church. — In 1863 this congregation
was organized with about 40 families, the officiating
Priest for a time being located in Rock Island. Im-
mediately after organization the building of a church
was begun, costing about $8,000.

HANNA TOWNSHIP.

HE second train of immigrants to arrive in
Henry County and " stick stakes " was
known as the Hanna crowd. At the second
annual meeting of the "Old Settlers," in 1876,
a statement as to the details of their coming
was made by those who were of the party and
are, therefore, the most reliable that it is possible to
obtain. The statement was prepared by J. A. Saw-
yer, J. H. Sale and F. P. Olmsted from facts fur-
nished them by George Brandenburg and P. K.
Hanna and probably others of the company. The
following is substantially their statement:

In June, 1835, a small party left Knoxville for the
purpose of exploring the lands of the adjoining and
unsettled portions of Illinois. They visited what is
now Henry County. The party consisted of Rev.
George A. Colbert, Rev. P K. Hanna, J. P.
Hanna, J. B. B. Tabor, Samuel and Neely With-
row. They found the family of Dr. Baker living
in a wagon on section 16, near the mouth of Green
River — now Colona Township. From this point
they followed the Black Hawk trail about 20 miles
in a northeasterly direction, camping at what is now
known as McHenry's Ditch, in Phenix Township.
They then returned to Knoxville, where they re-
mained about two weeks. Then P. K. and J. P.
Hanna and Robert Land (Land was from Carmi,
111.) returned to Henry Connty, camping the first
night out at White Oak Grove, on Edwards River,
From this grove they traveled north, and reached
the banks of Rock River in the month of July, 1831; .
Here they unhitched their team and went into
quarters on section 33, township 18, range 2. In
their immediate peighborhoQd. were the Wjnnebagg

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HENRY COUNTY.

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Indians. Here they found Earl P. Aldrich and
family, who bad come only a few days before. After
remaining here in camp a few days and looking
around at the country, the party again returned to
Knoxville, and after a few days preparation P. K.
Hanna, with his family, started for the new home he
had selected, arriving at their destination August 13,
1835 (just 50 years ago). This was the first family,
to settle in what is now Hanna Township, and the
fourth family in the county. On the 9th of Septem-
ber of the same year came George Brandenburg,
from Ohio. He located on section 6, in Hanna
Towriship. Later in the year he removed to section
1, In what is now Colona Township, and here, in
October, 1836, in company with Mark M. Atkinson,
laid Out the town of Dayton. Here he erected a log
house and moved into it on Christmas Day, and
havirig a real log house he opened what soon became
vvidely knpwn as Brandenburg's Tavern, the first
thing of the kind in the county. He was soon ap-
pointed postmaster, and. in the first tavern was kept
the first postoffice, by the first postmaster in Henry
County. This house was the first polling place at
the first election, June 9, 1837, when the people
voted on the question of county organization, and the
first county officers were elected, namely: P. K.
Hanna, Ithamar Pillsbury'and John Browning, Coun-
ty Commissioners ; R. McCullough, Sheriff ; Roderick
R. Stewart, Coroner; Joshua Harper, Recorder; A.
M. Seymour, County Surveyor, Here, too, June 27,
1837," was held the first term of the County Court,
which appointed James M. Allan County Clerk, and
Charles Atkinson Treasurer, and a license was granted
to John P. Hanna and George Taylor to keep a ferry
at Cleveland.

In 1838 arrived George Albert and E. Walters and
families, and Henry and Samuel Sullivan, with
mother and two sisters, and settled in what is now
Hanna. In the winter of T835, Collin D. James, of
Rock Island, organized a religious society. Services
were held in P. K. Hanna's cabin. James preached
to the little colony until succeeded by Rev. A. D.
West. In the spring of 1836 arrived in this settle-
ment, J. D. Tabor, J. P. Hanna, Charles Atkinson
and George Taylor and families, and by the spring-
time of 1836 there was a population of 41 souls.
Here, Feb. 7, 1836, occurred the first marriage:
James P. Dodge and Samantha Colbert, daughter of
Rev, G. A, Colbert,

In the early part of 1837, William Paddelford pur-
chased land in this settlement, and in the fall of the
same year located, with his family; and in 1838 he
removed and opened a farm where his son James H.
now lesides.

The first frame building in the county was erected
in Cleveland, by Atkinson and Wells, in 1836. The
settlers in this neighborhood and those of the. New
York Colony, at Geneseo, in the winter of 1836, or-
ganized a temperance society and held meetings, and
opened up the war on Gen. Budge.

The first school was taught here in 1836, by Nar-
cissie Stewart, who quit attending to other peoples
children, married Huntington Wells and removed to
Moline, 111.

In 1836, Thomas and Anderson Miller and. Dr.
Gawzer settled in this neighborhood. In 1837, came
Henry Hand, and he ran the first chartered ferry, at
Cleveland. Also in this year came D. P. Gave, John
Williams, John Searles, Columbia Aldrich, William
and James Bernard, Rev. Woodruff and son, all of
whom settled in what is naw Hanna township. The
same year, Sanbro settled in the east part of the
township, where tie lived until his death. -He was
much esteemed and respected by all.

In 1838, William Whitehead, Thomas Hill, Adrian
Van Winkle, and Wesley Hanna came. From 1838
to T845 the settlement increased rapidly. A few, as
now remembered by these early settlers, of the num-
ber were J. W. Taylor, H. R. Taylor, Adam Hooker;
the Linnells, Heningers, Quillans, Meads, and
James Miller and families.

Cleveland.

3LEVELAND is the oldest platted and laid-
I - ..- a out town in the county, the date of its exist-
\§f ence extending back to 1836. It is on the
,,.,., south bank of Rock River, section 31. Its
' *• sponsors were Charles Atkinson and Geo. D.
Tabor. At the time of its platting this was
Knox County. It was located on the river and on
the stage road from Knoxville to Galena. The first
buildings were put up — two log cabins — in the sum-
mer of 1837 for George Tyler and Charles Atkinson,
the latter's being a double cabin, and part of which
was used for a store. Thomas Glenn and George'
Brandenburg did the work oh thern, In the course

K Is

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-6V^UIl®Ulif^3 ^^r

HENRY COUNTY.

of time these two buildings were torn away to make
room for better ones. In 1837, Whiteside, this town,
was included in what is now Whiteside County, then
Whiteside precinct. At the August election of this
year — when Martin Van Buren was elected Presi-
" ident — the whole number of votes cast in the entire
precinct was seventy-two, three of which were Dem-
ocrat. It must have made the wily " old fox'- trem-
ble in his boots, particularly if the first returns that
reached him were from this precinct.

E. N. Wells and Charles Atkinson put up the first
frame houses in the county, in Cleveland.

In 1869 a grist-mill was erected by the Cleveland
Hydraulic Company. It was directly on the river
bank and was a water power. The principal popu-
lation of the town for some years has been miners and
proprietors of mines, operating the extensive coal
mines in this immediate vicinity. A fine vein of coal,
valuable for shipping purposes, is found-here, a full
account of which is given in another chapter. The
general depression of the coal trade the past few
years has somewhat crippled the prosperity of the
place, causing a loss of population and business,
which is expected to return as soon as there is a re-
vival of business over the country.

A hotel and three stores and a few shops have
been able to do all the business of the place. In 1875
a comfortable district school-house was ereeted in
the place. Here was formed the first religious soci-
ety in Henry County, which action was due to the
pious energy of P. K. Hanna. It was a very small
band at first, and for years they found plenty of room
to worship in the little crowded cabins of the vicinity.
But its growth was regular and even stiong, and
eventually they erected a commodious and comfort-
able house of worship.

KEWANEE TOWNSHIP.

HAT is now Kewanee Township had no
white settler in it until the fall of 1836.
William, Samuel and James Carson, broth-
s' ers, built a cabin "in the grove northwest of
the town of Kewanee, and wintered there
in the winter of 1836-7. The next spring they
returned to Fulton County and made a crop there

and then returned to their cabin in the grove, and
continued to reside here for many years.

John Kilvington, an Englishman, and Robert
Coultas, also came in 1836 and built a cabin, but
they too returned and made a crop and came back
in 1837, in March. Cornelius Bryan came soon after
the two last named.

Samuel Carson now lives in Wethersfield. Next
came Luther Sleight and settled on section 33, ad-
joining the present town of Kewanee. He eventually
sold ou'. his farm and went to Geneseo. He sold to
Sam Alexander, who in turn sold the place again
and went to Nebraska. Then came Francis Loomis,
who settled and made an improvement close to Mr.
Sleight's. He sold and went to Nebraska. He is
remembered by the old citizens as a most excellent
man in every respect. He died some years ago and
we understand he left only a son living.

O. W. Brown came next, and settled on section
34. Afterwards he removed to Wethersfield, where
he now resides. Hazleton Page came in 1837. His
son Asa now lives in the town of I^wanee. Capt.
Sullivan Howard came in 1837 ; now living in Ke-
wanee, hale, hearty and cheery, and probably no man
in the county loves better to recount the story of
the pioneer days, their few trials and hardships and
their many triumphs, and the boundless happiness
of those good old times and people. So cheerful in
his nature is he that in his recollections he can only
recall the bright side of the picture, remembers only
the hearty enjoyment of the hours as they flew past
50 years ago, the warm-hearted hospitality and the
genial souls of those men and women of the long
ago, the great majority of whom has long since joined
the silent multitude.

Cornelius Bryan had sons, William, Henry H. and
Asbury T., who became worthy successors to a
worthy sire.

These settlements were made near the south line
of the township; and just across the line, in Wethers-
field, were their neighbors, and, in fact, a portion of
the same settlement. After the coming of those
enumerated above, there were but few accessions for
a few years, probably none before r 839-40.

Sylvanus W. Warner came in 1840. He was from
Canada. He first located in Ohio, where he mar-
ried Emeline Otis. Will R. Goodrich came to the
county in 1837 with his family. He was born in

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-3^»k 6V4*flfl@B IH>^

800

HENRY COUNTY.

the Sandwich Islands. He married Harriet M.
Slocum, Nov. 22, 1857.

A few of these early settlers, becoming discon-
tented, sold out their claims and returned to the
East to their old homes, and in their places were to
be found the very few accretions to the settlement
for years.

City of Kewanee.

[HIS is the most important commercial point
between Galesburg and Princeton, and
ranks high among the smaller cities of
Central Illinois. It contains a population of
over 4,000 inhabitants. It is surrounded by a
magnificent farming country, has several im-
portant manufactories and is a good trading point.
Abundance of an excellent quality of coal is found
here and extensive mining interests are carried on.
Kewanee is on the main line of the Chicago, Burling-
ton & Quincy Railroad, and 132 miles from Chicago.
As late as 1853, where the busy and thrifty city
now is, was the quiet of farm life prevailing un-
broken. The house of Harry Thompson was then a
quiet farm house. This building is still standing,
and in good repair for its age, near the center of the
present town. Nearly adjoining this were the farms
of M. B. and J. P. Potter, on the west. This farm
house of Harry Thompson's^must have been rather a
pretentious venture in the day of its erection: It is
a two-story frame, standing just back of what was
once known as the Phillips Block, a large two-story
frame business house. We have the information from
William Wolf, who owns the old Thompson house,
that it yet rents for $10 a' month. It is framed of
those solid, heavy logs that were once supposed to
be so essential to the erection of a frame house.

The work of building the old Military Tract Rail-
road, now the Chicago, Burlington and Quincy Rail-
road, decided the birth and location .. of the town.
Strenuous efforts were made by the citizens of
Wethersfield, one mile south, to secure the passage
of the railroad through their town. Owing to heavy
grades and the crossing of a stream, involving a
large extra expense, this was not acceded to by the
company, and grading was commenced on the pro-
posed route. Enterprising citizens of that day saw
the result, and quickly took advantage of the loca-
tion to secure a town on the railroad.

The company had at first decided to place the de-
pot on the northeast quarter of section 32, but a
defective title compelled a re-location, and it was
changed to the northwest quarter of section 33.
Matthew B. and J. P. Potter and Col. Blish owned
the site. The former, after selling five acres of their
quarter section to Geo. A. Morse and Silas Willard,
traded the balance to Dwight Needham for his beau-
tiful farm a little farther south. Mr. Needham at
once sold to Capt. Sullivan Howard, Ralph A. Teri-
ney — better known as "Ralph"" — and- Henry vG.
Little ; and these gentlemen sold a quarter interest
to Nelson Lay. Willard and Morse's tract lay on
either side of the railroad, on Main Street, and here
they built a store and warehouse in 1853. This was
known as the " Pioneer " store, and did a lucrative
business for nearly twelve months without opposi-
tion. The building stood on the lot now occupied
by the residence of Mr, Joseph O'Brien, and was, in
1863, destroyed by fire.

Kewanee was laid out May r, 1854, by Sullivan
Howard, Nelson Lay, H. G. Little, R. A. Tenney,
Geo, A. Morse und Sylvester Blish. - Wethersfield,
which was then quite a thriving village, suffered in a
very short time a loss of nearly all of her business
houses, which were one by one put on. wheels and
moved to Kewanee. The survey was made by G.
C. Blish. The - streets run at right angles, and are
generally four rods wide, though Main Street is 100
feet in width. The -first house erected on the town
site was the Kewanee Hotel. It was kept for some
time by Tenney & Hutchins. In February, 1856,
Mr. E. V. Bronson purchased the property of R. A.
Tenney, and for twenty-two years has successfully
supplied the gastronomical needs of the public. It
is now run by Mr. Warner.

It was probably the intention of the founders of
the town that Main Street should be the street ; and
in fact it was for some time. "Phillips' Block," the
first store in the town proper, was built thereon by
Nelson Lay; J. D. Schriver erected the old" Phila-
delphia Store " there ; Davenport, & Robinson their
grocery (now Miles & Minnick's) ; Dr. Finney had
his drug store where now stands the Free-will Baptist
church, and on the corner next south was the dry-
goods establishment of Aa'ron Cooper. A few build-
ings only were erected on Tremont "Street, which was
in wet weather very little short of a canal as far as
navigation was concerned. Yet the hotel and the

iKs^swf

■^v&Bii&iin&'v^ >€»g-

HENRY COUNTY.

801

depot slowly and surely drew the trade center west-
ward. C. N. Cutter erected, very early, the building
occupied by Bennison Bros., and which for many
years was known as "Cutter's Hall," and considered
quite palatial in those days. It was moved to the
lot north and a fine brick put in its place. Resi-
dences sprang up rapidly in all parts of the town,
grain warehouses were built, and in eighteen months
the town boasted of a population of 1,500, including
Wethers field.

The following were among the leading pioneer
merchants :

Fitch & Skinner, druggists, occupied the site of
the present T. H. Phillips' brick house ; Joseph
Montgomery, boot, shoe and clothing dealer; Mr.
James S. Howard kept the first furniture store and a
hardware store, which was built by Fred. Wild.
When the town was laid out, the proprietors gave it
the name of Berrien, in compliment of Col. Berrien,
chief engineer of the railroad. He rather objected
to this, however, and being asked to name the town
suggested " Kewanee,'' an Indian name, supposed to
signify "prairie-hen." This cognomen was readily ac-
cepted by the proprietors, and on Feb. 14, 1855, was
legalized by a special act of the Legislature. The
postoffice was established in 1854, and given the
name of Kewanee. Col. Blish was appointed as in-
cumbent of the office, and occupied a portion of the
store of Otis & Pinney for the discharge of his du-
ties. It will be remembered this building occupied
the site of the Free-will Baptist church. In the fall
of 1855 Col. Blish died, and Mr. R. A. Tenney, who
among other enterprising acts erected the first brick
residence in town, occupied by Dr. G. W. Fellows,
succeeded him. Different administrations caused
many changes to be made in this office. It is now
held by N. H. Pratt, who has been in charge a long
time. His assistant is his daughter Anna.

In 1884 the census was carefully taken, showing a
"population of 3,700 souls. It was incorporated as a
village by the session of the Legislature of 1866-7,
and is modestly content to forego the more preten-
tious airs and expenses of becoming a city, although
possessed of many more inhabitants than many
other places that have long since put on the trap-
pings of cities.

The Village Trustees are : J. H. Peirce, President ;
P. B. Keller, James Porter, John Moore, A. W. Er-

rett, Samuel Jones. E. E. Baker, City Clerk; A. W.
Wood, Police Magistrate ; C. C. Wilson, Village At-
torney.

The proprietors of the town of Kewanee were from
the start keenly alive to the fact that factories and
workshops were as essential to the prosperity of the
place as were store-rooms, dwellings and other busi-
ness houses. They were ready to offer inducements
to institutions of this kind that came along looking
for a place to locate. The result of this foresight is
now plainly to be seen ; it is the busiest and thriftiest
town in the county to-day, and is growing apace,
while the average towns of Northern Illinois have for
the past few years stood still, or lost population.
From Galesburg to Aurora, on the line of the Chi-
cago, Burlington & Quincy Railroad, it ranks as the
best business point, giving the road the largest trade
in imports and exports between these two points.

In 1856 there were three dry-goods stores — Lang,
Hardy & Co., Willard & Moss, and S. A. Smith; and
there were two grocery stores — Davenport & Robin-
son, and Penny Bros. Now there are 6 dry-goods,
5 hardware, 7 grocery, 3 jewelry, 3 bakeries, 2 news
stands, 3 clothing, 5 boots and shoes, 4 harness
shops, 3 furniture stores, 2 lumber yards, 5 meat
markets, a grain elevator, 2 banks, 3 hotels, besides
numerous shops, and small places of business and
trade. Many of these business houses are alone on
a scale with, and do a business much greater than
was done by, all the houses in the town 25 years ago. ,
The business men are of that class that have been
quick to see the wants of the public about them, and
have supplied them promptly and most efficiently.

The easy access to the fine quality of coal found
here was another inducement for manufacturers that
had its influence at an early day. As is mentioned
elsewhere, a great deal of capital and employment to
many miners is furnished by the coal mines. The
Lathrop Coal & Mining Company, whose main office
adjoins the First National Bank, when running full
force, give employment to over 200 men. Coal in
this mine is readied at about 100 feet, and is loaded
on the cars by a very ingenious contrivance, and they
ship large quantities along the line of the railroad.
This company was organized in r86o. Some years
ago H. H. Perkins started the Kewanee Manufac-
turing establishment. The O'Brien Manufactory
was started into operation in 1858. This was re-

£*§^f«-

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-^&K ^V^llll@ll O&'/C) ^^s:

HENRY COUNTY.

moved from Princeville, Peoria County, and com-
menced making wagons and carriages here.

The present manufactories are the Haxtun Steam
Heater Co., organized in 1875. I' ls incorporated
with a capital stock of $500,000. It has eight acres
of ground, adjoining the railroad, and has nearly four
acres under roof, and has 550 employees, the large
majority of whom are skilled mechanics and com-
mand the highest wages. The original capital was
$50,000. The company succeeded the Anderson
Steam Heating Company. The plant is located in
the northeast part of the town. When this company
became the owners of this business, only two build-
ings, 30x80 and 40x60 feet respectively, were used,
and only 20 men weie employed. The pay-roll now
is about $22,000 per month. There are twelve sepa-
rate and distinct departments in this establishment,
namely: the puddle mill, rolling mill, pipe mill, iron
foundry,, brass foundry, machine shop, radiator shop,
steam-fitting sIiod, brass-finishing department, boiler
shop, pattern shop, and the gas manufacturing de-
partment, where they manufacture their own gas for
use in the pipe-manufacturing department. These
works are immediately adjoining the Chicago, Bur-
lington & Quincy Railroad, from which they have
side-tracks, running not. only into their grounds, but
into the buildings as well, which greatly facilitates
the handling of the heavy goods.

Twelve engines, aggregating 1,300 horse- power,
are required to propel the vast amount of machinery
. necessary for their business. Each and every de-
partment is supplied with special machinery, gotten
up and adapted for some special purpose. In fact,
the greater part of their machinery, as weir as their
engines, is manufactured by themselves, and is of no
use other than for the particular purpose for which it
was made.

With the exception of boiler iron, everything is
bought in its crude shape — pig and scrap iron, cop-
per and brass. They do their own puddling, rolling-
mill work, etc. A ton of iron will start in at the
puddling department, and after being manipulated
to the proper consistency, is passed to the rolling,
mill, where it is converted into strips or bars of the
right width and thickness. It is then conveyed to
the pipe department, where it is made into pipe of
any desired size. " The capacity in this department
is forty tons per day.

The officers of this company are W. E. Haxtun,
President ; J. H. Pierce, Secretary ; and E. E. Baker,
Treasurer.

At E. K. Hays' factory there is a large force of
men busy at work making a great variety of imple-
ments, but their specialty now is a recently patented
pump, of which they are turning out great quantities.
This institution commenced' manufacturing plows
and slioveling boards, and from this branched into
nearly every implement the farmer wants, and have
always done a large repairing business.

The Kewanee Wagon Company is another of the
valuable and thriving institutions of the town. It
manufactures all sorts of road wagons, carriages,
buggies, etc., and is a successor to the O'Brien
Manufacturing Company, which was organized in
January, 1882, with a capital stock of $10,000. The
incorporators, John Chisnall, Thomas F. Chisnall,
William Howland, C. G. Taylor and August Grief,
were all the old employes of the O'Brien Manufac-
turing Company, and each one of them fills his place
under the new organization, not only as stockholder
and officer, but as a mechanic, and in charge of some
particular department of the works.

John Chisnall, the President of the company, is
business . manager, book-keeper and head of the
wood-working department ; William Howland, Vice-
President, conducts the iron work ; C. G. Taylor,
Secretary, wood-worker and in charge of the fine
buggy and carriage department, while Thonias F.
Chisnall, Treasurer, is superintendent of machinery.
Each man has his wages paid him weekly, and the
residue or net earning goes to the credit of the com-
pany. New machinery is being added from time to
time, the capacity of the concern is being increased,
and the undertaking as a whole is an assured success.
(See biographical sketches of John Chisnall, William
Howland and C. G. Taylor, this volume.)

The Kewanee Manufacturing Company is another
of the valuable additions to the town.

These many and large factories, with their tall
chimneys filled with eager fires, the din of the great
and small hammers pounding and forging the iron
into artful shapes, have made Kewanee the Birming-
ham of Northern Illinois, and promise it a great and
prosperous future.

CHURCHES.

Congregational. — The oldest of the thirteen regu^
larly organized Churches at Kewanee is the Congre-

(!)

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■6^4«Bfl&^

HENRY COUNTY.

gational, whose organization was effected Aug. 7,
1855, in a school-house. During the winter previous
meetings were held in the Kewanee House and at a
few private residences. Flavel Bascom, D. D., pre-
sided at the meeting of organization. Forty-four
persons united, many of whom had been members of
the same Church at Wethersfkld. The church
edifice was completed and dedicated March 1 r,
1858, having been built the year previous. It was
very much enlarged and beautified in the year 187 1.
The Rev. Charles H. Pierce was preaching to the
congregation at the time of organization, and re-
mained until January, 1858. He was succeeded, as
the next Pastor, by Mr. Charles C. Salter, who was
ordained and installed April 20, 1859, and was regu-
larly dismissed March it, 1861. Rev. James M.
Van Wagner was called to the pastorate of the
Church in February, 1864, installed June 6. He re-
mained until April 6, 1868. Rev. James Tompkins
was called June 1, 1872, installed September 10.
During the intervals between any of these pastorates
the pulpit was filled by supplies. The congregation
is now in a good condition. The present Pastor is
A. N. Hitchcock. The membership is 300. The
Sunday-school has an attendance of 400.

The Free- Will Baptist Church was organized April
29, 1865, in the Protestant Methodist Church, with
eleven members. The following is a list of the
original membership : Rev. William Bonar, Mrs.
Mary Ann Bonar, A. B. Palmer, Mrs. Mary Ann Pal-
mer, D. W. Payne, Henry Malone, Mary Malone,
S. W. Warner, A. B. Gurney, Caroline E. Gurney
and C. H. Gurney — eleven persons. Prior to the
organization services were held in the Swedish
Methodist Church, and next in the Protestant
Methodist — now the Free Methodist Church. They
worshiped in this latter place until November, 1865,
when they removed to Cutter's Hall, where they re-
mained until January, 1866, when they again re-
moved, this time to the Christian Church. This
building is now a dwelling. Here they met for re-
ligious exercises until Jan. 16, 1870, when they wor-
shiped a few months again in Cutter's Hall. About
May, 1869, they commenced the erection of a church
building. It was completed June 1, 1870, when
they immediately occupied it. It is a very comfort-
able structure, and cost, including the lot, $6,800.

Among the pastors serving this congregation are :

Revs. William Bonar, O. D. Patch, J. J. Weage and
H. J. Brown.

The Free Methodist Church was organized in a
private residence in Wethersfield about the year
1866 or 1867. Meetings had been held for some
time previous in the residences of different persons,
and in the Swedish Methodist house of worship;
also in a store-room in Wethersfield. About the
year 1870 they purchased their present church edi-
fice of the Protestant Methodists, and have since oc-
cupied it. At the organization some five or six
persons were admitted as members. They have, at
different times, enjoyed good seasons of revival, and
now number some 35 members. The first minister
was Rev. Jonathan Dick ; next, William Cooley,
whose wife occasionally officiated at divine service.
He was followed by J. G. Terrell, during whose
ministry the church was purchased, at a cost of
$1,000. Next, George Coffee, followed by W. W.
Kelley; he by John Whiting; he by James Thaxter,
then Jarries Kelso took charge. The present Pastor
is E. M. Smashy. The Sunday-school numbers
about 25 pupils.

The Presbyterian Church was organized in the
Baptist Church by the Rock Island Presbytery,
March 26, 1872. A preliminary meeting had been
held to invite the Presbytery to this action in the
house of S. M. Hurd on February 2 1 previous. At
the organization the following persons were received
as members : Daniel and Mrs. Eunice Baldwin,
William E. and Mrs. Sarah A. Haxtun, R. A. and
Mrs. L. Little, Jacob W. and Mrs. Hannah Jones,
S. M. and Mrs. Emily Hurd, N. H. and Mrs. Lura
Blakely, Effie Blakely, Mrs. C. H. Graves, George
H. Lincoln, George Kliner, Mrs. J. Powers, Mrs. P.
Wright, Mrs. John Whiffen, Clark Bradish, William

W. Winter and Mrs. Virginia L. Winter, and

Shanahan.

During the summer the church was erected. In-
cluding the lot, it cost $5,000. The Rev. N. D.
Graves was Pastor of the Church about three years.
Rev. Josiah Milligan, of Princeton, preached for
them for some time, when Rev. J. D. Howey was
called. He occupied the pulpit over one year. The
Church has no pastor at present. Thereare now
95 members, and a Sunday-school of 100 scholars.

The Baptist Church. — This congregation was or-
ganized at Wethersfield, and on May 9, 1856, it was

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HENRY COUNTY,

decided by a vote of its members to remove their
place of holding service to Kewanee. There were at
that time over 100 members. They worshiped for
some time in different halls, and in some -of the other
churches. On Dec. 2r, 1865, a building committee
was appointed, and steps taken towards the erection
of a suitable church edifice. This was completed
and occupied July 7, 1867, and cost, including the
site, over $8,000. There are now about 235 mem-
bers, and a Sunday-school of 115 scholars. The
present Pastor is Rev. J. M. Titterington.

Among those serving as pastors are: Revs. S. P.
Ives, H. B. Foskett, J. La Grange, A. D. Freeman,
William Storrs, A. Jones, K. W. Benton, Carlos
Swift, R. L. Col well and P. P. Shirley. The Church
is now in a flourishing condition, and enjoying evident
signs of prosperity.

The Methodist Episcopal Church. — This congrega-
tion at first met for some time in a school-house,
about one mile east of Kewanee, in a hall over the
store of J. D. Schriver, and in private houses. SomeT
of the members had been connected with the same
religious body in Wethersfield, but desirous of build-
ing up a Church in Kewanee, came here to worship.
They organized a class of 30 persons, Dec. 15, T855,
in the school-house referred to ; being then under the
pastoral care of Rev. J. O. Gilbert. The principal
members were A. Thornton, Wm. King, J. Shipley,
Erastus Johnson, W. S. Oliver, William Bowen, W.
C. Kent and John Schriver. The corner-stone of
their church was laid Oct. 23, 1856.

This building becoming old and inadequate to the
growing demands of the congregation, in the summer
of r877 a new one was constructed, which cost $10,-
000. The parsonage was purchased in T856. June
following the organization of the Church, a Sunday-
school was organized. There were 60 pupils in
attendance.

Among the Pastors who have served this Church
are: Revs. J. O. Gilbert, John Chandler, E. Ran-
som, one year, J. S. Cummings, W. P. Graves, U.
J. Giddings, W. J. Beck, Benjamin Applebee* John
P. Brooks, M. P. Armstrong, G. W. Arnold, B. C.
Dennis, M. Spurlock. The minister in charge at
present is Rev. F. H. Gumming.

St. Johns (Protestant Episcopal) Church. — On
Sunday, May 13, 1855, a Protestant Episcopal Sun-
day-school was organized in the Kewanee House.

This was the first religious organization in Ke-
wanee, and the school met the following Sunday for
the first time at Odd Fellows Hall. There were 20
scholars, and R. P. Parish was Superintendent,
The first full Episcopal service, with' sermon, was
in the summer following, by Rev. Porter, of Jubilee
College. In October, Bishop Whitehouse made a
visit, and held two services in the unfinished Meth-
odist Protestant Church. During the summer and
autumn of 1856, Rev. Philander Chase officiated
occasionally in the same church. July 13, 1856, the
Church was organized. The first Rector was Rev.
George E. Peters, who commenced his labors in
1857, and remained two years. A church edifice was
constructed in 1857, at a cost of about $5,000. The
first church-bell of the town was rung from the
belfry of St. JoWs.

The Primitive Methodist. — The organization of
this Church was effected in 1865. The principal
members then were Joseph Garland, John Bennison,
John Bradbury, John Bamford, Moses Jones, William
Bennison and J. ,Breckon. They met for a while
prior to organization in Cutler's Hall and in the
Methodist, Episcopal Church., The church edifice
was erected in 1873, at a cost of $2,000. Among
those serving as Pastors, are as follows:' Revs. J.
Hewitt, Charles Dawson, Thomas Butterwick, Will-
iam Jacks, Jr., Charles Dawson. Minister in charge
is Rev. T. M. Harris. There are now 90 members
and a Sunday-school of 87 scholars.

St. Paul's Church (German United Evangelical).
— About 1866, some of the German people living in
this vicinity and professing belief in the doctrines of
this religious body, organized a Church. For a short
time they met in a school-house, but at once com-
menced the erection of a church edifice. Nineteen
persons united at the organization— the Pastor being
Rev. Hilmer, who remained about one year. Their
church cost some $2,500. The majority of the
members, now about 75, live in the country. In
1875, another church was organized in the coun-
try, three miles northeast of Kewanee. It is for the
accommodation of those living in that locality.

The Church of the Latter-Day Saints. — The first
meetings were held at Amboy in T859. An organi-
zation was effected here of probably 100 members.
From this place they were sent out to preach, and in
1862 effected the establishment of the Church here.

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HENRY COUNTY

In 1868, they erected their present church edifice,
■locating it neatly one mile north of town. Regular
services are maintained here, the membership being
about ioo, with an attendance of about 50 in the
Sunday-school. They are distinct in their faith and
practices from the Utah Mormcns, and have no con-
nection whatever with them.

Swedish Lutheran Church — Wag organized into a
regular Church in 1869. Prior to that time they held
meetings at private residences, and occasionally in
the Methodist Episcopal Church. In 1870, they
completed their church building, at a cost of $3,000.
There were about 50 members, and a flourishing
Sunday-school has been kept up from the first organ-
ization. The first minister in charge was Rev.
Lendholm, followed by Rev. N. Neurgren; then the
Rev. John Wingstrom.

The Swedish Methodist Church was organized at
an early day. It was and is quite small and has not
been able to sustain a local minister or build a house
of worship.

St. Mary's (Catholic) Church, Father Lyons now
in charge, first met at the house of Matthew Joyce,
in 1854. There were 35 heads of families belonging
to the Church, among them being Lawrence Hunt,
Patrick Cavanaugh, Matthew Joyce, James Hunt
(deceased), James Gallagher, Thomas Caton, Ed-
ward Hunt (deceased). In 1855, a small church
was erected, — since much enlarged and remodeled.
The first priest in charge was Father Lynch, then
O'Gara, Powers, Dulhuntz, Duggan, Hannigan, Kil-
kerney, J. M. Ryan and John Ryan. It now has the
largest membership in the town.

SCHOOLS.

The first school in Kewanee was in a small frame
building, built by George A. Morse and donated by
him to educational purposes. It stood just north of
the railroad track on Main Street. School was con-
ducted here for nearly two years, when the structure
was moved into the town proper, on the lot now the
East School, and here used until it was moved again
to make room for a better building. This little build-
ing was soon wholly inadequate to the town's growth,
and the trustees rented rooms over Schriver's store
and also of Austin Sykes. These were occupied un-
til 1858. To this time these two commodious rooms
it seems were room enough, and the old pioneer

school-room, mentioned above, was sold, and be-
came the printing-office of the Henry County Dial;
it lived through the rough experience of the printer
and his " devil," and again was transferred and be-
came the Christian Church, and after faithful service
here was again changed and became a private resi-
dence. Its varied experience and migrations remind
one of "Japhat in search of a father." In 1861; the
East School-room becoming wholly inadequate, steps
were taken for the enlargement of the building, and
the erection of two others. In 1866 the East build-
ing was enlarged to double its former capacity, and
the two brick structures, known as the North and
West Schools, were determined upon. They were
built in 1867, and first occupied in January, 1868,
each containing two rooms. The schools were thor-
oughly re -graded in 1866 by Superintendent S. M.
Etter, afterwards State Superintendent of Public
Schools. Mr. Etter was Principal of the. Kewanee
school three years, and laid well the foundations of
the excellent graded schools that have marked the
history of the place. He was followed by Mr. W.
H. Russell, who was, with short intervals, for about
1 1 years in charge of the schools. From Kewanee
Mr. Russell went to Chicago, and was for some years
in charge of the High School at the Slock Yards. He
was succeeded by the present Superintendent, Mr.
E. C. Rosseter, who is also County Superintendent
of Schools.

The brick buildings were erected at acost of about
$6,000.

The High School was established in 1856. It
grew out of a general desire for a. higher grade of
education than the village school of those days could
give. Kewanee and Wethersfield joined hands in
this commendable movement. At first each village
struggled to have the school located within its limits.
The matter was finally settled by locating it on or
near the dividing line between the two towns. James
Elliott donated two-and-one-half acres of ground for
the location, and here the building was erected. For
some time only the upper story was completed for
school purposes, the lower one being used, for lec-
tures, lyceums and a public hall. Here lectured
Horace Greeley and John B. Gough, among many
others of more or less note. Rev. Waldo was secured
as the first Principal of the school, assisted by Miss
Atwood. The first furnishing was somewhat prim-

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HENRY COUNTY.

itive and rough. Tough pine desks and benches, run-
ning half across the room, with three aisles thus
formed, is the picture of the school-room as remem-
bered by those who first attended the school. Of
those who were school-girls at this opening of the
High School we learn, among others, are the follow-
ing: Laura Pratt (Mrs. Northrop), Lillie Burns (Mrs.
Raymond), Nellie Little (Mrs. Geo. Perkins), Libbie
Cuttia, Helen and Lucy Lyle, Fanny Lay, Ella
Way, Addie Cheany, Lottie Talcott (Mrs. T. P.
Pierce).

At that time there were no side-walks by which
the children could reach the school, and at times the
way was practically impassable. A large wagon was
often used to haul the children to and from the
school-house.

Mr. Waldo, at the end of his second school-year,
resigned, and was succeeded by Mr. Blodgett, who
was assisted by Miss Stocking. He determined on
having better furniture, and got up an- exhibition,
and thus raised a fund and re-furnishe'd the room.
Mr. McPheran then was in charge, and he was suc-
ceeded by Mr. Bradford, and he by Mr. Tabor,- who
made the first attempt to grade the school. He
made the novel and daring experiment of arranging
a course of study and had it printed. Mr. Becking-
ton next succeeded, and he was followed by S. M.
Etter, and he by Russell, and he by the present Mr.
E. C. Rosseter. During Mr. Etter's term he ar-
ranged an exhibition, and raised $83 to found a li-
brary. It was a small beginning, but it was bravely
invested as a start toward a library, until now,
through the efforts of friends, the town and the suc-
cessors of Mr. Etter, a fine library is a part of the
High School. In Sept., 1870, the town of Kewanee
purchased the interest of Wethersfield in the school,
and has since had entire control. It was mentioned
above that Mr. Russell was absent at certain inter-
vals. He served about two years as principal of the
schools at Moline, and during this time Mr. Gray
was principal one year, and Mr. Carver for a term.

There are now six school buildings in the town,
and it has arranged to construct another^next year.
The High School has five rooms and five teachers :
Prof. E. C. Rosseter, J. Williams, Principal of the
High School ; Anna A. Schriver, Assistant ; Mrs.
M. H. Keyes, Grammar; Miss Maggie G. Blish, In-
termediate. East SchQol ; T.here are tfiree buildings

on these grounds, These are to be replaced by one
large new building, and the High School also is to
be taken down and an elegant, large and commo-
dious building to take its place next year. In the
East School the teachers are Miss Jennie Chase,
grammar ; Miss A. A. Johnson and Miss Anna Scott,
intermediate; Miss H. Villa Card and Miss Franc-
Otis, second department ; Miss -Escher Loomis and
Miss Jennie Halline, primary. The West School is
a brick building of two rooms. The teachers are
Miss Ida Palmer, secondary ; Miss Hattie Maul,
primary. The North School : Miss Anna Eack, sec-
ondary; Miss Franc Porter,- primary. The enroll-
ment is 800 ; the average attendance, 710. School
is taught nine months. Total school expenses,
$9,000; of this sum $6,800 is paid teachers; $800 to
janitors, and 'the remainder miscellaneous. Mr.
Rosseter has been seven years with the Kewanee
school; Miss Johnson has taught thirteen "years,
Miss Halline, eight years, and Miss Loomis nine
years. '

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LYNN TOWNSHIP.

SSAWlK*

LVIN and Abner Arrasmith ' were the first

>. to find this part of Henry County and make

themselves a home. They came from the

" Wabash Country," in Southern Illinois, in
1834, and halted in Warren County, just west
of the Henry County line, in Richland Grove,
which is divided by the county line. They reached
their new home Sept. 1, 1834, having traveled many
weary miles of the latter part of their journey without
any trail or track of any kind. They came to the
grove and were almost compelled to stop, as it was
storming and raining furiously. The first day they
built their house, of rails, and clapboards, and at
early candle-light moved in. There were three per-
sons in each family, and in this quickly-made pen
they were safe to some extent from the pelting rain.
Their fire was a log-heap near the front door, or
rather the opening where some day a door might
have been placed. They were busy at work the next
day, and so continued, chopping; grubbing and pre-
paring the ground for early crops the next season,
and making hay and stacking it for their, kine. Fifty
pounds pf flour to each family was the gujn total gf

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HENRY COUNTY.

provisions for bread they brought with them. Their
neighbors were at the distance of 13 miles to the
south, 15 north, 32 west and 35 miles east. In Rock
Island there was only the fort. It can readily be
imagined how sparingly they used their flour, as it
had to last them until a crop could be raised, the next
year. They used mostly corn meal, which was made
by pounding in a stump mortar, until a mill was
built the next season, in Henderson's Grove, 15
miles away.

This was the way the Arrasmiths commenced
keeping house in the desolate new country. It was
the true pioneer fashion, and these people were real
pioneers — brim full of pluck, industry and economy.
Soon their rail house was a house of entertainment ;
they had made a track — had blazed the way into the
unknown land and the wilderness — and others see-
ing soon followed. These wandering nornads, it
seemed, when they had passed the bounds of white
settlements, generally followed wherever they could
see that wagon-tracks had preceded them. In this
way travelers in search of lands found their way to
the Arrasmiths' hostelry, and were entertained, cared
for, and often and- often paid their reckonings by
telling these people the news from the civilized
world. The Arrasmiths made the first road or trail
from Richland Grove and vicinity to Rock Island.
In the summer of 1836, 14 families had clustered
around Richland Grove. J. W. Arrasmith was the
first birth at the grove, born in 1835. Alvin says he
had 25 cents in money when he landed at his new
home, as there was nobody to sell to him and noth-
ing to buy, it was too much money for one man to
possess. He eventually discovered that it was a
great mistake to bring so much solid cash with him,
and he never did fully subscribe to Greeley's advice
to all applicants for charity, "Take a half-dollar and
go West, young man." The families had to do
nearly entirely without groceries the first year. As
a substitute for coffee, Alvin says, he often dug the
red-root in the hard frozen ground. This decoction
had something of the taste of chocolate.

In April, 1836, Alvin Jones sold his claim and
moved a few rods east, and this brought him into
Henry County. This was in April. His new hotel,
log, 14 by 16, was, like his first place, a resort for
travelers.

This was the first settlement in Lynn Township —

or, in other words, a settlement on township 15,
range 1. Henry Peckenham was the next to follow
Arrasmith into the county. Charles Norman came
in June, Eben Townsend in July, Caleb Townsend
in a few weeks after, and the next spring came Will-
iam Smith.

Arrasmith planted some apple seed the first sea-
son. In six years afterwards one of his trees had
56 apples. This was an important event in the
county's history. It was the first crop of apples ever
gathered in Henry County.

Caleb Pillsbury put up the first frame house in
this neighborhood, and, like the great apple-gathering
this too was an event. The first school-house was
not built until 1 85 1 . Mr. Jenks built a mill on Ed-
wards River in 1846. This property passed into
Guy Dailey's hands. In its earliest days it was a
great institution, and deeply appreciated by the good
people of the country for many miles in every direc-
tion. People of this age can have no appreciation of
the old-time value of the first rude horse or water mills
to crack the corn and send the unbolted coarse meal
to the hungry families far and wide. In 1847 portions
of the Andover Swede Colony settled in what after-
wards became Lynn Township, and to this day there
are many of the leading men in the township who
came here in 1846-7 as portions of the Andover
Colony.

George Henry Johnson came in 1849. George
B. Pillsbury came in 1836. He married Elizabeth
J. Greely, of New Hampshire, in 1846. He became
one of the wealthiest farmers in the county. He
held at one time and another nearly every official
position in the township. John and C. J. Samuel-
son came in 1849. Joab Tracy came in 1851.

Lynn Center.

HE principal trading point in the township

is Lynn Center, where G. Bengston started

a general store, and afterwards another was

opened by N. Newman. A wagon and harness

shop was opened and a hardware store. It is

now a station on the Rockford, Rock Island &

St. Louis Railroad, has a postofnce, and for simply a

way station has been noted as quite a business

point.

Four miles below this place is Opheim,

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Opheim.

HIS place never had quite ioo people in it,
yet the rich country around it has fur-
nished considerable business and trade for
the railroad. One store, a grain elevator and
lumber yard comprise the business interests.
The Swedish Methodists have a Church so-
: ciety here, and at stated times preaching. The
I Lutherans have a Church organization here. It is a
' branch of the Andover Swedona Church, from which
oint preachers hold services at stated times.

Opheim was first called Edwardsville, but when it
was given a postoffice the name had to be changed,
as there was already another postoffice of that name
in the State.

LORAINE TOWNSHIP.

— i?

ORAINE Township is a case of an attempt
to give the place a French name, and a
failure to spell it properly. Hence the
•qg word is corrupted, and is neither English,
f.*j French nor Choctaw. This style of naming
townships has prevailed in nearly every county
in the- State. The Commissioners who selected the
names it seems generally went at it with a~hop-skip-
and-a-jump. Sometimes there was appropriateness,
and often there was neither rhyme nor reason in the
name chosen. If the counties of the State had taken

» advantage of the opportunity and named the town^
' - ships in honor of the first pioneers, when every name

V would have been an appropriate chapter heading in
ths county's history — a heading carrying a meaning
and history of deep interest for posterity, there would
have been some apparent comprehension of the fit-
ness of things in such official action. B«t this cor-
ruption of names after foreign places, or the much
worse corruption in Indian names, often afflicting
otherwise beautiful localities with some unreadable,
f unpronounceable name, has been much too freely in-
'; dulged in all over the country. And everywhere
% the stranger passing over the land encounters names
) that he does not attempt to pronounce lest he be
.■ laughed at, and when tripped off the tongue by some

|\§j5«sat- ^€^ — -e^uii

one who has learned by long application to give it
the conventional sounds, it is without beauty and
wholly meaningless. All translations from our lan-
guage to another are simply corruptions — disfiguring
the original, and deforming the translation. It is
probably too late now to do much toward correcting
this blunder, and posterity must endure the infliction
as best it may.

The first settler in Loraine Township was Corne-
lius H. Kemmis who came in the early summer of
T836. He was a typical pioneer of the times, a
blunt, plain, honest and good citizen ; industrious
and frugal, he soon was the contented possessor of
a good farm and all the substantiate of life. He
reared his family in habits of industry and sobriety.
He died about 1876, on the place that he had im-
proved, greatly respected by a wide- circle of friends.
He was the father of a large family of children.
His widow is now living on the place where he died,
with her son Frank. There is a married daughter
who some years ago went West.

The next in the order of coming was William T.
Crozier, another good man and true. He died but a
short time ago — the spring of 1 885 . He left quite a
large family of children.

About the same time, possibly a little before Cro-
zier, came David. Heller. He died in 1879, leaving
a widow, who now is temporarily residing with a
daughter in Sterling, 111. Mr. Heller was a man
greatly respected by all who knew him. He was a
very successful farmer, and an upright and ^worthy
citizen.

Then came Rudolph Urich, who is. still among his
old and many new friends, still watching with inter-
est that wonderful tide of growth and improvements
that have come about him since first he came here
and selected his home. He has been a useful and
good citizen, against whom no breath of evil has
ever been breathed.

Then came Asa Blair, who died some years ago.
He was a thrifty pioneer and a most excellent farmer.
Three of his sons are living, two of whom reside on
the old farm.

The next was the very numerous and important
family of Arnetts. Phillip Arnett, the father, brought
with him seven lusty boys , and . a daughter. This
single family far exceeded in the number and value
of its addition to the new settlements, some of the
pretentious colonies that had been organized in the

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HENRY COUNTY.

809

old States to populate the northwest territory.
When the family came they were very poor, but their
no-tire activity and shrewdness soon made amends
for all this. And now the boys are all men in the
prime of life, and more than the average financial
success attends them. They are in the order of their
ages: Jacob, William, George, Joseph, John, An-
thony and Samuel.

Philip Sand is now one of the leading farmers in this
part of the county. His farm improvements, and espe-
cially his elegant residence, is the best in the township.
He is an old settler among old settlers. Has a large
family of boys. No single individual was a more
valuable acquisition to the county than was
Mr. Sand. An estimable man in many respects,
and reared a family universally respected.

Another early comer was Joseph Rink, who has now
lived for more than forty years on the spot where he
commenced his improvement. He is a plain, old-fash-
ioned, honest farmer, making no pretensions, but has
made a good farm.

Then there is Martin Roos, with his large
and very much respected family, who have toiled
together, and in their modest way, and have come
to be among the best people in the township.

The first school-house was built on Mr. Heller's
land, and for several years this was the church
and the general meeting place on all public
occasions. It was a modest, puncheon-floor log
cabin, but fully served its intended purposes long and
well.

MUNSON TOWNSHIP.

HIS is the center township of the county,
and very appropriately is she crowned
^ queen in beauty of landscape, deep, rich
soil, splendid farms, and general agricultural
wealth. When all are so good it might seem
invidious to say any special one was the best ;
possibly there can be no best among them, only in
certain lines, and in this view of the case, certainly
this township stands second to none. There is no
town in it, yet on the assessor's books, but more es-
pecially to the traveler's eye in passing over this
great, rich garden and viewing for the first time its
broad, rich acres, well trimmed and better tilled
farms, commodious and elegant farm houses and

comfortable out-buildings for the fat cattle, and sleek

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■3«Hgy Q/^IM

horses, and great barns, bursting with hay and grain,
it presents an enchanting view of comfort, plenty,
ease and content, that is one of the pleasant and
wholesome sights in the wrangling, struggling world.

It was appropriately named after Merritt Munson,
one of the county's prominent and most enterprising
citizens, — an honor upon a worthy citizen of the
county worthily bestowed. During the latter part of
Mr. Munson's life he lived in Geneseo, and there, as
we'll as in Munson Township, his memory will be
kept green as long as history or tradition may recount
the growth and glory of Henry County.

No railroad touches its boundries, but it finds easy
market and shipping at Geneseo and Cambridge. It
is well drained by Spring Creek, which rises in several
branches in the southwest corner, and passes out
at the northeast corner. It has no waste land
and in a few years every quarter-section will be
tile drained. There are seven commodious school-
houses for the education of the young, and the pious
and godly find convenient and comfortable places of
worship in any part of the township. Here is loca-
ted the County Farm, where the county's unfortun-
ate find a welcome refuge, and a warm retreat from
the bitter storms of a cold, and certainly to them a
cheerless, world. A full account of this institution
may be found in another chapter.

Many of the first settlers here moved to the line
of the railroads when they began to build through the
county. The majority of these going to Geneseo, of
those who were content to remain, we note Elisha
Atwater, who came in 1840 and improved section 19.
He was a native of New Haven, Conn.; born Dec.
18, 1810. His farm contained 208 acres. He was
in the service during the late war ; 2d Lieut. Co.
H, 1 1 2th Reg. He was married to Miss Margaret
Wright, at Harrisburg, Pa., May 18, 1838, where she
was born, Feb. 28, 182 r. They had rr children.'

OSCO TOWNSHIP.

HE first symptons of the tremendous finan-
cial revulsion of 1837 were beginning to be
felt in the city of New York as early as
1835. There was a crop failure, and prices
began to climb toward high and impossible
figures for many of the poor in the cities.
Shrewd business men began to dimly forecast the se-

£(3§ff—

810

HENRY COUNTY.

-a^g-

rious outlook, and there were not a few who promptly
began to furl their sails before the coming storm.
Every movement- of this kind touched to the quick
the sensitive nerves of the laboring people, and early
in the spring of 1836 the cry of "Bread! Bread!! "
rang out upon the streets of New York, and the mob
gathered in front of the flour store of Eli Hart & Co.,
and gutted.the building from cellar to roof, because,
as the hungry people said, they had bought up the
flour of the country and were putting up the price to
$ic and $12 a barrel, out of the possible reach and
means of the poor. Fortunes began to topple, and
many men, who' a short time before had supposed
they were on the top wave of financial prosperity,
suddenly saw but little else before them than pinch-
ing poverty."

It was largely the class of men who turned their
eyes Westward, and gave to Northern Illinois that
stream of immigration that marked so strangely the
settlement of this portion of the State. They were
intelligent, educated in the avenues of business, en-
ergetic, hopeful and determined upon the full realiza-
tion of that sublime watch-word that has peopled this
continent—" Homes for the homeless, land for all."
This was the grand idea in American civilization. It
bore rich fruits, especially in the Mississippi Valley
— that garden and granary of the world,.

In the winter of 1835 a notice was published in the
New york papers calling " a meeting of all persons
interested " at Congress Hall, to organize a colony
of those interested or desirous to emigrate to Illinois.
So few people responded to this first call that a
second notice was published, and at this meeting an
organization called the "New York Colony" was
formed, and between 40 and 50 members, were en-
rolled.

Charles Oakley, at one time Fund Commissioner
of Illinois, was the prime leader in this movement.
He had previously traveled West and had examined
the Prairie State, and gave glowing descriptions of
all that he had seen in this portion of Illinois. The
members signed an agreement, and Charles Oakley
and C. C. Wilcox were made Trustees and author-
ized to go to Illinois and locate for the Colony about
a township of land, the general idea being to locate
some where near the Illinois River. Oakley had in
his mind when he started on his Western mission a
point now in Bureau County, but when he reached

this place he found it already taken up by the Provi-
dence Colony, and he pushed on West ; and to this
fact the welfare of Henry County is indebted to .the
Colony coming here, and the selection of the land in
townships r6 and 17 north, ranges 1 and 2 east, cov-
ering at the time about 30 sections.

It would be very interesting to posterity could we
procure and print a copy of the original agreement
of the Colonists, but this remarkable document seems
to be hopelessly lost. Substantially, the terms were :
Each individual in the Colony bound himself to
erect within two years a building to. cost abcut $200
on his tract of land. In case he failed to do so, then
the land reverted to the Colony, with this unfortu-
nate condition, — the Colony thus taking reverted
lands was to pay therefor at the rate of $3 per acre,
this tempting offer of 100 per cent, was enough to
make a great many neglect to build and let their
lands be forfeited. This and the fearful panic of
1837 overloaded the Colony, and it was wholly una-
ble to comply with its agreements or pay anything
for the forfeited lands, and hence the entire sales
thus soon were made void and worthless.

Oakley and Wilcox were to receive for their ser-
vices 25 cents an acre for locating and superintending
the business; this was also to pay for the surveys and
platting a town near the center of the Colony's land.
The lands and town-lots were to be put up at auc-
tion, where members could bid for preference in se-
lections. Eight lots went with each quarter-section
of land. This distribution took place in the fall of
1836 (the lands were entered in June of that year).
Between $7,000 and $8,000 were paid at the sale for
preferences, some of the first choice quarter-sections
^selling as high as $400. This preference money was
a fund. for the benefit of the Colony, as follows :

First. To have a Colony house built for the mem-
bers to" live in until they could provide their own
homes. This house cost $3,000.

Second. To build a mill, school-house, or others
wise appropriated as the Colonists might determine.

Only a few of the Colonists came in the summer
of 1836. Charles Oakley and C. C. Wilcox jlid not
remain long. Wilcox finally settled in Chicago and
Oakley died some years ago. Arba Seymour sur-
veyed the land. A log house was put up in Morris-
town ; afterwards a Colony house was erected by R.
R. Stewart, of Geneseo. It was a large two-story

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HENRY COUNTY.

building and was well finished, at the time the most
pretentious building in the county. By mistake the
building was on a lot belonging to Oakley, and by
this error Oakley laid claim to the building, which he
sold to Joel Wells. A mill was built on Green River.
Joshua Harper, N. W. Washburne, Luke C. Shel-
don, Charles W. Davenport and a Mr. Tompkins
were the total of the Colonists who were here and in
possession in the fall of 1836. In 1837 John Apple-
ton and Charles W. Davenpoit, Sr., ond their fami-
lies came, and with them the venerable Thomas
Fitch, the father of Mrs. Davenport. He died at
Morristown in a short time after, aged 80 years. For
the next 14 years after the settlement of this Colony
the families above named and a few others — in all
10 or 12 families — were all there were in the New
York Colony or in this part of the county. These were
widely scattered over Morristown Prairie ; and these
pioneers worked their way in the wilderness, patient-
ly await4ng the oncoming tide that the next wave of
immigration would bring to them. Nothing really
came until 1852, when 'commenced the memorable
rush of people to this portion of the county.

Osco is almost exclusively a prairie township, less
than one per cent, of its surface being originally
covered with timber. Its surface is beautifully un-
dulating, with just sufficient declination to make
perfect drainage, and with no level, wet or marshy
areas to mar its beauty or excellence. The soil is a
rich, black alluvium, of marvelous fertility, and vary-
ing from i8[]inches to two feet in depth. In the
early days of its settlement it was noted for the
luxuriance of the grass and other vegetation that
grew upon its broad prairies.

The first settlement within the limits of the town
was made by Israel Crocker, who located on the
north half of section 3, at a place which was known
in' those days as Crocker's Grove. Here, according
to the traditions' of the early settlers, the elder
Crocker located in the year 1838, built a house of
considerable size and enclosed with a sod fence about
160 acres of land, and imported and placed on his
farm a large flock of sheep, out of which he intended
to amass a fortune. Ill success attended the venture,
and after eight or ten years' struggling with bad luck
with his sheep and poor health in his family, he
finally succumbed to adverse circumstances and sold
out to Ben Graham, who continued the business so

inauspiciously begun by Mr. Crocker, with about the
same results.

After the settlement of Mr. Crocker, in 1838, no
further attempt was made until the year 185 1, a
lapse of 13 years. In May of that year, Albert Wel-
ton moved upon the Crocker Grove farm, which had
been purchased by F. P. Brown; in June, Willis
Hinman "settled in the south part of the township,
and was soon followed by S. C. Welton and Benja-
min Manning, Philip Emmert and John Weidlein.
The next year came Francis Gerard and Hiram
Woodward, and in a short time A. A. and E. M.
Crane, Jared H. Smith and Lester C. Welton.

The first school district was formed May 24, 1852.
The meeting was at the house of Willis Hinman.
The first school-house was built in 1853, on the
northeast quarter of section 26. This was long
known as the Hinman School-house.

In 1854 the district was divided, and the north
half became District No. 2. Two school-houses
were built in this District, — one in the northeast
corner, and known as the Van Order school-house,
and one at Morristown, in the northwest corner.

In 1359, the town was divided into nine districts,
each two miles square.

The first Board of School Trustees was elected in
1852, and consisted of Willis Hinman, Samuel Ham-
ilton and S. C. Welton.

The school section was sold in 1857, and $13,958
was realized from the sales.

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Morristown.

1 LSEWHERE in the Album this place is
Me fully spoken of. In 1852 Henry Selby
built a store in the place. It soon became
the chief trading and business place for the
thriving farming country around it. At one
time it had a postofifice, two stores, a church, a

school-house, harness, blacksmith and other shops.

The building of the railroad and the location of a

town and depot at Osco, soon took away about all

there was of the place.

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HENRY COUNT,Y.

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jf SCO was laid out by the County Surveyor,
Patterson Holmes, in December, 1870, in
the southeast part of the northeast quarter
of section 29. The land belonged to Orion
Page. It contained only 1 1 blocks. The first
house was built by G. P. Woodworth and
Samuel Smith, in July, 1871, a store and residence.
Mr. Woodworth soon became the sole owner.

The next house was built by D. L. Purviance, for
a grocery store and postoffice. He was the first
Postmaster, is there yet, and is a Democrat that will
probably stay where he has been so long, at least
until after another Presidential election.

There are two grain dealers, two elevators, two
general store and Purviance's grocery store, a black-
smith- shop, and a very good school, taught by Miss
Anna Carson.

The Methodist Episcopal church building, that has
been a long time at Osco Center (the center of the
township), has just been 'moved to Osco. The
preacher is Rev. M. Bliss.

Morristown Colony.

N the winter of 1835-6, in New York city, a
few citizens met in Congress Hall, corner of
Bowery and Hester Street, and organized
the " New York Colony." At this meeting
some 60 families were represented, who became
members, and appointed Colonel CHarles Oak-
ley— who afterward was Fund Commissioner of the
State of Illinois — and Charles C. Wilcox, " Trustees
for the Colonists, with authority to proceed to Illinois,
and locate lands for the Colony." The intention was
to locate the lands in Tazewell County ; but the land
they had in view had already been taken up by the
" Tremont Colony." On learning this the Trustees
went on to Bureau County, and from thence to
Henry County and located in what is now Osco,
Western, Edford and Colon a Townships, nearly 20,-
000 acres of land. In honor of Col. Morris, of New

named

Jersey, one of the members, it was
" Morristown Colony."

This was in June, 1836; and iri the fall of that
year Joshua Harper and Charles W. Davenport, Jr.
(the latter a lad of 18 years), came to Henry County ;
and boarded with Mrs. George Tyler, at Cleveland,
on Rock River.

The lands had all been entered in the name of
Oakley & Wilcox as " Trustees " for the Colony ; and
in the fall of that year they were sold at auction, and
the choice of the land sold to-the highest bidder,
who by themselves or agents selected their lands.
Some $7,000 was realized from the preference mon-
ey. This fund, by the terms of organization, was set
apart, 1st, to build a colony house, to accommo'date
settlers until they could build for themselves ; 2d, tb
build a saw-mill somewhere on Green River, and
also a school-house. Col. Oakley had charge of this
fund.

A town was laid out on a part of sections 24 and
25, 17 and 18, and, by the terms of the organization,
8 town lots were given with each quarter-section of
land. R. R. Stewart, in ^38, contracted for build-
ing the colony house, and with the help of George -
Brandenburg, a ,year or two later, the house was
finished — a fine, large building uf two stories ; but it
was never used by the Colonists, for reasons here-
after given. A saw-mill was erected on Green
River by Col. Oakley, but on land the title of which
was in his own name. By an unfortunate clause in
the articles of organization, the Colonists bound
themselves to settle and build a home on these lands
within two years, costing $200. If they neglected so
to do, then their land should revert to the Colonists ;
but with this condition : That the Colonists had the
privilege of paying $3 per acre, or double the cost of
the land. The result was, that most of the Colonists,
being city folks, concluded that the investment was
good enough without settlement ; but at the end of
two years there was no responsible party here to
take these lands, and some of the owners, after pay-
ing taxes many years, sold them from 50 cents to $1
per acre.

The consequence was that out of some 60 fami-
lies only a half dozen or so came to stay. Joshua
Harper came on with Oakley and Wilcox, and was
here when the lands were distributed, and was agent
for many of his friends in New York, to bid in those

•|i9

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HENRY COUNTY.

813

lands. This man, as one of the oldest and most
respected citizens, demands more than a passing no-
tice.

Joshua Harper was born in Fairfax- Co., Va.,
April 24, 1796, and died in Geneseo Feb. 23, 1882,
aged 85 years. He served in the county in sev-
eral offices of, public trust, as follows : In 1837 he
was elected Recorder, the first duly elected in the
county, and his early records are marvels of neatness
and accuracy ; he was afterward County Judge of
Probate, and was elected twice Representative and
Senator in our State Legislature, and was also a
member of the State Constitutional Convention of
1848. He was a splendid man physically — tall, six
feet high, straight as an arrow, and though afflicted
with a slight tremor from a paralytic affection, digni-
fied and easy in his manners. One who has known
him for fifty years writes of him as follows : " Joshua
Harper was a fine representative of that now almost
extinct class, the ' first families of Virginia.' I never
knew so perfect a gentleman." We doubt if the man
can be found who ever heard him use an improper
word. Strictly and scrupulously honest in all his
dealings, just and kind to all his employees, humane
and tender to man and beast. Another says : " I
well recollect, when stopping temporarily with him,
on his farm at Morristown, that he always insisted
that his hired hands should not work in the rain, no
matter what was on hand. He said it ' never paid'
to let a man or horse be uncomfortable, and never
did farmer in Henry County have sleeker horses,
fatter cattle, or more happy and contented laborers
than this noble-hearted gentleman on his prairie
farm at Morristown. He was genial, pleasant and
jovial, delighted in a good story, and could tell one
with infinite zest — indeed an Israelite, in whom there
was no guile." We ne'er shall look upon his like
again.

But to return to our colony. The boy, C. W.
Davenport, went to work in the winter of 1836-7,
and, with the help of Jerome and Frank Brittain, got
out timber on Rock River, and in the spring put up
a double log house, the first house erected " out on
the prairie,"— a large, substantial, well built house,
16 x 44 feet, with three rooms, and probably at that
time the best and most comfortable house in that
section of the county. This was on sec. 31,17 north,
range i, now owned and occupied by William Smith.

In June, 1837, Charles W. Davenport, Sr., moved
out from New York city with the rest of his family
and his wife's father, the venerable Thomas Fitch,
who died in 1842, at the age of 80 years.

C. W. Davenport, Sr.,died in 1841. C. W. Daven-
port, Jr., now resides in Stonewall, Col.

Joshua Harper also erected his log house on his
farm on section 24, adjoining Morristown. Nathan
W. Washburne came out the same year, 1836, and
located on section 29, township 17, range 1. Nathan
was a famous hunter, and one of the drollest speci-
mens of a live " Connecticut Yankee " that ever came
West, and there was always " music " when he was
around. His daughter Mary was married to Alonzo
Ayers, son of William Ayres, of Andover, now resid-
ing in Nebraska. Abisha Washburne, brother of
N. W., came later.

Noah and Elijah Tompkins came the same year
and located on section 33, but soon became dissatis-
fied and sold out and returned East. Luke C. Shel-
don came and settled on section 30 the same year.
John Appleton came in 1837 and built on his 80
acres on section 32, and in 1838 sold out to Captain
Joseph B. Brush; and in 1839 James G. Bolmer
located and built a house on the 80 acres adjoining.
He afterwards removed to Rock Island, and died
there. His brother, George Bolmer, in the same
year, settled on section 32, adjoining Appleton 's, and
died on his farm in 1840. Joseph Turner, a very
eccentric, jolly fellow, and a good cook, kept house
for Joshua Harper, who was a bachelor in those
days, and is well remembered for the innumerable
pranks he played on his good-natured employes and
the neighbors. Joe afterwards bought a farm a few
miles south, and from thence removed to Rock
Island. These were all the settlers that were on the
colony lands for several years. About this time
Crocker entered several hundred acres of limber and
prairie at Crocker's Grove, on sections 3 and 4, and
made- one of the best farms in Henry County. This
farm was afterwards owned by Ben Graham, who
used it for a stock farm.

In 1838 a postoffice was established at Morris-
town and Joshua Harper was appointed Postmaster;
,but his house being off the regularly traveled road,
the office was removed from Mr. Harper's, and C. W.
Davenport was appointed Postmaster.

The mail carrier of that day was Uncle Billy Riley,

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BENRY COUNTY*.

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a Kentuckian, residing at Henderson Grove, Knox
County. The route was in three sections — from
Beardstown' to Knoxville, from Knoxville to Albany,
on the Mississippi River, and from Albany to Galena.
Uncle Billy carried the mail from Knoxville to Al-
bany .and return once a week. The next year a
horseback mail was carried from Morristown to Gene-
seo by, Captain J. B. Brush. This was the first mail
route established in Henry County. Soon after a
postoffice was established in Andover, and the mails
became regular. There were no envelopes in those
days, and the postage on letters was 25 cents, and
it took about a week or ten days to get a letter from
New York, and four or five days from Chicago.

In the fall of 1840 the county seat was located at
Morristown, and Colonel Oakley, through Mr. Har-
per for the colony, donated the Colony House for the
use of the Courts; also a quarter section (160 acres)
of land, and $1,000 in cash for the county.

In 1841 the first County Court and in 1842 the
first Circuit Court was held in the Colony House,
which had been rented to Thomas W. Corey and
George Brandenburg, who agreed to furnish rooms
for the Courts of the county until the court-house,
was built. They also, had contracted for the build-
ing of the court-house and jail, to be built within two
years. This court-house to be 18 x 24 feet, one and
a half stories high ; the jail to be similar to the one
contracted for at Richmond. The court-house was
built, and in 1844 was hauled to Cambridge across
the prairie by a procession of some 35 yoke of oxen,
amid the loud cheers and hurrahs of the boys from
Sugar-Tree Grove.

The question has often arisen, What became of the
fund of $7,000 belonging to the Morristown Colony?
It was said that some $3,000 was put into the Colony
House and improvements at Morristown. This was
conveyed to the county for county purposes, and by
the act removing the county seat to Cambridge it
was ordered to be re-conveyed to the Colony. It
seems that the house was sold by Colonel Oakley to
Joel Wells. The saw-mill was built on lands of
Colonel O. and also sold. The school-house was
never built. We suppose very few of the Colonists
who settled here ever saw Colonel Oakley. He has
been dead many years. The only person who would
be likely to know, Joshua Harper, is also dead. We
do not suppose the question will ever be answered.

It is not supposed it will make any difference to any
one now of the original settlers of Morristown
Colony. It is believed all are dead except Captain
Joseph B. Brush and Charles W. and T. F. Daven-
port. There is not one left on the Colony lands.
After the removal of the county seat to Cambridge,
in 1844, most of the lands remained unoccupied for
some 12 or r5 years, until the projection of the Chi-
cago & Rock Island Railroad gave a new impetus to
immigration, and after 1850 the Colony lands passed
into new ownership. A number of thrifty Germans
gathered around the- Davenport, Brush and Boimer
farms and bought them all out, and these lands are
now among the richest and most valuable farm's in
the county.

OXFOKD TOWNSHIP.

S the S-Outhwest-cor.ier township in the
county, its boundary lines for six miles on
the south and an equal distance on the west,
forming the county line. There were neither
groves nor mounds to tempt the first comers to
this part of the State to " stick stakes " and
" hang out their banners on the outer wall " of civil-
ization", inviting all the world to come and partake.
The very first settlers looked upon its level, wet
wastes, and no more supposed it would ever be cov-
ered with farms and fine improvements than would -
the deep lakes or the rock cliffs where the eagle rests.
When they saw their cattle grazing upon its nutri-
tious grasses they began to realize it was not wholly
worthless for all purposes, and slowly they settled,
down to the conviction that for generations to come
here would be free feeding grounds for their stock.
The cattle made paths and these were washed by the
rains into drainage ways for the surplus water, and
in the course of time dry, solid ground appeared
where before was the bog,- in many places of which a
person could stand upon the tough grass sod and by
jumping on it shake the ground for several feet about
him.

Eastern speculators had entered the lands mostly

without ever seeing them, when the craze for Illinois

lands ran over the whole country, and men became

« eager to buy lands here, scarcely caring what might

be the kind or quality.

The first settler was Almeron Underwood, from-
Green Co., Ky. His small brother, Milton Under-

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4^®vi|

1=1

HENRY COUNTY.

815

wood, came with him. A. D. Underwood was born
in the township Dec. 11, 1839, and until other pio-
neers-came in maybe called the township's first
white squatter.

R. D. Timberlake came in the fall of 1837, and he
remembers that at that time Almeron Underwood
was the only person he found here.

Anson Calkins, at one time Assessor of .the town-
ship, came here in 1841. He was born in Austerlitz,
Columbia Co., N. Y., Nov. 14, 1818. His recollec-
tions are that there were very few if any permanent
settlers in the township when he arrived. After
fixing his first abode he has never changed it. He
prospered from the first, having a farm of about 400
acres of very rich land. He reared five children, in
their order as follows : Maria P., Mary E., James
B., John F. and Winfield C. His wife was Miss H.
Griffin, of Berkshire Co., Mass.

A. B. Cole was one of the settlers found here when
Calkins came. He came and settled in Oxford
Township in 1839. Cole says there were but six
voters, counting himself, in the township at that
time. His family consisted of a wife and four chil-
dren; she was Augusta Briggs, of Worcester Co.,
Mass. Mr. Cole was County Commissioner one
term ; also was Assessor of the township.

John W. Cox came in 1849 from Wayne Co., Ind.
He died March 2, 1869, leaving his widow, Mrs.
Julia Etta Cox, and five children.

Robert M. Wilber came in 1849. He died on the
place where he first settled, leaving a widow and 13
children. Two of his sons were killed in the late
war.

J. B. Hoag, of Rensselaer Co., N. Y., came in
1839; reared a family of four children, and was mar-
ride four times.

Alpha.

HE village is nearly in the center of the
township, at the crossing of the Galva &
Keithsburg Branch of the Chicago, Bur-
lington & Quincy and the Rock Island & St.
Louis Railroads. It was laid out by Anson
Calkins, June 1, 1872. It has never made any
great splutter in the way of big booms, but has moved
along quietly and surely, content to attend to its

ever-growing shipping and business interests. It is
one among the several favorable points of shipment
in the county, having a north and south and an east
and west connection with all the markets.

There are two dry-goods stores, a grocery store, a
hardware store, two blacksmith shops and two hotels
in the place. They have a nice school-house just
completed, at a cost of $r,8oo.

The building of the railroads and the laying out
of Alpha was practically the doom of the village of
Oxford, which was a few miles to the southwest.
This latter place was laid out in 1858 by Daniel and
James Briggs, on section 30. The "main historical
point that may perpetually preserve the history of
this village was that it was the location of the wild-
cat bank in i860, known as the " Bank of the Miss-
issippi Valley," whose assets were said to consist in
its best days of an old rusty safe without a lock, one
old-fashioned copper, part of a cheap lead pencil,
rusty steel pen and a scribbled-over half-sheet of
foolscap paper !

When Alpha was started the people of Oxford
started too, and they took their houses with them, as
a rule, and now the merry plowman whistles his
tunes and turns the furrows over the once nestling
home of the village.

In September, 1867, a Baptist Church was organ-
ized in Alpha, and in 1878 a church building was
erected.

PHENIX TOWNSHIP.

HIS township nestles along the borders of
Rock River, in the northwest part of the
county, the natural places for those first
pioneers to settle who formed those outer
fringes of civilization, where the solitary pio-
neer piloted his lonely way. The second white
family to settle in the county was Earl P. Aldrich's,
who came in the summer of 1835, and in his little
log cabin was born, on the 15th of the following De-
cember, the first white child in Henry County that
with wide eyes looked out astounded, but not dumb-
founded, upon this new and curious world.

A very full account of all these early settlers is
given in other chapters, to which the reader is re-
ferred.
Amariah Withrow landed in the township but a

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HENRY COUNTY.

evry short time after the Aldriches. He was a native
of White County, Illinois, born May 4, 1 831, and
came with the large family of Withrows, of whom
also is given a full account in another place.
Amariah Withrow married Mary J. Huston, born in
Licking County, Ohio, Oct. 6, 1832. They were mar-
ried August 8, 1856. Had four children.

It properly should have been stated above that the
families, the widows and children of the Aldriches are
still living, and the aspirations and hopes of all for
these two venerable old grand-mothers are that the
quiet comfort of their declining years may be long in
the land, with only a gradual flow and increase of
temporal blessings to their departing hour.

Jacob F. Butzer settled on section 4, in 1837. He
was only second to Anthony Hunt in the coming of a
German into the county.

David B. Bar£e, a native of Ohio, came in 1841.
His fine farm contains 620 acres. He married Eliza
M. Aldrich, born in Pickaway County, Ohio, May 7,
1828.

George Arnett, whose family first settled in Lo-
raine, remQved into this county at an early day, and
secured his valuable farm of 640 acres.

The township is untouched by a railroad. Has
no town. Sharon postoffice is a little north of the cen-
ter of the township.

WELLER TOWNSHIP.

CHIS is a splendid township of land, is well
|£ improved and settled by an industrious

class of people. Its history is largely in-
cluded in that of the Bishop Hill Colony,
which follows. James Withrow was the first
settler in this part of the county. He located
at the east end of Red Oak in 1836. He died on his
farm in 1839, and his estate was the first probated in
the county. There seems to have been few or no
other settlers in this part of the county prior to 1853.
Among those who came to this township were Lars
Anderson; came in 1846, and died Nov. 16, 1869,
leaving a son, Gilbert A. Andrew and Jonas Berg-
land came from Sweden to this county in 1846 ; John
Bjork came to America, 1840, returned to Sweden
and in 1847 settled in Bishop Hill; Peter O. Bloom-

berg came in 1846; Jacob Bricker came in 1851 ; John
P. Chaiser came in 1850; Jonas Elblow came in
1846; Lars Ericson came with his parents in 1847 ;.
Lars Forsberg came in 1847. John H. Grammar,
born in Germany, came to the county 1847 ; William
Grammar came in 1843; Hans M. Hollander came
in 1847; Jacob Jacobson and wife came " on foot,"
1847 ; John E. Lindbeck, 1849 ; Olof Moline came
1846; William L. Neuman, German, came 1846;
Hans Nostrum, 1846; Eric Olson came with the
Swede colony. He was rich in. the old country, but
was made treasurer for the colonists and paid out for
necessaries for others all he had in the world. Jonas
Olson came at the same time and he also thus paid
out his total fortune ; Olof Olson came 1847 5 Jonn
Piatt came in 1840; he was one of the oldest settlers
in Weller; Henry Poppy came 1847; J- E. Stone-
berg in 1847; Olof Stoneberg in 1846; Andrew
Stoneberg came in 1846.; Swan Swanson in 1846;
Peter Wexell and Peter Wickblow in 1 847 .

Bishop Hill Colony.

pISHOP HILL Colony came in 1846-7.
It was entirely a religious movement — a
rebellion against religious intolerance and

^ bigotry. It is a singular fact in the history
of mankind' that there is hardly an exception,
no, not one, where a people, after much suf-
fering for religion's sake, long and cruel persecutions,
and many suffering death rather than renounce the
right of freedom of opinions, and often great commu-
nities driven from their native land— -fleeing and skulk-
ing fugitives, or extirpated by the sword and fagot,
yet when their religious ideas have taken hold and
gathered converts and became strong, fearless and
conquering, then those martyrs to the freedom of re-
ligious opinion invariably are ready to turn and
inflict upon others who do not adopt their worship
the same stern and cruel persecutions that they
themselves had suffered from.

Martin Luther's rebellion against the Catholic
Church took complete possession of Sweden, and the
Holy Lutheran Church became the State religion ;
and when once in power it ruled that country with
an iron hand. The Church and State were one, and
that one was the Church, — keen-eyed, vigilant and
sleepless in the hunt of those who dared to think

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HENRY COUNTY.

that they were not God's appointed guardians of all
men's bodies and souls. Their entire idea of relig-
ious freedom of opinion was to present to every one
the Church creed, and with the presentation there
was no alternative except the manacles and the
dungeon. Thus have worked out in the long time
inevitable growths of Luther's religious rebellion.
He fought religious intolerance, stood ready to die
for the freedom of opinion, and the moment he was
enabled to seize the power he was just as earnest
and determined as had ever been the most bigoted
Catholic to restrict all liberty of thought in the blind
submission to his narrow creeds.

Eric Jansen was the founder of the sect that con-
stituted the Bishop Hill Colony. In his native
Sweden, when a young man, his mind began to find
many and strong objections to the Lutheran Church.
He abdicated the faith — preached a new doctrine ; was
bitterly persecuted by the bishops, the ruling power
in Sweden, and, like every new religion the world
has ever known, " the blood of the martyr is the end
of the Church; " he gathered rapidly about him con-
verts and fellow sufferers. In three brief years after
he had commenced proclaiming the new faith he had
gathered over t,ioo followers. His first convert and
ablest lieutenant was Mr. Hedine. Jansen and
Hedine went to prison together, and many times had
they been consigned to the gloomy dungeons, where
they could only peep out upon the free air and dis-
tant sunshine through iron grates. Every visitation
from the Church authorities became more and more
severe, until finally Jansen became a fugitive from
his native country and in disguise fled to America.
When his converts found he had fled to this country,
that here all men could enjoy freedom of conscience
and speech, a colony was organized consisting of about
700 members, and they came as soon as they could
to this country and selected their future homes in
township 14, range 3. This point was fixed upon
by'Olef Olson, who had come in advance and made
the selection. These immigrants came to Henry
County in 1847. They were very poor and for a
long time lived in miserable tents and rude caves
dug in the sides of the hills, with but scant and
innutritious food ; they presented a scene of squalor
and suffering. The majority of them were ignorant
in their own country, belonging to the enslaved
peasant class, and when suddenly dumped in such
a great drove into a- new hemisphere — a new and

strange world indeed to them — with even less of the
necessities of life than they had in their old homes,
it is not strange that here their sufferings were ex-
tremely severe. The few who had possessed prop-
erty and were better trained to care for their physical
wants, had precipitately fled from the land of oppres-
sion, leaving their property or selling at such sacri-
fices as soon made them as poor as their poor
companions, and whose sufferings were intensified
by the greater change in their lives. But one or
two in the colony understood or could speak a word
of English, and hence, as they knew nothing of the
language of the country, the climate, soil or its agri-
culture, commerce, wants, or its diseases and reme-
dies, they were as completely lost to all these things
that are imperative to a people to know as if they
had been suddenly transported to one of the distant
planets.

In their favor was the fact that the Swedes are a
people trained through generations to the practice of
pinching frugality and untiring industry. They are
docile, moral and law-abiding; accustomed to se-
vere taskmasters, they plod in silence, and bow in
humblest respect to those in authority. Their
country of rigorous climate ; their long line of tyrants
and cruel rulers have through many generations af-
fected the whole people physically and mentally,
and the sudden transplanting of a large body of
such people to this genial climate and yet more gen-
tle and genial government, with no previous prep-
aration for the change, was like overfeeding the
shipwrecked and starving when found ready to die of
hunger and thirst. Therefore, of the great change,
the squalor and ignorance of the colonists, came
sickness and death, stalking the fold in horrid carni-
val.

This certainly is no overdrawn picture of the
sad condition of the colonists when the cholera
broke out among them in 1849. The scythe of
death then literally mowed a fat harvest. Strong
men and women were stricken, and in a few hours
were in their coffinless graves. So swiftly did the
grim reaper work, that no effort was made to procure
coffins or boxes for the dead; relays of men were
night and day digging shallow graves, in which the
bodies, wrapped in a blanket or scanty cloth, were
thrown and in solemn silence covered. A one-horse
cart was the hearse that was used to gather the bod

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HENR Y CO UNT Y.

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ies, singly and in numbers, and haul them to the
graveyard. For many weeks this horse was not un-
hitched for a moment from his vehicle, night or day ;
and it is a well authenticated fact that two men dug
their own graves — working hard in the forenoon in
the very graves in which they were sleeping peace-
fully and forever in the afternoon ! Here was the
sad reality, the hideous carnival of death, surpass-
ing in honors the imaginings of the painter, when
with- a free hand he caused to stand out upon the
canvas that startling and repulsive picture, "The
Dance of Death."

Another incident in the history of the colony, not
so horrible in its aspects, yet more lasting in its ef-»
ifects, occurred in 1850.

Erkr Jansen was shot to death by John Root, in
May, 1850. Eric Jansen, "the Prophet," was the
founder of the new religion, the head of the Colony
Church, and their supreme ruler in temporal as well
as spiritual affairs. He was a man of courage and
strong, convictions. He ruled his people absolutely,
and he did not delegate or divide his power with any
of Tiis subalterns. The designation of "Eric John-
son, the Prophet," is a key to his character as a
leader— a religious enthusiast, stern, inflexible and
bigoted. Had he lived in the days of the crusades
he would have organzed his army, and led them, if
necessary, into the jaws of death, and with his
flashing sword have literally hewn his way to the
Holy Sepulcher. One of the tenets of Jansen 's new
faith was that all property should be held in com-
mon, and was subject always to the rule of the
Church leader only, and that the Prophet should pro-
tect all the female of the order.

Root, the man who killed Jansen, came from Stock-
holm and joined the colony in 1848. He married a
cousin of Eric Jansen. The key to the tragedy that
followed this marriage is given by the solemn and
curious marriage contract that Jansen had the par-
ties enter into. It provided that if Root should
ever leave the colony he should go alone, leaving the
wife to enjoy in the colony all the rights and immu-
nities of the church and colony. What would any
intelligent man in this day and age think if his in-
tended preacher presented him such a marriage-con-
tract to sign? But to Jansen the first and supreme
thing in temporal matters was to secure every right
of his Church, and before these — the interests of his

close church corporation— even the solemn and sa-
cre,d rights of the marriage state must, give way.
Thus, before Root and Jansen's cousin were mar-
ried, there was a way provided for their separation.
The command, "Whom God hath joined together,
let no' man put asunder," was provisionally provided
for, and under the cruel wo^ds of that contract —
words that would eat, like the tightening irons into
the victim's flesh, and become an endless torture that
could only be cured by the sufferer belng-setfree and
his marriage shackles stricken from him. It was
thus this foolish . couple entered into the bonds of
marriage. After a short time he tired of Jansen's
religion, and his rigid 'iron rule, and Jansen .was as
soon, probably, tired of Root's presence in the
flock over which he kept guard. Jansen evidently
regarded Root with disfavor, and this grew to be-mu-
tual between the two men. Root abjured ithe faith
and left the community. He returned in a short
time and claimed his wife and newly born chikL
The wife objected to going with him, and the Church
peremptorily objected to her going. Root at one
time got her into a wagon and was fleeing when he
was overtaken, and the woman and child were
taken from him by force and carried back to the col-
ony. Again he got her away and took her to Chi-
cago, and Jansen's men brought her back. Root
talked to all who would listen to him, and told his
story that Jansen had kidnapped 'his wife— had sep-
arated them. Root evidently brooded over the mat-
ter, and made up his mind to wreak a terrible re-
venge for his real or imagined wrongs, and he pre-
p4red himself and came to Cambridge at the com-
mencement of the May term of Court in 1850, and
just as Court adjourned for noon, he walked up to
Jansen and without a word shot him down, — firing
two shots, but one taking effect, the first, and Jansen
fell dead.

Root "was arrested, took a change of venue to Knox
County, was there tried, convicted of- manslaughter
and sentenced to the penitentiary for the term of two
years. He was pardoned by the Governor and re-
turned to the county, and went to Rock Island, and
then to Chicago, where he died.

Jansen was an impracticable fanatic, very religtous
and severe and unrelenting; and his death freed the
the Colony from his rule and also from his Utopian
ideas oi the rights of property and government.

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HENR\

Root was both a foolish and a vicious man, and
the shot that killed Jansen wrecked his own life —
wrecked it to that degree that the grave must have
come to him in the prime of life as a welcome refuge
from this breathing world.

We have told of this tragedy simply to indicate its
great effects upon the Swedes who composed Jan-
sen's Colony. Soon after Jansen 's death there was
an improvement in the credit and standing of these
people ; property no longer was held in common,
and gradually the people became as other citizens,
each practicing his chosen religion without let or
hindrance, and the process of becoming real and val-
uable Americans characterized the whole member-
ship of the Colony, until now their neighbors in the
county willingly testify that they constitute a body of
our best citizens and are noted for less of the baneful,
clannish spirit than probably any other body of for-
eign people in the country.

The Colonists first settled along the south bank
of the South Edwards Creek. The site was a beau-
tiful one. It was covered sparsely with a small
growth of oak timber. In 1849 they erected a four-
story brick, building, 100 X45 feet. This was a col-
ony-house, and here the afflicted and helpless were
more comfortably housed than they had been in the
mud caves and ragged tents.

A large frame building was soon after erected for
a church. Such was their religious zeal that a house
of God was to be provided before they had made
shelters for themselves.

To the credit of the people it must be stated that
they established an English school as early as Jan-
uary, 1847, thus showing that they came to America
to be Americans. A Presbyterian clergyman, Re v.
Talbot, taught some 35 scholars in a mud cave from
January to July. At times he was assisted by his
daughter, Mrs. Pollock, afterwards the wife of Eric
Jansen and now his widow. Talbot taught the sec-
ond school, and Nelson Simons, M. D., was employ-
ed about one year as their third schoolmaster.

The progress of improvement was steady, and a
grist-mill on a small scale was soon in operation on
the Edwards Creek, at the Hill. Two saw-mills
were also soon under way on the same stream. One
of them they purchased. The construction of a
steam grist-mill was commenced in r849, under the
direction of Eric Jansen, but not completed till after
his death.

The high moral conduct of these people soon con-
vinced those living nearest them that nothing was to
be apprehended from them, as their creed was es-
sentially harmless to all outsiders. And in the hour
of need the Colonists found fast friends in the major-
ity of those near them. By the year 1 85 1 they had
grown and strengthened, and had built a first-class
steam flouring-mill, which turned out a large sur-
plus of flour beyond the wants of the Colony.

From living in such poor habitations at first, and
from being unaccustomed to the climate, great num-
bers sickened and died. Especially among the
children was the mortality fearful.

From the terrible mortality caused by cholera and
the leaving of those in fear of the disease, the Col-
ony was at one time reduced to 414 souls. These
survived the plague and had the hardihood to re-
main. At the time Mr. Jansen was murdered, in
May, 1850 (an account of which is given elsewhere),
they were suffering from sickness, desertion and
death ; and the fact that these had the fortitude to
remain amid such a multiplicity of discouragements,
was proof conclusive of the earnestness of their con-
viction that they were called to suffer, and, if need
be, to die in demonstrating the true methods- of
Christian, fellowship. In erecting the large build-
ings for dwellings, in the manufacture of cloth, in
the erection of large mills, in their frugal industry,
and in their honest endeavors to promote their wel-
fare, spiritually and temporally, during all these
trials of poverty, sickness, death, desertion and
strangers in a strange land, a lesson of commenda-
ble zeal may be learned and an example of fortitude
which has few equals in the history of the country.

By the year 1853 or 54 affairs were brightening
and prospects grew better. Other emigrants came,
other buildings were erected and the hopes of the
early Colonists began to be realized.

Brick buildings, capable of accommodating from
eight to double that number of families, were erected.
In these each family had one or more rooms. All
worked together, and at meal time repaired to the
large dining-rooms and partook of food provided for
all. Each one was required to labor, and after re-
ceiving sufficient clothing and food from the pro-
ducts, the remainder was used to purchase more
land or erect additional buildings. ' Human nature
is the same in all ages and among all people, and

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820

•HENRY COUNTY.-

here, as well as elsewhere, were those who would
not perform their share of the labor or provide for
the common good. By the year i860 it was found
that the theories of Mr. Jansen would not prevail in
practical life, and a division occurred.

By this year all the large brick buildings spoken
of were erected. At this time they wer^ divided into
two parties, known as the Johnson (Jansen) and Ol-
son parties. The former being more numerous, ob-
tained about two-thirds of the property ; the latter
the remainder. No serious difficulties arose from this
division, and the individual affairs were conducted
on the same plan heretofore pursued.

The following year the .Olson party were divided
into three diyisions or parts, and the Johnson party
made an individual distriDution of their lands 'and
town property.

It was soon found that it was better for all to be
thrown upon an individual responsibility, and a dis-
tribution of all property belonging to this party was
made. To every person, male or female, that had
attained the age of 35 years, 22 acres of land, one
timber lot (nearly two acres), one town lot, and an
equal part in all barns, horses, cattle, hogs, sheep,
or 'other domestic ,animals, and all farming imple-
ments and household utensils were given. All under
this age received a share corresponding in amount
and value to the age of the individual, no discrimina-
tion being shown to either sex. The smallest share
was about 8 acres of land, a correspondingly small
town and timber lot, and part of the personal prop-
erty.

The same year, in April, the town was laid out by
the Trustees, Olef Johnson, Jonas Erickson, Swan
Swanson, Jonas Olson, Jonas Kronberg, Olef Sten-
berg and Jacob Jacobson. In r86r the Olson party,
being divided into three factions, continued to prose-
cute their labors under the colony system. One
year's trial, however, convinced them of the results.
These factions were known as Oison, Stoneberg and
(Martin) Johnson divisions, which, at the close of the
year r86i, divided their property to the individuals
comprising each faction, on the basis adopted by the
Johnson party in i860. The shares were, however,
not quite so large. The large brick buildings are
now principally owned by the old settlers. »

After the establishment of the colony the school-
room was removed from the cave to any vacant

room which could be utilized for that purpose. The
school-room was therefore constantly changing, until
the erection of the large frame building spoken of,
when the upper room in it was occupied for a num-
ber of years. In 1858 or '59 a school-house was
erected. It contains four rooms for school purposes
and a library.

Village of Bishop Hill.

!HE village of Bishop Hill is a prosperous
station on the Rock Island & Peofia.Rail-
^ road, occupied almost entirely by Swedes,
foreign-born, and the younger generation- of ,
them born in this county. Here, among the
old, you will hear only the Swede language, and
among the young, a curious mixture of Swede and
English. They are all,, however, educated in Eng^
lish, and it is bu{ a few years until'this will be prac-
tically the only language spoken among them. The
town has a population of 350 souls, and excellent
school and church buildings.

The Swede Methodist Episcopal Church was or-
ganized in 1864, with twenty members, the principal
of whom were: Eric Bengtron, Jonas Engstrom,
Eric Soder, Jons Watstrom, George Ericson. Meet-
ings at first were held in the Bishop Hill School-
house, and in private residences. Soon after the
organization a wagon -shop was, bought for $400, and
Church services were held in the second story of this
building until i868j when a church building was
erected, at a cost of $3,500. In their order the
preachers were N. O. Westergreen, Peter. Chairman,
A. J. Anderson, Eric Shogren, W. K. Eklund and J.
E. Bergren.

There are over 200 in the congregation, with a
flourishing Sunday-school. A few years ago several
of the members of this Church, emigrated to Kansas,
where they now reside.

WESTERN TOWNSHIP.

NOTHER plan of colonizing, that was
If almost an exact pattern of the New York
*< Colony, before described, was the La Grange

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Colony, which first settled in Western Town^
ship. The company, in July, 1839, through
their authorized agents, Killbourne and Buel
purchased- in townships 15 north, 1 east, and 16

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HENRY COUNTY.

north, i east, and 16 north, 2 east, about 18,000
acres of land, and after the New York Colony plan,

qj p laid out a big town, divided it up, and sold preference
for choice at public auction, receiving as premiums

fk about $7 ,000. Kilbourne and Buel were paid $25
for each quarter-section, and the premium money
was then to build a hotel, a seminary and a slush
fund, to lobby through the Legislature a charter for
a seminary, and also procure a charter for a Beet-
Root Sugar Company, as well as have a State road
located and made from the mouth of Rock River
to Hennepin. Mr. Kilbourne lobbied two seasons at
the Legislature. These brilliant schemes came to
naught. A wing of the great public house was put
up in township 16 north, 1 east, in 1836. Afterwards
it became the home of Mr. Denton. Some of the
timbers of the main building (30 x 40), were got out
and hauled to the ground from Richland Grove, a
distance of seven miles, and they lay unused on the

(j ' grounds for a few years, and were finally sold to J.
B. Trego, who used them in constructing a barn.
The colonists were to come out, and each was to
build on his piece of land. Alfred Buel built his
house near the company's hotel, and some one erect-
ed another frame house, but never occupied it.
These were the entire improvements of the new
town, and in after years they were sold to the Bishop
Hill Colony, of which a full account is given in an-
other place.

In the fall of 1837 M. B. Lloyd purchased of the
La Grange Company 240 acres, paying $3.33 per
acre. He could have got thousands of acres in the
county just as good for $1.50 per acre. He built the
first house outside of the town, about two miles dis-
tant. Albert and Francis Wells bought of the com-
pany a half-section in 1838. They were from Sing
Sing, N. Y. Francis Wells came out and brought a
large lot of Berkshire hogs, and fenced his farm with
a sod fence, and entered upon raising hogs for the
New York market. He raised quite a crop of corn,
and had to carry water to his hogs. They became
diseased, many died, and a part he slaughtered, took
to Knoxville, and sold at $1.50 per 100. He sunk
about $4,000 in his hog speculation, and having a
horse and $10 left he mounted and turned his horse to
the East, and left the country. His abandoned house
was divided out piece-meal among the neighbors,
and when last heard from Francis was in California
in the hot pursuit of wealth. He was a man of edu-

cation, a lawyer by profession, but, like the majority
of graduates who came West, with only the bright
but superficial ideas of the school-room, are signal
failures nearly always, the only exception being
those young men who are enabled to throw off the
education that has cost them so much time and
money as thqpgh it was a loose-fitting cloak, and as
quickly learn that practical education of life that
adapts men to their surroundings.

William Blackfan removed from Pennsylvania and
settled two miles west of La Grange in 1839. Dr.
Alfred Trego soon followed, and two other families
from Bucks Co., Pa., came in 1840. This last
named was known as West La Grange. These con-
stituted the settlements in this part of the county
for ten years. Dr. Robert D. Foster bought 1,100
acres of th t company's land in 1847, and the next
year sowed 200 acres in wheat. This crop and his
improvements, and all his lands, he sold to the Bish-
op Hill Colony. Buel removed to Galena in 1844 and
died there. Blackfan died on his farm in 1841. Dr.
Trego removed to Mercer County.

Orion.

fcENRY County has numerous wide-awake,
enterprising villages, but one of the pleasant

fand most enterprising is Orion. It stands
almost in the center of Western Township, is
surrounded by magnificent farming country, has
excellent railroad accommodation, and is looked
upon by the people, for miles around, as an excel-
lent-trading point. It is on the Rock Island Divis-
of the Chicago, Burlington & Quincy Railroad, at the
junction north of the Peoria & Rock Island Railroad,
18 miles south of Rock Island, and 12 miles from
Cambridge.

Mahlon B. Lloyd, the first settler to locate in
Western Township, came' as early as 1837. He was
an enterprising business man, and did much to ad-
vance the interests of the township. His son
Charles was the first white male child born in the
township, and a daughter of William and Elizabeth
K. Blackfan was the first female child born in the
township. Dr. Alfred Trego came in 1840, and a
year later the Blackfan family came in, and by 1852
there were but five families living in the township.
These were M. B. Lloyd, H. B. Engle, Edward

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HJB.NR Y CO UNT Y.

Blackfan, George Anderson and Elizabeth Blackfan
and her family. The latter was the widow of Will-
iam Blackfan, who died in 1843. This lady, though
so early left a widow with a large family upon her
hands and in a new country, displayed rare business
ability, and succeeded in gaining considerable prop-
erty, as well as to prove an earnest worker for the
moral growth of the place.

As early as 1850 a postoffice was established in
thevtownship, called Orion. Mrs. Blackfan was ap-
pointed Postmistress, and held the position until it
was moved to Orion in 1853. In JDecember of that
year Charles W. Dean laid out Orion, which for some
time was known as Deanington. In 1867 it was
christened' its present name. Mr. Dean immediate-
ly erected a store-building, and embarked in the
grocery business. But little growth, however, was at-
tained until the completion of the railroad, which was
in the autumn of 1870. The coming of the' iron
horse awakened many new enterprises. Buildings
went up on every hand, stores and shops were
opened, and the business of the place soon quad-
rupled. There -are excellent schools at this point,
three, prosperous churches, a bank, a weekly news-
paper, and all the necessary appointments for a
first-class town. x

In 1852, when there were but five families in the
township as above mentioned, it was determined to'
erect a school building, and a tax was therefore
voted. The school-house was erected on Mr. Lloyd's
farm, the site of which is at present almost within
the corporation of Orion. Charles Dean erected
the building, at a cost of $140. In 1854, it was
moved to Orion, and the following year the first
school at this place was opened by Charles Moon.
Great progress has since been made in the facilities
for accommodating the children in this place, and
to-day Orion can justly boast of one of the best
schools in the county.

In 1853, the Methodist Episcopal Church was or-
ganized in the school-house above mentioned, while
it was standing on Mr. Lloyd's farm. John and
Mary McHenry, Henry and Mary Kyle, and Eliza
J. McWhinney were among the first members. Rev.
G. W. Brown was the first appointed minister.
Meetings were held in the school-house until 1867,
when a commodious church building was erected, at
a cost of $3,500. Rev. F. M. Chaffee was the first
resident Presiding Elder of the Methodist Episcopal

Church of Henry County. , He lived at Orion in the
parsonage that was built here in 1873, at a cost of
$3,poo. Rev. A. R. Morgan is the present Presid-
ing Elder of this district, and he also resides at
Orion.

The -Mt. Pleasant Baptist Church is one of the
oldest religious organizations in the county. On
the 21st of November, 1843, a few earnest members
of this denomination met at the house of V. W.
Washburn, in Colona Township, and effected 'an
organization. Among those present were Luke C.
and Mrs. Mary A. Sheldon, N. W. and Mrs. Eliza-
beth Washburn. It received but few additions for
many years. Meetings were, however, held in school-
houses, and finally the congregation .moved to
Orion and erected a good house of worship, costing
about $5,000.

The Swedish Lutheran Church effected an organi-
zation May 26, 1870, having at the time 30 members.
For a time the meetings were held in the Baptist
Church, when they erected a large house of worship;
costing $4,500, and later erected a good parsonage.

Th« United Brethren Church, known as the Eden
Church, located on section -16 of this township, was
organized in 1867. Meetings, however, were pre-
viously held, under the charge- of Rev, St. Clair
Ross and Rev. D. F. Blair. There were 28 persons
present at the organization. Shortly afterwards a
pleasant church structure was erected, costing about
$2,000.

,- The business men of Orion are worthy the liberal
patronage they receive from the farmers of the sur-
rounding country. They display commendable
enterprise in looking after their trade, as well as hold-
ing out inducements to a good class of people to
come and locate here, Personal sketches of the
leading business men of the place, as well as its
most prominent citizens, are given in the biographical
part of this Album.

WETHERSFIELD TOWNSHIP.

HE delegated agents of the colony which
located here, E. Goodrich and Col. S.
* Blish, entered land in township 15 north,
range 4 east, for the colonists, May 12, 1836.
William and Samuel Carson entered lands in
the same vicinity, August 8, and Ed. G. "Dele-
van August 1 2th following. The next spring Jacob

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&*-

HENRY COUNTY.

Kemmerling settled in the neighborhood, and he
raised the first crop in this township. The Carsons
had gone outside the township to raise their first
crop. These first improvements were made along
the eastern side of the township, skirting the timber
or in it. In 1841, Dr. David Norton commenced an
improvement in Round Grove, to be devoted to
dairying purposes. His father was widely known in
the East as " Old Connecticut," and he made cheese
in large quantities, but he never knew the secret of
the proper coloring matter to give his cheese the
rich yellow appearance, and therefore, though his
cheese was the purer and better, he was at a disad-
vantage in the market, and had to content himself
with a lower price. He eventually gained this col-
oring secret, however, and to this was due the world-
wide famous Goshen cheese and butter.

In 1843, Dr. Norton got his log dairy building up,
and was ready for operations. As an explanation of
the then advanced state of the country, it may be
stated here that he had to get his help to raise his
log house from a distance of fifteen miles. But the
range for his cows was unlimited. He was soon
producing more cheese than he could find a remun-
erative market for. He wagoned it to Chicago and
there found great trouble in selling it for enough to
pay for hauling it. And again, two or three good-
sized cheese would be liable to overload the market.
To stand now on the side of the tracks of any road
from the south, and see the daily trains con-
taining hundreds of cars loaded with strawberries,
and still the market is never overstocked, and all this
change in a short life-time, is like a fairy dream.
The Doctor shipped to St. Louis, hauled it to Peoria,
Rock Island, Galena, and tried to peddle it out, when
finally he branded it " Goshen cheese," and he then
could readily sell all he could make. He abandoned
the business in 185 1.

In 185 1, there were three families in Round
Grove, — Seller's, Norton's and Charles. Dr. Norton
removed to Galva when that place was started, and
built the finest block of business houses in that
place.

Concerning the Wethersfield Colony, a member of
that organization says : "The Protestant Christians
of our country were in a ferment about the years
1834-5 and '6 over the probable expansion of Ro-
man Catholicism in the Valley of the Mississippi,

and that earnest efforts were made to pre-occupy
with Christians of the right stamp that vast field for
human industry and development. Several colonies
in this county, including that of Wethersfield, owed
their origin principally to this feeling. Mr. Pillsbury
and his associates, Slaughter and Pike, as stated
elsewhere, had been commissioned by the New York
Association, in 1835, to select a location for the " An-
dover Colony. " Upon the return of Mr. Pillsbury in
the fall of '35, he was written to by the Rev. Caleb
J. Tenney, of Wethersfield, Conn., upon the possibil-
ity of locating another colony in the region of
the Andover Colony, and an interview requested.
The interview induced the Doctor to project another
colony in Henry County, to be styled the " Wethers-
field Colony. "

Dr. Tenney was an eminent divine and well ac-
quainted with the prominent men of that region who
would be likely to favor an enterprise by which the
Papacy might be thwarted, addressed many of them
in relation to the matter he had then at heart and in
hand, urging various substantial reasons for suppos-
ing a colony could be formed, religion and education
in the West promoted, and the projectors of the en-
terprise secure a liberal return for the money in-
vested.

The efforts of the Doctor led to a meeting in the Con-
ference room of the Congregational Church in Weth-
ersfield, somewhat late in the fall of 1835. At this
meeting lhe project assumed a tangible shape, and
another meeting was appointed to be held in the
same place soon after, at which an organization was
effected for the purpose of locating acolony in Illi-
nois, by means of which the mental, moral and re-
ligious growth of that part of the country might be
promoted and their own means for doing good in-
creased.

Following is a complete list of the original com-
pany : Rev. Caleb J. Tenney, Selden Miner, Roger
Wells, Martin Kellogg, John Francis, Chancey Cole-
man, Weltha Willard, Rev. John Marsh, Ann Marsh,
Joshua Goodrich, George Wells, Horace Blane, Hen-
ry Robbins, Sylvester Blish, Rev. Samuel Redel,
William Butler, Rev. Ithamar Pillsbury, Miles Ad-
ams, Elizur Goodrich, Samuel Galpin, E. Porter, Rev.
Horace Hooker, Wm. Tenney, Geo. P. Shipman,
Russell H. Nevins, Timothy Stillman, Allen Talcott,
Rev. Geo. Calhoun, Francis Loomis, Rev. Edward

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HENRY COUNTY.

Payson, Rev. Geo. Stebbins, Rev. John Woodbridge,
Gershom and George Bulkley, Rev. Gardner Spring,
Merritt Butler, Osmond Harrison, Rev. Harvey Tal-
cott, Norman Hubbard, Jonathan Hubbard, Sulli-
van Howard, George Richards, Jasper Gilbert, Rev.
Alpha Miller, Nathan DeWolf, J. L. Belden, Nathan
Kelley, Stephen Topliff, Dr. A. Welch, Geo. B.
Holley, Rev. Chancey Booth, Richard T. Haines,
Rev. Ralph Emerson, Robert Gipson arid a few
others not now known.

The company was styled the " Connecticut As-
sociation." The stockholders in the concern resided
at different points, from Maine to New York. Some
of them were quite wealthy and others occupied
prominent positions in the religious world. The great
Temperance Agent will be recognized . in the Rev.
John Marsh. Dr. Payson in his day was a distin-
guished Christian minister, and Gardner Spring an
eminent divine in New York, at the head of one of
the most aristocratic Presbyterian Churches in the
nation.

The stock of this Association was valued at $250 a
share. During the winter of 1835-6, roo shares were
taken and $25,000 paid Into the treasury. As early as
February, 1836, Rev. Ithamar Pillsbury, Col. Sylves-
ter Blish and Elizur Goodrich were appointed a
" committee of purchase, " to proceed to Illinois and
select the land. The first named gentleman was
appointed because he had already 'performed the
same duty for another colony and was supposed to
be familiar with the details of such an enterprise.
The last najned got his appointment because he was
a competent surveyor and could " run out " the
lands, when necessary to determine boundaries, with-
out additional cost to the company. Col. Blish was
appointed on account of his eminent fitness for the
post as a man of energy and prompt business habits.
The route of the committee was through Baltimore,
over the mountains to Wheeling, down the Ohio by
steamboat, up the Mississippi to the mouth of the
Illinois River, and up that to Peoria; thence to
Knoxville, Henderson Grove and Andover, where
was a house or two, but none of the colonists had
yet arrived, nor did they till ,in July of that season.
At Andover neither feed nor horses could be ob-
tained, and the party had to foot it, a distance of 20
miles over to " Barren Grove " (with only a deserted
cabin on the route, in Sugar-Tree Grove) along the
south side of which they commenced at once to se-

lect the company's land. They camped out during
the several nights they had to remain. It will be
borne in mind that Mr. Pillsbury had been out the
preceding fall and assisted in " locating " the lands
for the colony at Andover, and had been on and
over the ground they now proposed to select from,
his " prospecting " at that time obviating the neces-
sity now of protracted examination of different local-
ities.

As they were sent out to enter lands for the com-
pany, some, of course, had to be purchased, but he
looked upon the enterprise as chimerical to a very
great extent, and advised that the bulk of the money
be taken back, because the land would not be set-
tled up even along the grove, for one hundred years
to come. The despondency of the surveyor affect-
ed neither the clergyman nor the soldier, and they
compelled him to trudge around, compass in hand,
till they, at different times, succeeded in selecting
and entering 99 quarter-sections of land, in town-
ships 14-5 and 15-5, the first entry being made May
7, 1836. The following month of March, another
quarter-section was purchased, which made the en-
tries a round hundred. $5,000 of the purchase fund
was returned to the treasury. Mr. Pillsbury declin-
ed having his name appear upon the entries, and
the purchase was made of the Government, by
Goodrich and Blish, who deeded the land in trust,
for the purposes of the association, to the secretary
and treasurer, Chester Bulkley, who afterwards
deeded to individual members, or to those who pur-
chased of the company.

The Committee of Purchase having returned and
reported their doin'gs, a committee of three other gen-
tlemen was appointed to survey and lay out a town
plat, and to divide up the timber land into lots of
twenty acres each. This committee consisted of Rev.
Joseph Goodrich, John F. Willard and Henry G-
Little. Mr. Goodrich had but recently returned
from a missionary expedition to the Sandwich Islands
where he had spent several years, and returned to
his native land in broken health, to assist in secur-
ing Protestant domination on the fertile and almost
boundless prairies of the West. s

November n, 1836, the committee to survey and
plat the town — Rev. Joseph Goodrich, John F„ Wil-
lard and Henry G. Littler-arrived on the ground./
The timber was divided into lots of 20 acres each

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^«#II!1*0A^

HENRY COUNTY.

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John Kilvington was the only one then found living
near the colony's location. He lived north towards
where Kewanee now stands. He came in the spring
of 1836. The committee made their home at Kil-
vington's. The party wintered at French Grove,
Peoria County, and the next spring John F. Willard,
H. G. Little, Nelson Simons, William Wheeler, W. T.
Little, Sullivan Howard and Simeon B. Stoddard re-
turned to Wethersfield. Willard built a cabin, and
in 1836-7 he, in company with N. Butler and Joseph
Goodrich, " bached " through the winter. In the
early part of 1837, Sullivan Howard put up a board
cabin. He had hauled his lumber from Spoon River,
seventy miles. Henry G. Little " raised " his cabin
in March, 1837, and soon after William T. Little
built another. In this last Abner B. Little and his
family resided with his son's family. There were
nine persons easy and comfortable in a single room
18 by 20 feet in dimensions. Elisha Wolcott and
Caleb Little arrived in April, Evan Wheaton in June
and C. B. Minor in July. Sylvester Blish and his
son William, and also Selden Miner, came in August,
and a little later Luther C. Sleight. In 1838 David
Potter and family, John H. Wells and Francis
. Loomis came. There were eight children in Potter's
family ; all still living, and all the boys becoming very
prominent in the affairs of the county. David Potter
planted the first orchard in the settlement and had
the first fruit. Champlain Lester came in 1839, in
the spring, and Zerias Hotchkiss in the summer.
Potter raised a family of eight children, four boys and
four girls.

Col. Sylvester Blish, a son of Thomas Blish, of
Glastonbury, Conn., married Rhoda Cheny, Jan. 1,
181 1, and got his title of Colonel by promotion in the
Connecticut militia. He was in the Legislature of
that State in 1833. He brought his family in a wagon
and landed here in August, 1837. He was the first
Postmaster in Wethersfield and held that position
from 1838 to 1849. He was one of the proprietors of
Kewanee, and was Postmaster at that place, hold-
that position until he died. He is affectionately re-
membered all over the county as one of the best men
that ever made the county his home. He settled on
the northwest quarter of section 4, where he really
lived until he died, Oct. 8, 1855.

M. B. Potter has long been one of the leading and
influential men of the county, and nearly all his life

since maturity has been spent in public office. He
was Sheriff, and arrested Root in a few minutes after
he (Root) had shot Jansen. He was re-elected ir
1852. He also served as County Judge, and now

<j>

and for many years has been a leading member of
the Board of Supervisors. Judge Potter is a liberal
and large-minded gentleman, a man of great natu-
ral force of character and at the same time of liberal
and broad culture, and full of those eminent qualities
of head and heart that deeply impress themselves
upon old friends and new acquaintances. He is one,
of those chosen few who contribute greatly toward
making this world a bright and cheerful place to1
live in.

H. G. Little's father, Abner, came in 1837. He
was from Salem, N. H. He was the father of ten
children, all of whom came to Henry County. His
wife, Nancy Little, nee Nancy Tenny, of Hollis, N.
H., died July 7, 1847, aged 66 years. Abner Little
died Sept. 8, 1863, aged 89 years.

The colonists built a mill, and the evidences of^
their lack of financial ability is given in the fact that&v
they expended over $9,000 on it, involved themselves
badly, and sold the whole concern to Jeduthan Hub-
bard for $2,000. Out of the long array of colonists_
in the list of eager organizers, only four came West$^
and personally aided the organization in killing ofiV
the horrid Pope of Rome, and thereby "brace up "(>)
the true God. These were Col. Blish, Charles Rich-
ards, Sullivan Howard and Francis Loomis. Selden
Miner sent his two sons, and Gardner Spring sent
one of his sons. Ithamar Pillsbury had his hands
full here at Andover. James E. Carson opened a
store in the settlement in r839, but closed out in less
than one year, leaving the people without a stor&
until Garey E. Smith opened his in 1845. In 1849
Daniel McClure opened a store, and the next year
William Blish commenced merchandising.

The first school-teacher was Parmelia Stewart, who
taught in the Old Colony log church. She was the
daughter of R. R. Stewart. She eventually laid
down the birch, and married Dr. Hume of Geneseo

Rev. Ithamar Pillsbury was the colonists' preach
er. He contracted to give them one- fourth of hisjf;
time. No regular Congregationalist Church was
organized until Oct 19, 1839. Pillsbury ministered
to the faithful nearly all over the county. He ante-
dated the " circuit-riders," for the substantial reason

1- 1

HENRY COUNTY.

-4?@&C<i

*
&

that he "footed" it. Clothed and shod in enthu-
siasm mostly, armed with a pocket Bible only, he
sallied forth and bared his breast to the pitiless
elements and the swollen streams, where no bridges
spanned their turbid waters,, the " wild varmints "
of the desolate plains, and everywhere proclaimed
the solemn and divine commands of peace on earth,
and down with the Papists ! Pillsbury was an
earnest, sincere and enthusiastic follower of Christ.
His deep and solemn convictions of his faith and
tenets never cooled, and there was but one road be-
fore him, the path of duty, and the more rugged and
difficult that way became the more eagerly and earn-
estly did he push his course along it. For many
years he was the leading and prominent figure in the
religious movements in the county, and when he
passed away from earth his flock sincerely mourned
the lo.ss of the Good Shepherd.

Rev. W. F. Vaill was sent as a missionary from
. Connecticut in November, 1838, and in the following
vear the Church was fully organized, at the house of
John H. Wells, with 15 members: Rev. Joseph
Goodrich and wife, Rev. Vaill, Nancy T. Little, Mrs.
Rhoda Blish, John H. Wells, Mrs. Julia Wells, L. C.
Sleight, Hosea Buckley and wife, Deacon Zenas
Hotchkiss and wife, and Francis Loomis.

The first election in Wethersfield precinct was
held in the little log cabin of Henry G. Little, in
August, 1837. The one room was i6xr8. Three
families were living in this room — Mr. Little's, Col.
S. Blish and W. H. Blish : the two latter had just
arrived in the county. There were two sick men in
the room— Hazel ton Page and W. H. Blish. This
was the state of affairs in the leading house of that
part of the county at that day, and where the sov-
ereigns met to cast their votes, talk over the pros-
pects of the country, and cheer each other up in
their new homes in the new country. It is said that
even Henry G. Little, — now of Grinnell, Iowa, who
loves to dwell on the good old times, and never ad-
mits there were any "hardships, — even he has been
known in forgetful moments to admit that on that
election day his cabin was " a little crowded T

Rev. Vaill remained Pastor eight years. Meet-
ings were generally held at Colonel Blish's, but
sometimes in other residences. In the summer of
1838 a log church was built, and this served the
worshipers until 1849, when a frame house was

erected. A parsonage was built in 185 1. When
the Kewanee Church was organized many of the
Congregation£.rists united - with that Church, and hi"
time about all went there. Rev. Samuel Ordway suc-
ceeded Vaill, and he remained three years. He in
turn was succeeded by Rev. Darius Gore, who re-
mained about the sarne length of time, when R. S.
Thrall came, who preached about 18 months. Then
Rev. W. T. Bartle was Pastor for two years ; then
the next 18 months Rev. Thomas Snell, and he was
succeeded by Rev. Robert Rudd — one year. Rev.
B. B. Parsons was installed Aug. T7, 1859. He was
followed by Rev. L. D. Pomeroy for four years, and
then came Rev. Rider, two years. Then W. T. Bar-
tie was again called and served them two years, and
this practically ended the separate existence of the
Wethersfield Church, and it became absorbed in the
Kewanee congregation.

The Methodist Episcopal Churfh was organized in
this settlement in 1841. Meetings were held in resi-
dences and the school-house until 1853, when a
building was put up. The building of the church
commenced, in i85r, but was not completed until
1853. Again, the Kewanee Methodist Episcopal
Church absorbed this church and it ceased to exist.

The Baptists commenced in 1843, witn eight mem-
bers : Elder Edward Otis, Charles B. Miner, Mary
G. Miner, Edward Otis, Merrill Otis, Hileman Otis,
Hannah and Sarah Otis. The first three above were
from Connecticut, and the others from Ohio.

The Church was too feeble for a regular Pastor,
and Elder Otis, Jonathan Miner and others of the
flock, and occasionally a preacher from abroad, of-
ficiated. Meetings were generally on the north side
of the grove, and sometimes in a school-house at the
west end, and often, when the weather was good, in
the open air. Elder Charles E. Tinker was secured
to preach one Sunday in each mouth, in 1845. ' Dur-
ing his ministrations the Church gradually trans-
ferred its membership to Annawan. Another Church
was then, established at Wethersfield, in May, 1851,
with eleven members : Ezekiel Cole, Mrs. Maria
Cole, John Ewing, Mrs. Keziah Ewing, Mrs. Jane,
White, Mrs. Susan Ellenwood, Mrs. Caroline Purvi-
ance, Mrs. Maria F. Miner, Charles B, Miner, Mrs.
Mary A. Miner and Austin Sykes. Elder J. M.
Stickney commenced preaching for these In July,
1852. He was succeeded by J. S. Mahan. The

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HENRY COUNTY.

827

congregation dropped to nine members. ' In 1854 a
revival added about 50 new ones. Mahan resigned
in 1855. Dr. J. M. Winn for a short time, and then
Elder S. P. Ives succeeded. In 1856 it voted to
merge itself into the Kewanee Church.

YOBKTOWN TOWNSHIP.

HIS is the northeast township of the county
its boundary lines on the east and north,
being also the county lines. No part of it
is traversed by a railroad, and hence, to some
extent, its settlement was mostly the overflow
from the adjoining townships that were filling
so rapidly by the excitement of the first railroad
building in the county in 1853-4.

Four brothers, Jacob, Barnhart, John and Judah
Wolf and Benj. Goble and J. Luther, were the first
settlers. Of these, we suppose from the best obtain-
able authority, Benj. Goble and John Luther were
here first of all as permanent settlers. J. J. Wolf
still resides in the township, the only one remaining
of the first settlers. Phillip Ott, now a prominent
and wealthy citizen of Geneseo, came in 1854, and
to this fortunate fact is due mostly the coming of the
large settlement of Germans that are now thrifty
farmers in this part of the county. He was accom-
panied in his immigration here by his brother, Jacob
Ott. The two brothers came to this State and set-
tled in Cook County in 1836. They were a fine type
of the Pennsylvania Germans, whose great brick and
stone barns are the chief characteristics of the Ger-
man and American farmers of Pennsylvania. Phil-
ip Ott visited his old home and wrote to friends and
influenced Germans fresh from the fatherland to
come and look at the cheap, rich lands of this part
of Illinois. The first of the natives to come to the
township made their improvements, and after a few
years sold out to some new German arrival and
went West. Some of the Gobies went to Oregon.

The rush of immigration was in the high tide in
r855. Among these were George Seyller, from Du
Page County, George Clemens and John Gross.

A school-house was built in 1854 on section 30,
in the grove just west of the lake, and in this build-
ing was taught the first school by Delia Wilmot, who
came from Cook County. The building was a rough
log house, and it had been put up by the neighbors

interested gathering and doing the work without
money and without price.

Captain Charles Jack was an Englishman who had
worn his spurs in the British army, where he had
served long and faithfully. When he came to this
country he brought large wealth with him and invest-
ed much of it in Illinois lands, and improved a very
extensive farm near Shabbona Grove. A gentleman
now living in Geneseo informs us that when a boy
he saw Captain Jack's teams breaking the fresh prai-
rie land where it was five miles each round of the
furrow, and the Captain, with an old drawn-down
chip hat, dropping corn in the fresh-turned sod.
This was a common way of planting the first corn
crop at one time. The corn would be dropped every
third or fourth furrow and it would sprout and come
between the edges of the sod, and was never touched
while growing with plow or hoe, and sometimes it
would produce by this simple culture a fair crop.

Captain Jack was a man of remarkable enterprise,
liberality and great force of character. His will was
iron, and in defense of any of his rights, small or
great, he would go to the courts and pour out his
money with a lavish hand. He seemingly cared
nothing for money, but would wreck a world if he
could in defense of a principle. He was charitable
and liberal and would give without stint where he
imagined the favor asked was honest and deserving,
but woe betide him who attempted by force or fraud
to wrong him of a cent.

A short time before the late war he went South on
one of his annual winter visits and invested largely /
in sugar plantations and slaves, and then expended
large amounts of money in improving his Southern
property. When the war came all this investment
was swept away in the fortunes of war.

Captain Jack died in St. Louis. His death was
sudden and very sad. He left surviving only a
daughter, who is married and a resident of Rock Isl-
and, and is one of the wealthiest women in this part
of Illinois.

The Evangelical Association was organized in
185 1, at the house of Peter Luther, with 17' mem-
bers. It soon increased to over 200. A church build-
ing was erected in 1867 on section 27, at a cost of
$3,000. The first pastor was secured in 1854, Rev.
William Kalb ; then John Schneider, J. C. Anthus,
J. C. Spielman, John Dengel, R. Rothermund, A.
Heilman, Joseph Schnee, M. Heyl, A. Gockley, P.
Himmel, E. Freeden, M. Hegel, V. Forkel, A. Go'et-
schel, A. Wseher, C. Gagstetter.

¥£

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BIOGI^JBIJHSpa

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•>i $ o.g^<B)ill>^sao •§—£<•

(!)

Ackerman, Casper 716

Adams, Harriet K 700

Adams, John 23

Adams, John Quincy 39

Adams, Moses 562

Adams,Dr. W. W 424

Albro, A. W 461

Aldeen, A. E 307

Aldrich, Earl P 305

Aldrich, Henry S ....700

Allan, James M 284

Allan, Rev. W. T 326

Allen, John H 672

Allen, Royce. ... , 700

Anderson, A. E 275

Anderson, A. G 534

Anderson, A.J 361

Anderson, A. L 197

Anderson, August 211

Anderson, Edward 262

Anderson, J. 0 226

Anderson, John 277

Andrews, Bela 478

Andrews, James 515

Angell, Henry L 430

Armstrong John 627

Arnett, George , 3x9

Arnett, Samuel 240

Arnett, William 689

Arthur, Chester A 99

Ash,E. H 361

Atkinson, Charles 700

Atwater, Robert 192

Austin, William 449

Ayers, Buenos 381

1 Bachus, James. 216

Bailey, R. F 497

( Baird, F. N 477

Baker, W. P 718

Barge, David B 727

Barker,S. N 625

Barlow, Andrew 344

Barnes, Wm. L , 504

Barrett, James M 701

Bartlett, C. K 251

Bartlett, Wm. C 700

Bass, Henry 718

Bassett, Chauncey 650

Batton, R 720

Bauer, Charles 499

Baum, Charles 434

Beals, R. F 215

Becht, Anton 432

Beck, Alfred 701

Beckwith, P. W 240

Bell, Edward 563

Bell, T. F ....249

Benedict, Geo. W 557

Bennett, Sterling 404

Beveridge, John L 171

Bigelow, Hiram 706

Billings, John 200

Bissell, William H 151

Black, Jerome 575

Blackfan, Elizabeth K 701

Blair, Tames, 647

Blakely, James P 723

Blish, Charles C 694

Blish, J. K 687

Blish, Sylvester 641

Blish, William H 692

Bliss, Hosea F 517

Blodgett, M rs. E.J 700

Boice, Robert D 223

Bolen, Thomas 522

Bolles, Jesse 426

Bolles, Wm. A 427

Boltenstern, Wm 212

Bond, Shadrach in

Boomer, Henry 561

Booth, R. P 493

Bothwell, L. R 361

Bowen, W. A 488

Boyd, John, Sr 700

Boyd, Robert 668

Brady, Thomas 495

Brainard,W. E 448

Brandenburg, Francis M 700

Brandenburg, George 700

Brasel, Lewis 664

Brawley, Wm. H 433

Breckenridge, J. E 626

Brittain, Jerome 700

Broadbent, Robert.. 685

Broadbent, William 438

Bronson, Ethel V 611

Brooks, C. H 637

Broughton, W. F 300

Brown, B. J 517

Brown , Garrett 629

Brown, George 252

Brown, T. Scott. 679

Browning, Joshua 700

Browning, Preston 700

Brush, Joseph B 297

Bryan, Cornelius 700

Bryan, Dr. J. L 228

Buchanan, James 75

Buck, G. W 413

Buell, Christian 345

Buelt, John 708

Burgeson, Axel 206

Burn,R. B 684

Burns, J. M 583

Burns, John 594

Busenbark, D. N 638

Busenbark, Redding 700

Butzer, Adam 360

Butzer,Geo. F 228

Cady, Hiram J 276

Cahow, G. W 639

Cain, Thomas 213

Caldwell, J. V 666

Calhoun, Andrew 395

Calkins, Anson 355

Campbell, L. C 244

Carlin, Thomas 135

Carlsson, Rev. Erland 711

Carson, Hugh G 613

Carter, George A 307

Carter, John N 613

Chamberlain , Samuel 461

Chamberlin, Lee 382

Chapin, Rev. Jason 354

Chapman, John W 551

Charles, Wm. S 371

Chesley, T. H 485

Chilberg, Leander 377

Chinburg, Andrew 276

Chisnall, John. 482

Churchill, John 606

Clark, Samuel 701

Clarke, John P 690

Clarke, William 442

Clay, W. L 240

Cleveland, S. Grover 103

Clough, H. V , . .. .349

Clow, E. C 707

Colbert, George A 701

Colbert, Washington B 701

Cole, A. B 528

Cole, Joshua 628

Cole, L. J 726

Coles, Edward 115

Combs, John L 411

Cone, Elisha 262

Cone, Reuben 700

Conover, S. N 448

Cook, F. A 653

Corkhill, John J 507

Cornell, William 380

Cosner, Jacob 516

Cosner, Wm. H 523

Countryman, A 271

Cowl, E. T 624

Cox, Joseph F 384

Cox, F. J 701

Cox, Mrs. Juliett 371

Crane, A. A 493

Crane, E. M 667

Crawford, J. W 556

Cree, James H 204

Crook, Asa 269

Crossley, Hiram 393

Crouch, R. G 532

Crouch, Silas 397

Cullom, Shelby M 175

Curry, S. I ..199

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■^^sr- — @V4S1I 0@B H&vrc) ^#g»g-

-eeS

INDEX.

Dairy mple, Wm. L. ........ . .6Q9

Davenport, Charles W 701

Davenport, T. F r8g

Davis,. J. G 457

Day, George 499

Dean, John H 222

Deem, Jacob L 282

Deem, S. V .564

Deets, Jackson 456

Derby, J. F 251

Dewitt. Henry ..38.5

Dickey, D. T 578

Dickey, S . H , 602

Dickinson, Dr. J. D 512

DilenBeck, Myron H 423

Dinnick, L. F 191

Dodge, James P 699

Dorr, B. M 680

Douglas, S^S 244

Dubbs, J. H 351

Duff, George 480

Dunbar, Washington -.481

Duncan, James ^-243

Duncan, Joseph 131

Dunlap, Adam '686

Dunlap, G. W., M. D 197.

Durmann, Joseph 513

Dyal, Amos 337

Dyson, E. K 456

a; '

(!)

Eaton, Hugh 415

Edgerton, S. E 207

Edwards, J.C... 204

Edwards, Milton F 723

Edwards, Ninian.. ng

Eldridge, Benj. S 513

Ellingsworth, J..S 704

Elliott, George D.v 634

Elliott, Zadock 457

Emmert, George S .700

Emmert, Philip 390

Engdahl, John 416

Engle, H. B 523

Epperson, J. W 700

Espey., Walker 512

Everett, J. H 373

Everett, R. F 412

Ewing, W. L. D 127

Kyer, Francis H 467

Farwell, Edwin 321

Fell, James. 526

) Ferguson, George 349

Ferris, Sylvan us 700

Fickling, Jacob 658

Fierce, Wilson. 665

Fillmore, Millard 67

Finch, John T 388

Fisher, H. V .-..383

, Fitch, E. E 366

Fitch, Thomas 700

Flagg, Nahum H 500

Fleming, John 362

Fleming, R. W 367

Follett, Abram H 470

Follett, John M 700

Ford, M. M ...585

Ford, Thomas 139

Foster, Alfred P 233

Foster, J. P 728

Francis, Morrison 727

Frank, Jacob 242

Fraser, W. A 241

Freeman, Pliny.. 438

French, Augustus C 143

Fritzsche, Frederick 351

Fronk, Joseph 442

Fronk, Levi 565

Fry, Abraham 603

Furst, August 666

Gabrielson, Eric. 518

Gager, Dr. George 700

Gaines, C. H 620

Gaines, Nelson 348

Gamble, S. A 241

(Gamble, T.W. 575

Gardiner, John L 407

Garfield, James A ^ 95

Garland, George 700

Garnett,_ Robert 271

Garrison, Robert M 194

Gaster, James... .525

Gibson, Job 265

Gierhart, C. G.... 406

Gilbert, E. C 250

Gilbert, N. C ; 447

Gilbert, O. E....... 43i

Gilbraith, James 222

Gilfillan, Joshua 478

Glenn, James 239

Glenn, Thomas 700

Glenn, Thomas W 315

Glenn, William ...322

Gochenouer, Cristena 521

Gochenbuer, William L 577

Goembel_, Henry 524

Goembel, Samuel .405

Good, S. W 659

Goodell, B . H 281

Goodell, L. B 700

Goodley, Ainger 643

Goodrich, George 553

Goodrich , J oseph .'.... 700

Goodrich, Wm. R --479

Goold, H. L 552

Goshorn, G. W 476

Goss, John 310

Goss, John W 22g

Gottsche, John Jacob 468

Gould , A mos 230

Gould, N. B 567

Gradert, William 191

Grammar, John H 345

Grammar, William G 332

Grant, A. W 205

Grant, Daniel 342

Grant, Ulysses S 87

Graves, C. S ., 249

Graves, Emery C 309

Greene, Thomas 366

Greenlee, James. 421

Gresser, F. E '691

Griffin, Henry G 337

Grove, W. A., M. D 509

Gunther, Frederick * 665

Gustafson, A. P. P 455

Gustus, Nelson : 213

HaafT, H. H. .651

Hachtel, George 488

Hadley, Brittan 586

Hadley, Jeremiah 597

HadsalI,J. S 36s

Hagin , Daniel 547

Hagin, John B 701

Hallgren , Oscar. — — 649

Hamilton, James S 475

Hamilton, John M 179

Hamilton, Levi A 479

Hammond, F. N. ..; 614

Hammond, Joseph 425

Hammond, Peter 378

Hammond, Wm. T 199

Hand, Henry 235

Hand, J. P 721

Hanna, H. N 1 .270

Hanna, J. M .369

Hanna, John P 701

Hnnna, Peter. .'. 393

jHanna, Rev. P: K 369

Harbaugh, Wm... 341

Harkness, D. D .....200

Harms, Henry 642

Harper,. Joshua '. 346

Harrington, Ransom 237

Harrington, S. M 417

Harrison, Wm. H 51

Hathaway, A. F '. 576

Hawkins, Wm. G... 423

Haxby, Harriet E 522

Haxby, Wm 712

Haxtun , W . E 653

Hayden, A. R 209

Hayes, Cornelius 387

Hayes, E. K ' .678

Hayes, Rutherford B 91

Heaps, C. L ...610

Heaps, I. G 194

' Heaps, J. P 683

Heaps, Wm. G 384

Heath, Jesse R., Jr ^511

Hellyer, Izri 399

Henderson, John 471

Henderson, Robert 404

Henderson, T. S ..238

Henney, Daniel 248

Henney, Peter .270

Herbner, Herman....^ 504

Herdien, Peter. ..508

Herman, Henry 39!

Hier, H. G. v ,....407 I

Hill, George W 7°*

Hill, John D 548

Hill. William T ,.565

Hillery, Herman H 207

Hinman, A. V .* .330

Hinman, Elliott ......610

Hinman, Julius S ......354

Hinman, R. H 386

Hinman, William W 389

Hirschbarger, H .....726

Hofland, Charles J 625

Holland, EH.... 372

Holmes, Patterson... 700

Holzinger, George ..._. -.411

Hoppins, Henry J- , M. D..325

Hoppins, Annie M ;-32S

Hoppock, Lewis". 588

Hoppock, Wesley 510

Horn, John W 203

Houghton, Mrs. C C 213

Houghton, E. W 631,

Houghton, Henry E 207

Houghton, John M.... 404

Houghton, Sarah. 216

Howe, Gen. John H. 587

Howell, Charles G 632

Howell, L. W 223

Howell, T. J 208

Howland. Wm-.G 495

Howlette, G. C 7*%

Hubbard, Jeduthan , . .701 .

Hubbard, Rufus ..;.. 701

Huffman, Abraham....- 388

Huffman, C. L .7. .bio

Hulin, B. 1 642

Hume, Dr. S- T ..700

Humphrey, H. F 578

Hunt, Anthony 701

Hunt, Lewis E 605

Hunter, J. M. H .". -: 621

Huntington, Nathan B 299

Hurd, Lewis, M. D ^...677

Hurlbutt, F. A..' -.--377

Irvin, Wm.

■654

Jacobson, Jacob 425

Jackson, Andrew 43

Jagger, Albert 701

Jefferds, Phineas M 363

Jefferson, Thomas 27

Jennings, J . L 531

Jennings, Mrs. Susan H 359

Jewell, C. G.: ...573

Johnson, Andrew............ 83

Johnson, Andrew...... 721

Johnson i Olof. 364

Johnson, Edward 481

Johnson, Frank F.. 264

Johnson,. George W .....380.

Johnson, Gust ... . ..601

Johnson, Henry 630 „

Johnson,' Marshall .. . ....... .205

£^@*f«-

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■6*b<*iiii® ana /c) j^s-

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HENRY COUNTY.

<!>

-«)

;4>

Johnson, Norman 454

, Johnson. Peter. 503

Johnson, Peter G 624

Johnson, Swan P 267

Johnson, S. W 206

Johnston, James 489

Johnston James 725

Jones, R. W 599

Jones, Orson 604

Kaiser, Frederick 606

Keel, Henry D 370

Keeler, P. B 586

Keleher, Daniel L 416

Kelly, William 409

Kemerling, Elbert P 386

Keramerling, Jacob 701

Kemmis, C. H .261

Kemmis, Frank E 261

Kemmis, W m . H 704

Kennish, W. E 462

Kent, Charles 609

Ketch um, Daniel 595

Kiner, H. L 257

King, RufusD...., 5g8

Kingdon, J. M 405

Kinsey, J. C 638

Kirkland, William 486

Knorr, Erasmus 292

Knudde, Peter 722

Kramer, Barnhart 7x7

Kreidler, Oscar 663

Kuhl, Henry 567

Lafferty,A. B 193

Laird, John 500

Laird, S. J 459

Larson, A. G 612

Larson, A. G 454

Larzon, John , 724

Larson, John A 515

Lawson, Andrew P 451

Lay. Hiram T 622

Lay, Nelson 627

Lay, S. H 364

Lee, Wm. B 643

Lester, Charles. 701

Lewen, John 383

Lewis, John 434

Lewis, Samuel A 724

Lieberknecht, A 620

Like, Rev. H. H 458

Liken, Thomas 440

Lilley, Wm 692

Lincoln. Abraham 79

Lincoln, George H 701

Lindquist, Gustaf 253

Linnell, R. E 644

Linton, Robert 623

Little, Abner T 701

Little, C. J. T 661

Little. Henry G 70*

Little, R. Augustus 639

Little, William T 701

Litton, Isaac 482

Long, Dr. H. H 428

Long, Jacob 57°

Long, J. H 573

Long, John 449

Long, John S 705

Long, Thomas 209

Loomis George H 498

Loomis, 0. H...., 1640

Looney, Robert 392

Love, John 379

Love, William 644

Lovejoy, H. W 688

Lowry, N. H., M. D 373

Loyd, M. R 236

Luther, David 615

Lyle, James 680

Lyle, John 541

Lyle, Thomas ' . .591

Lyman, W. H 595

Lyon, Henry L .324

Lyon, Lyman 524

Machesney, D. L., M.D 263

Mackey, A. A 518

Madison, James 31

Maher, Alexander 342

Maine, Thomas H 702

Mannon, J. H., M. D 603

Manville, Henry 322

Marshall, Stephen 701

Marston, Ira D 664

Martin, C. H 281

Mascall, James 558

Mascall, Richard 289

Mathews, Ambrose 671

Mathews, Simeon 511

Matteson, Joel A 147

Matteson, L. F... 696

Maul, Adolph 597

McClanahan, A. M., M. D...506

McClure, W. B 447

M cDermolt , John 250

McDonald, F. M 516

McFarland, Andrew 701

McFarland, Reuben . - .422

McHenry, Daniel B 701

McHenry, George 280

McHenry, William 436

McHenry, T .J 400

McKane,T. F 387

McKibbons, Mrs. Jane 398

McMeeken, Wm 444

McNeely, John C 450

McNeill, James 332

Meatman, Adam 340

Melloy, John 7°4

Melvin, G. T 453

Messmore, Henry 440

Messmore, Jacob, Jr 679

Metcalf,Prof.W. Av 313

Milar, R. W 242

Milchrist, Thomas E 385

Milem, John 444

Miles, Eric 701

Miles, S. T 630

Miller, Abram 315

Miller, James F 701

Miller, Rev. M. J 356

Miller, Mrs. Phebe 701

Miller, Thomas 703

Miller, Wm 477

Minard, Solomon 452

Minnick, W. A 633

Mitchell, James H 291

Mix, Edward A 702

Mock, Anthony R 279

Mock, John 717

Moderwell, E. G 224

Moffitt, J. B 699

Monesmith, Henry 332

Monroe, James 35

Moon, Ann 681

M oon , Seth H 491

Moori, Stephen 506

Moore, Robert 600

Morgan, Alonzo 536

Morgan, A. R 374

Morgan, John N .394

Morton, Joseph 526

Moses, H. W 427

Munson, Merritt 324

Murchison, Alexander 684

Murchison, D. L 64T

Murchison, Kenneth 658

Murchison, Roderick 490

Murphy, A. F 572

Mussey, Henry 226

M ussey , Wm. A 255

Nelson, Charles 582

Nelson, Robert 659

Newman, J. H 340

Newman, W. L 417

Newton, John 662

Nichols, J. C, M. D 603

Nightingale, John 494

Norling, John E 510

North, Levi 593

Nowers, John F 236

Nowers, Thomas, Sr 312

Nowers, Thomas, Jr 272

Nowers, William 300

Odeman, J- E 722

Odine, Malcom 330

Oglesby, Richard J 163

Ole, Heniy W .574

Oliver, Andrew 702

Oliver, William 497

Olson, Eric 702

Olson, Jonas W ,719

Ordway, Stephen 600

Orr, James 573

Osborn , M arcus B 702

Ott, Philip 328

Ours, Wm 505

Owen, John 427

Paddelford, Hannah 703

Paddelford, J. H 410

Paden, Isaac 703

Page, J. H 672

Palmer, George D 3go

Palmer, Grove N 697

Palmer, John M 167

Parish , R ufus P 703

Parker, Ira 508

Parsons, John S 529

Patterson, O. H 414

Patty, David 490

Paul, R. B 437

Payne, Richard 609

Payton, L. F 343

Peck, C. A 333

Penny, Solomon 703

Peregoy, G. W 339

Perkinson, Edward 572

Perry, A. W 283

Peterson, A. M 707

Peterson, Andrew 430

Peterson, E. A 480

Peterson, P. A 450

Peterson, Peter B 208

Peterson, Samuel 543

Peterson, S . P .' 487

Pettit, Samuel 527

Phillips, G. B 574

Piatt, John L 394

Piatt,J.T 398

Pierce, Franklin 71

Pierce, Rev. John T 331

Pillsbury, Caleb 703

Pillsbury, George B 327

Pillsbury, Ithamar ,...703

Pillsbury, Levi 341

Polk, James K 59

Pomeroy, George 258

Poppleton, George 542

Poppy, Henry . ..' 398

Poppy, John Henry 703

Poppy, William 392

Potter, David 703

Potter, John P 703

Potter, Matthew B 713

Pratt, N. H 681

Price, Obed 596

Pritchard, Henry 269

Pritchard, H. W ....429

Pritchard, Robert L 295

Pritchard, Samuel 219

Pritchard, Samuel 298

Pyle, Isaac... 669

Randall, Samuel B 311

Records, Benj 533

Redus, John 198

Reese, Thomas 527

Reese, T. W 278

Repine, Wm. M 714

Reynolds, John 123

Richards, L. H 530

Richardson , E . D 547

Richmond, Isaiah 460

Ridenour, John B 347

Riley, James 685

Ringle, James 584

Ringle, John 660

Robb, John 544

Robb, Joseph 491

Roberts, Wm 531

Robertson, T. M 413

Robinson, Dr. John L 482

Robinson, N.H 703

Robinson, Wm. R 703

Robinson, Wm. L 278

Robinson, Wm. L 545

Rockafellow, Abraham J 601

*4?M

HENRY COUNTY,

(•>

Rogers, John 507

Roos, Jacob 695

Ross, Martin 350

Rosseter, E . C 602

Rosseter, F. S 596

Rowe,G. W 256

Ruggles, Isaac D 1 470

Rule, Alex 494

Rumler, Henry...; 708

Rummell, George 467

Rutledge, Wm v 205

Ryan, Michael 647

1 s

Sadler, James 657

Sale, J.H.,M.D 247

Samuelson, August ... 556

Samuelson, Charles M ..'.668

Samuelson, Tohn 616

Sand , Henry 711

Sand , Philip 310

Sargent, D. F 308

Sargent, A. F. 334

Sawyer, J. A 286

Schmitt, Blazy 492

Schnahele, P. S 35*

Schoettler, John A . . . 555

Schoonover, R. F 437

Schrader, G. H 582

Schwab, Samuel.. 486

Scott, Henry 492

Scott, John, Sr 628

Sears, John . 577

Searls, John 703

Seaton, B. W 528

Seioel, Wm 40°

Seyller, Conrad 605

Seymour, Arba M...: 703

Shearer, Lewis 42*

Shanahan, Henry 683

Shattuck, A.F ...280

Shaw, Emer E 584

Shaw, Jonathan . 581

Sheldon, Luther 702

Shepard, Wm. H 352

Sheppard, R. L 703

Shere,JohnE 412

Sherman, Augustus *---459

Sherrard, Wm 532

Shetler, J. W ...462

Shinn, C. A 268

Shively, Jacob 403

Shult, Hons 706

Shumway, S- B 702

Sickler, Albert 344

Sieben, John 592

Sieben, Leonard 424

Sieben, Valentine 313

Simmons, W. H 297

Slater, J ames 308

Slawson, Lewis 309

Sleight, Halman A 703

Sleight, Henry C 703

Sleight, John D. K 703

Sleight,' Luther C 703

'Smiley, J. C., M. D 682

Smith, Charles 268

Smith, Charles 408

Smith, D.H 529

Smith, Jacob 298

Smith, Jared H ....571

Smith, John F 473,

" Smith, John H 534

Smith, Wm 443

Smith, Wm. B .458

Smith, Wm. J ..368

Snow, Lyman 703

Soliday, Andrew. ., .293

South, E. A ..*. .669

Spelgel, E. F :...'/ .''U.6go

Spivey,J. R 210

Stabler, John 670.

Stackhouse, Wm .703

Stafford, B. 1 272

Stahl, Fred >. . - . -552

Steele, Robert F , 286

Stenholm, John E 329

Stickney, Henry 581

Stewart, Elisha M 314

Stewart, Isaac N 703

Stewart, John P 320

Stewart, Roderick R 703

Stickney, Alfred 234

Stickney, Wm. C..." 250

Stimson, Liberty. .. 2g4

Stitt, James 339

Stokes, Young 320

Stonebei'g, Andrew 408

Stoneberg, John E 399

Storey, Elijah 649

Storey, Janus.?**- 672

Stoughton, H. E.. 546

Stowell, Lyman ,: - .474

Strohecker, David 631

Sullivan, Henry 703

Sullivan, Samuel 703

Sultzer, Charles F 495

Sundberg, John D 409

iSunquist, Andrew 631

Swain, W. H 535

SwansQn, A. P 410

Swanson, G. A 367

Swanson, John A 612

Swanson John M . 300

Swanson, John V 372

Swanson, Swan 343

Sweney, Paul A 334

Swensson, John S 451

Sw.iger, Carl 553

Sykes, Austin 703

Talcott, A. H .■ 422

Taylor, Christopher G 493

Taylor, D. P., M. D 689

Taylor,H. R 713

Taylor, John 396

Taylor, John H 691

Taylor, O. P 212

Taylor, P. H 468

Taylor, Zachary 63

Tee, William B . . .721

Tenney, Charles F 702

Tenney, RalphA... 702

Terpening, Wm. H 554

Thayer, M. S 220

Thayer, S . M 222

Thomas, B. H 262

Thompson, C. H 4g8

Thompson, Fred 230

"Thornton, N, W 266

^n — &A$IM<

Thorp, John J 219

Tibbetts.N. W 667

Tilden, O. E ...485

Tillson, Joseph 702

Timberlake, G. W ,..702

Timberlake, J. M.... 702

Timberlake, R. D ,,...214

Townsend, Eben. 702

Tracy, James A. .. . .476

Tracy, Joab 221

Tracy, Wm. R 220

Trego, HarrisOn 345

,Tufts, John „....; 3*4

Turner, L. W 220

Tyler, Ebejiezer 702

Tyler," George 702

Tyler, John.. 55

"Underwood, A. D 213

Urban , Ch ristian 475

Van Aulacn, Fletcher 469

Van Buren, Martin 47

Van Housen, Charles 564

Van Landschoot, Mary J 418

Vannice, Wm. J 702

Van Winkle,, Adrian.. . 702

Vawter, G - A >, 633

Vincent, Aunt Polly 702

Wa-bo-kies-shiek 657

Wachs, John 545

Waite, George E 329

Walker, George. -... ..563

WalHne, P. E :. ......623

Walsh, Thomas .678

Walters, Ebenezer 702

Warner, A. O 489

Warner, John K ..506

Warner, O. R .499

Warner, S. W 629"

Warner, W. W ...619

Warnock, James 432

Washburn, Abisha 702

Washburn, Chauncey E 702

Washburn, Lucinda 703

Washburn, N.W 406

Washington, George. ig

Waterman, Levi ^265

Watson, Joseph : . . .712

Wayne, Wm _ 4^5

Weaver, Peter 415

Webb, Hiram.. 698

Webb, J. C. 441

Weidlein, John 698

Weidlein, John George 613

Weimer, Wm ..397

Weinrich, Charles F 571

Weir, Joseph 29G

Welch , Zachariah 702

Wells, George 2g2

Wells, George S 435

Wells, Ira R., M. D ....471

Wells, Joel 395

Wells,. Capt. John H 702

Welton, Mrs. Adaline joi

^9—

Welton, F. G ....234

.Welton, James M 521

Welton, Lester^C 702

Welton* Street C ;. 702

Wennerstftum, Charles F. ....562

Westerlund, Eric ...^489

Westerlund, Jonas...? ..264

Westerlund, Peter -.418

Westran, Jonas. . .-. 488

White, Alexander , 312-

White, Henry --599

White, Henry A. 264

Whiting, E. S.. L_. -,-487-

Whitmore, 'David. 334

Whitney, J. B .505

Whitney, Wm ; 255

Wickstrum, P. M . . ., 472

Wight, John 253

Wight, Wm. K....... ,..234

Wilcox, Royal M 469

Wiley, D. L .' 496

Wiley, David 702

Wiley, James 695

Wiley, James M 713

Wiley, Wm. L . 693

Wilkinson, L. J 725

Williams, Rev. Edgar L... 333

Williamson, Richard . 530

Williamson, S . M .7 660

Wilson, Abner .296

Wilson, Charles C 688

Wilson, J. L 663

Wilson, J. S 497

Wilson, Uri-i 557

Wilson, Wm. C..., 703

Wimermar.k, A. H., M. D...566

Winans,J. W, 254

Winsor, F. L 355

Winters, George... 491

Withrow, Amariah 441

Withrow, James. . . 543 '

Withro w; John M 702

Withrow, J. W 323 -

Withrow, Neely 544

Wo lcott, Elisha R 503

Wolcott, Marshall F~. . . :~ 474

Wolever, R. W .' 533

JWolf, George 453

Wolf, William 7.... 486

Wood, John ..155

Wood, Wellington. ....325

Woodruff, Rev. George C 341

Woodruff, Leander' '. . .429

Wo'odruff, Leroy ....382

Woods, R. L.... 211

Woodward,, Hiram 561

Woodward, Luman.... ... 551 ,

- Woolsey, Jesse . ... 1 702

Woolsey, W. S-T 258

Worthington, T.J .-650

Wright, B. H 695

Wright, Henry 682

Yates, Richard 159

Yocuiti; L. .M 648

Youngquist, J. A 330

Zimmerman, D. F .•■365

•; *•

INDEX,

Adams, John 22

Adams, John Quincy 38

Aldrich, Earl P 302

Aldrich, Caroline 303

Anderson, A. E 274

Arnett, George 318

Arthur, Chester A g8

Be ve ridge, John L 170

Bissell, Wm. H iSo

Blair, James 646

Bond, Shadrach no

Brooks, C H 636

Buchanan, James 74

Carlin, Thomas 134

Carlsson, Rev. Erland 710

Cleveland, S. Grover 102

Coles, Edward 114

Cullom, Shelby M 174

Davenport, T. F 188

XSQS1 -zd&K A^9&X

ifrgDQ^ ^^ \C)§£?fl

Duncan, Joseph 130

Edwards, Ninian 118

Ewing, Wm. L. D 126

Eyer, Henry 464

Eyer, Sarah 465

Fillmore, Millard 66

Ford, Thomas 138

Foster, A. P , 232

French, Augustus C .142

Garfield, James A 04

Gilbert, N. C 446

Grant, Ulysses S 86

Griffin, H. G 336

Hamilton, John M 178

Harrison, Wm. H 50

Hayes, Rutherford B 90

Horn, J. W 202

Hurd, Lewis 674

Hurd, Mrs. Caroline M 675

Hurlbutt, F. A 376

Jackson, Andrew. 42

Jefferson, Thomas 26

Jennings, J. 'L 530

Jennings, Susan H 358

Johnson, Andrew 82

Kemmis, C. H 260

Kent, Charles 608

Lincoln, Abraham 78

Lyle, John 538

Lyle, Esther D 539

Lyle, Thomas 590

Madison, James 30

Mascall, Richard 288

Matteson, Joel A 146

Monroe, James 34

Oglesby, Richard J 162

Olson, J. W 726

Palmer, John M 166

Pierce, Franklin 70

Polk, James K 58

Pritchard, Samuel 218

Reynolds, John 122

Sale, Dr. J. H 246

Shearer, Lewis 420

Shively, Jacob 402

Smith, Jared H ; . .570

Stickney, Henry 580

Taylor, Zachary 62

Tilden, O. E 484

Tyler, John 54

Van Buren, Martin 46

Warner, W. W 618

Washington, George 18

Welton, James M 520

Wolcott, Elisha R 502

Woodward, Hiram....' 560

Woodward, Luman 550

Wood, John 154

Yates, Richard 158

(cj\

*J£

INTRODUCTORY

HISTORICAL

72!

EARLY SETTLEMENT 723

Indians 723

Political Descent 724

The Pioneers 725

Firsts 727

A Sad Life 728

Doctors 729

Ancient Records 730

ACTS OF THE COUNTY

COMMISSIONERS 731

■.<frv.-'

County Seats
Richmond
Morristown
Cambridge

Officials

7.33
734
736
737
737

•——>$—# — °<s$

LEGAL HISTORY

740

Bench and Bar

742

THE PRESS

745

Henry County Gazette

74S

Geneseo Republic

746

Chronicle

746

Kewanee Courier

747

Independent

747

Galva Union

748

Henry County News

748

Galva Standard

749

Galva News

749

Local Reporter

7So

Orion Times

75°

Woodhull Gazette

75°

Woodhull Dispatch

7Si

rs K

Kewanee Advertiser 751

Union Democrat 751

' Public School Messenger 751

Our Home Paper 751

WAR FOR THE UNION 752

RAILROADS

C, B. & Q.
C, R. I. & P.
P. & R. I.

MISCELLANEOUS

Crime

Bank Robbery

Shocking Murder

Another
Old Settlers' Society

755

756
758
759

759

759
760

760

761

®mw$>4& — *&^-

f$!

e.\te

INDEX.

VNSHIPS

763

Alba

763

Andover

764

Orphans' Home

76S

Churches

766

Annawan

767

Churches

767

Atkinson

769

Burns

770

Cambridge

771

Churches

775

Schools

777

Miscellaneous

777

Clover

777

Colon a

779

Cornwall

781

Edford

780

Galva

782

Churches

785

Geneseo

Hanna

Kewanee

Loraine

Lynn

Munson

Osco

MorrfslQwn Colony
Oxford
Phenix
Weller

Bishop Hill Colony
Western
Wethersfield
Yorktown
CITIES AND VILLAGES :
Alpha
Annawan
Atkinson

787
797
799
808
806
809
809
812
814

815
816

816

820

822

827

815
767
769

Cambridge
Cleveland
Galva -fifl-"'
Geneseo

Incorporation"

Educational

Churches
Kewanee

Churches

Schools
Lynn Center
Morristowri ■ .
' Opheim
Orion
Osco
Oxford
Wethersfield
Woodhull
Bishop Hill

820

-J

(i)

\ ,

(!)

-eA4>ti3®tm^^ ^y-

■f^S'

"*i 'in!

gfsSssm,

■ft 2* * •

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